In 1492, Christopher Columbus came to the Americas, then known as the New World, and opened the borders to vast travel all across Europe. The new world had plenty of resources and space for settling, but there was one problem, the land was home to many diverse, intimidating Indians who did not want to give up their land. This battle over land and resources led to many conflicts amongst the two groups. The beliefs of the Native Americans and white settlers are very different, leading to actions such as assimilation and violence, consequently, Native Americans have given up on the hopes of living a better life. The culture and beliefs of the Native Americans and white settlers contrast exceedingly. Native American beliefs are based around a
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When the Europeans first came to the new world, many of them were not seeking for conflict, they were trying to find a new place to call home. Many European settlers tried to assimilate that many Native tribes that the encounter and tried to teach them the Anglo-Saxon language and religion. Which generally was English and Christianity. These settlers believed that they were helping the Indians out of the goodness of their hearts, but in truth, they were actually disintegrating whole Indian cultures and languages, they were stealing the land, resources, and homes of the Indians. In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, the main character, Arnold Spirit is an Indian boy who lives on a reservation with his family. His white math teacher confessed this to Arnold after Arnold threw a book at him, breaking his nose, " 'Your songs and stories and languages and dancing. Everything. We weren 't trying to kill Indian people. We were trying to kill Indian culture '" (Alexie 35). The teacher, when he was young, believed that assimilation was a good thing for the Native Americans. It was only until he 'd gotten older that he realized how wrong he was. This just goes to show the mindset of these white people who were trying to assimilate the Indians. Gyasi Ross, a Blackfeet Indian Nation member, wrote the article, "“Redskins”: A Native 's Guide To Debating An Inglorious Word" and in this article, Ross tells the reader how the native Americans are the poorest people in the nation. An Indian himself, he says, "We also have…serious issues with fatherlessness, substance abuse, and suicide" (Ross). Many of Indians that live in these reservations are struggling with addition where it alcohol or drugs. In the novel, Arnold 's father and mother were both alcoholics. In the scene "Savages Part 2" in the movie Pocahontas,
When the Europeans first came to the new world, many of them were not seeking for conflict, they were trying to find a new place to call home. Many European settlers tried to assimilate that many Native tribes that the encounter and tried to teach them the Anglo-Saxon language and religion. Which generally was English and Christianity. These settlers believed that they were helping the Indians out of the goodness of their hearts, but in truth, they were actually disintegrating whole Indian cultures and languages, they were stealing the land, resources, and homes of the Indians. In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, the main character, Arnold Spirit is an Indian boy who lives on a reservation with his family. His white math teacher confessed this to Arnold after Arnold threw a book at him, breaking his nose, " 'Your songs and stories and languages and dancing. Everything. We weren 't trying to kill Indian people. We were trying to kill Indian culture '" (Alexie 35). The teacher, when he was young, believed that assimilation was a good thing for the Native Americans. It was only until he 'd gotten older that he realized how wrong he was. This just goes to show the mindset of these white people who were trying to assimilate the Indians. Gyasi Ross, a Blackfeet Indian Nation member, wrote the article, "“Redskins”: A Native 's Guide To Debating An Inglorious Word" and in this article, Ross tells the reader how the native Americans are the poorest people in the nation. An Indian himself, he says, "We also have…serious issues with fatherlessness, substance abuse, and suicide" (Ross). Many of Indians that live in these reservations are struggling with addition where it alcohol or drugs. In the novel, Arnold 's father and mother were both alcoholics. In the scene "Savages Part 2" in the movie Pocahontas,