Urban Tribes Chapter Summary

Urban Tribes is a book about indigenous people that are coping with differences, specifically with the transition between suburbanism to urbanism, ceremony,
A lot of indigenous people grow up in the reservation, but then as they get older or start going to high school the move into the big cities. Other times, people grow up in the city but live close to the reservation.
Sometimes, indigenous people grow up in the reservation, but then as they get older they move into the city. This can be a big culture shock to these people because the city is so big and people are disconnected and not as close-knit as they are on the reservation. “Moving to the city was a huge culture shock. There are only a few hundred people in the community I grew up in . Everyone is like family.” - (pg. 52) On the reservation there are often only a few hundred people and everyone is considered family, while in the city there are thousands and it’s nearly impossible to know everyone. In other cases, people grow up in the city but live close to the reservation and visit often. This is helpful because they are getting the best …show more content…
In addition, everyone is very connected to nature and the beauty of it. While on the reservation, it’s easier to feel connected, in big cities, it’s harder because lots of cities are polluted and there may not be many parks nearby. “In the city, you don’t get to look at the stars like you can on the rez… ...In Beauval you can go outside and see hundreds of stars.” - (pg. 82-83) Another important part of ceremony is shown in the section “Ceremony in the City”, A Cree woman describes how she balances modern day life with her traditional values. She thinks that “Our ancestors were brilliant and innovative”, and that “they would want us to take full advantage of all that’s available to us to strengthen ourselves and our communities”. - (pg.