Native American Indians: comprehensive overview and detailed analysis

Native Americans

A strong connection between the Iroquois and the framers of the U.S. Constitution is now considered to be a historical fact. While many Americans still believe that the U.S. Constitution was based on Christian beliefs and tenets, leading founding figures like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were closely associated with the Iroquois, which makes sense considering how closely the U.S. Constitution is to the Iroquois Constitution -- also called the Great Law of Peace. This fact proves that the Iroquois Confederacy had a major impact on the forefathers of this country and the U.S. Constitution.

The Iroquois Confederacy impacted the U.S. Constitution in one major way which can be seen in the way that the framers of the U.S. Constitution adopted the democratic ideals held by the Confederacy. The Confederacy believed that states were to be left to their own device when settling any kinds of problems and it was only when a resolution could not be made that a greater authority would step in. This tactic helped the Iroquois Confederacy (as it would also help the U.S.) stop fighting amongst themselves and they would instead come together with a common goal and in a common defense. The Confederacy also believed that the Great Law should have one leader (i.e. A commander-in-chief) and that this person should give addresses to the public in order to fill them in on the state of the union.

The Iroquois had many elements in their Constitution that were not seen in any other kinds of governments at that time, but they were elements that were to become a part of the U.S. Constitution. One example of this is the idea that officials who were elected to service were never thought of as being masters of all, but rather, they were viewed as being servants of the people whom they served.

The impact the U.S. Constitution had on the First Nations was also quite tangible. Because the framing fathers showed their respect for the Great Law of Peace and intended to use aspects of it in their own Constitution, it illustrated to the Iroquois that the U.S. intended to keep peaceful and respectful relations with the first nations. There was a sort of brotherhood that developed because of this respect and borrowing of ideals from the Iroquois.

#2

In "A Basic Call to Consciousness," an entreaty is being set forth, asking that individuals look at how indigenous people were treated. The plea depicts indigenous people as people who care about Mother Earth and who respect the fruits that she offers. The plea accuses people of no longer respecting nature and blames Indo-Europeans who have colonized for putting the earth on a path to destruction. The plea insists that the reader take a look at the way in which the indigenous lived and the way that the colonists live/d and note the differences. The Haudenosaunee claim that there was once harmony in the world, but the colonists have destroyed that harmony and have come to look at nature as a commodity, something that has led to its destruction.

I agree with the Haudenosaunee's call to consciousness in that there is an entirely different worldview between the way in which they viewed spirituality, politics and economy and the ways in which Western Civilization views those same fundamentals. There does not seem to be the same kind of inherent connection with nature for Western culture as it was for the Haudenosaunee. If Western Civilization is to destroy nature, then the Haudenosaunee believe that in that destruction, Western Civilization will also destroy the indigenous people who are so closely connected to Mother Nature in the way that they live. It is ironic to think that the very people who initially came to the colonies were people who were trying to escape some kind of oppression, yet when they arrived in the new world they were the ones who became the oppressors because they did not understand the way of life of the indigenous people (the oppressed become the oppressors).

"When faced with the reality of their own destructiveness, they can only go forward into areas of more efficient destruction." This implies that though Western Civilization knows that what they are doing is destroying the earth, there is no turning back at this point. The only thing that makes sense to them is to find better and faster ways to go about enacting that destruction.

#3

While there have been positive initiatives of late regarding Native American rights -- such as the U.S.'s reversal of the Bush administration's position on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous people, which, in dropping its opposition, recognizes the rights of indigenous peoples to self-determination, cultures, and traditions, and also forbids any type of discrimination against them -- there are also still challenges that Native Americans face today. Many of these challenges are new for the Native American population.

One recent challenge Native Americans in Canada face is living downstream of toxic tar sand mines. The population has thus experienced major rises in colon, liver and blood cancer all to which the Canadian government has ignored. The Canadian government is now wanting to run these pipelines straight through Indian country, which would mean digging up gravesites -- a sacred ground of Native American heritage. The Canadian government's ignoring of the Native American's grounds is a threat to their community and their sacred spaces. While the threat to sacred spaces may not seem like a new threat, it is with so-called "improvements in technology" that Native Americans now have to protect their grounds and their people.

In May of 2011, the first cooperative Truth and Reconciliation process between Native American tribes and a U.S. state took place in Maine. This process was a major milestone for Native Americans who have long wanted to bring to the public's attention the horrible atrocities that took place in the quite-recent past. This type of process was one that they hoped would promote healing and understanding -- and in the end, improve public policy. Just a little over 30 years ago, Maine's public policies were led by this slogan, "kill the Indian and save the child" -- a slogan referring to the government's taking of Native American children out of their homes. These children were forced into foster homes and boarding schools where they were met with hostility and violent abuse that often turned deadly. Maine's Truth and Reconciliation process is a step in the right direction when it comes to healing the sins of the past.

#4

Indian boarding schools were created by the U.S. government to deal with what they considered to be a major problem: Native Americans. Indian boarding schools were places where Native Americans were sent to "learn" -- but what occurred there was not learning, but rather an "unlearning" of their own culture, traditions, rituals, language and spirituality.