Native American Spirituality is seen as unconventional compared to popular cultures of the United States today. Traditions, values, language, and more separate the two societies from one another. The Native American culture was contained because the white man saw these differences as inferior and segregated the natives. The white men deemed natives as uncivilized, made them learn the ways of Christianity, and did not allow the practice of the native traditions through physical and cultural domination. Because of this initial judgement, the Native American culture was not shared with the rest of the world. People can still learn many lessons from their culture because they have implications that can make improvements societally and individually.
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Relationships, whether they are with strangers, friends, and nature, are formed differently in current times in comparison to the past. The natives believe that everyone is equal no matter what they identify as, even if they are homosexual or transvestite. Everyone is accepted by their culture because they all have their own important role in the community (Ojibwa). This is not always the case in the United States. People have harassed, insulted, abused, and hated gay people throughout history due to a prejudice toward them. In June 2015 the Supreme Court finally ruled in favor of same-sex marriage to encourage acceptance and provide everyone with equal rights (Diamond). This was a step in the right direction, but it has not changed everyone’s minds. Our society needs to learn from the natives to accept everyone for who they are and not be so quick to judge. Also, the Native Americans take the meaning of friendship differently than we do. In the documentary Two Rivers, Glen Schmekel introduces John GrosVenor as his friend to a group of people without thinking about it. GrosVenor takes this word to heart and expresses to Schmekel how much that means to him, especially coming from the native background. Native Americans only speak from their hearts and they know how to listen when others are talking so GrosVenor looks for the meaning of Schmekel’s words (Two Rivers). In the Native American culture, words are not thrown around like they are in today’s generations. For example, people can be “friends” on Facebook, but have never actually met or talked to each other before. True friendship seems to be dying away in recent generations as more interactions occur the internet instead of face to face and there is less quality time spent together. Personally, I have made it a goal to keep my phone away from me while with other people. Due to anxiety it can be hard for me to talk to
Relationships, whether they are with strangers, friends, and nature, are formed differently in current times in comparison to the past. The natives believe that everyone is equal no matter what they identify as, even if they are homosexual or transvestite. Everyone is accepted by their culture because they all have their own important role in the community (Ojibwa). This is not always the case in the United States. People have harassed, insulted, abused, and hated gay people throughout history due to a prejudice toward them. In June 2015 the Supreme Court finally ruled in favor of same-sex marriage to encourage acceptance and provide everyone with equal rights (Diamond). This was a step in the right direction, but it has not changed everyone’s minds. Our society needs to learn from the natives to accept everyone for who they are and not be so quick to judge. Also, the Native Americans take the meaning of friendship differently than we do. In the documentary Two Rivers, Glen Schmekel introduces John GrosVenor as his friend to a group of people without thinking about it. GrosVenor takes this word to heart and expresses to Schmekel how much that means to him, especially coming from the native background. Native Americans only speak from their hearts and they know how to listen when others are talking so GrosVenor looks for the meaning of Schmekel’s words (Two Rivers). In the Native American culture, words are not thrown around like they are in today’s generations. For example, people can be “friends” on Facebook, but have never actually met or talked to each other before. True friendship seems to be dying away in recent generations as more interactions occur the internet instead of face to face and there is less quality time spent together. Personally, I have made it a goal to keep my phone away from me while with other people. Due to anxiety it can be hard for me to talk to