How Did Policies Affect American Culture

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river poisoned and the last fish caught will we realize we cannot eat money” This is a Cree Indian Proverb that shows how the Native Americans felt about the policies in which the United States instituted for them. These policies gave them land with no food, rivers with no fish, and money with no value. Americans saw themselves as generous, but they gave them nothing of meaning with these policies. So what did these policies that had no usefulness to the Native Americans actually do for them it lowered their quality of life, changed it lowered their quality of life, changed their religious views, and their culture was diminished. Native Americans quality of life was lowered by the policies enforced by the Americans. Three things …show more content…
First, the Native’s were forced to learn about American politics and history. They couldn’t learn about their own traditions, leaders, and past. Instead, as seen with Dr.Eastman in the very beginning the children learned the name of all the presidents. Second, children were taken into schools and taught that their culture and beliefs were foolish. As these kids grew older they began to believe this. This allowed Americans to play the friendlies against the non friendlies. That is what happened when sitting bull was killed. They also took away their culture by making every man equal or a chief. This made it so no chief could unite his people and led to chaos. Third, they took away their culture by cutting their braids and forcing them into American clothes. A Native’s hair was not simply hair it was a part of their spirit. It was seen in the movie how whenever a child’s hair was cut, they would cry or fight it. The Native’s culture was destroyed from the inside