Society is filled with many different cultures, and not everyone is a part of the same one. A culture isn’t someone’s race, it is a set of norms, values, and beliefs. In the book Neither Wolf nor Dog, the author, Kent Nerburn, seeks to fill the gap between white Americans and American Indians. The history between these two cultures is strong, for American Indians were once enslaved by Europeans that immigrated to America. This book is a perfect example of sociological terms related to culture and race. Throughout the book, the reader learns about the prejudices associated with American Indians and cultural appropriation. The treatment of American Indians in this country can be related to the actions and thoughts centered on this culture.
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Based off the history of this country (ex. Slavery), it is expected that at least one person will have prejudice thoughts that a past relative may have influenced. Growing up in different time periods can affect the thoughts and actions people have or take part in. In Neither Wolf nor Dog, the author shares some prejudices he previously had or had heard of in relation to the American Indian culture. Prejudice can be defined as “a favorable or unfavorable preconceived feeling or opinion formed without knowledge, reason, or thought that prevents objective consideration of person, group or thing” (Marger 1985). To help put this into perspective, the textbook shared an example of prejudice to be “one very common racial stereotype is that black men who wear hoodies and baggy jeans are dangerous” (Golash-Boza 2014:66). This shares a popular negative prejudice, which then affects the way people treat the people of this race. Throughout the book, Nerburn shows the true American Indian culture and show that these prejudice thoughts are false. He states “the drunken Indian, the vicious savage, and the noble Wiseman, and the silent earth-mother are all products of our historical imagination. We do the Indian people no honor by dehumanizing them into such neat and simple packages” (Nerburn 1994:5). In the beginning of the book, Nerburn states the prejudice thoughts and rids them …show more content…
In the 1800’s, the government passed acts like the Indian appropriation, Dawes, Indian reorganization and Indian removal. These acts affected the lives of American Indians in different ways. It is important to look at the appropriation acts, because these caused a lot of issues regarding land. Specifically, the Indian Appropriation Act of 1851, which “forced Native Americans in the South to leave their homelands and move to the Great Plains” (Bringing History Home 2005). These American Indians lost their land and “white people were allowed to seize and settle in the former tribal lands” (Bringing History Home 2005). The government showed disrespect to the American Indians and allowed others to take their land. In the book, Dan states that “lots of white people moved onto Indian lands and later if there were treaty payments, they said they were Indians so they could get part of the treaty payments” (Nerburn 1994:59). The government made the Indians move and people took their land, and then pretended to be something they were not. They acted as if they were a part of the culture, so that they could take the money. People fought and died for that land, but white people took it like it was nothing. White people thought that they deserved that land more, even though American Indians originated from the land, but the government refused to believe this.
Based off the history of this country (ex. Slavery), it is expected that at least one person will have prejudice thoughts that a past relative may have influenced. Growing up in different time periods can affect the thoughts and actions people have or take part in. In Neither Wolf nor Dog, the author shares some prejudices he previously had or had heard of in relation to the American Indian culture. Prejudice can be defined as “a favorable or unfavorable preconceived feeling or opinion formed without knowledge, reason, or thought that prevents objective consideration of person, group or thing” (Marger 1985). To help put this into perspective, the textbook shared an example of prejudice to be “one very common racial stereotype is that black men who wear hoodies and baggy jeans are dangerous” (Golash-Boza 2014:66). This shares a popular negative prejudice, which then affects the way people treat the people of this race. Throughout the book, Nerburn shows the true American Indian culture and show that these prejudice thoughts are false. He states “the drunken Indian, the vicious savage, and the noble Wiseman, and the silent earth-mother are all products of our historical imagination. We do the Indian people no honor by dehumanizing them into such neat and simple packages” (Nerburn 1994:5). In the beginning of the book, Nerburn states the prejudice thoughts and rids them …show more content…
In the 1800’s, the government passed acts like the Indian appropriation, Dawes, Indian reorganization and Indian removal. These acts affected the lives of American Indians in different ways. It is important to look at the appropriation acts, because these caused a lot of issues regarding land. Specifically, the Indian Appropriation Act of 1851, which “forced Native Americans in the South to leave their homelands and move to the Great Plains” (Bringing History Home 2005). These American Indians lost their land and “white people were allowed to seize and settle in the former tribal lands” (Bringing History Home 2005). The government showed disrespect to the American Indians and allowed others to take their land. In the book, Dan states that “lots of white people moved onto Indian lands and later if there were treaty payments, they said they were Indians so they could get part of the treaty payments” (Nerburn 1994:59). The government made the Indians move and people took their land, and then pretended to be something they were not. They acted as if they were a part of the culture, so that they could take the money. People fought and died for that land, but white people took it like it was nothing. White people thought that they deserved that land more, even though American Indians originated from the land, but the government refused to believe this.