This paper examines discrimination against Native Americans across three interconnected parts. The first traces the history of prejudice from colonial times through modern-day stereotypes, exploring how policies of forced assimilation, boarding schools, and cultural erasure have contributed to ongoing social problems such as alcoholism and unemployment. The second part offers a candid personal reflection on unconscious bias and stereotypical thinking about Native Americans, tracing those attitudes to media imagery and limited formal education. The third part proposes an action plan grounded in cultural competency, education, and cognitive behavioral approaches to help reduce prejudice and support Native communities.
This paper demonstrates effective use of reflective practice as an academic method. Rather than simply summarizing literature, the author applies scholarly sources (Lum, Koppelman & Goodhart, Freshman) directly to personal experience, then uses that self-analysis to generate policy-relevant recommendations. This technique — moving from theory to self-examination to application — is central to social work education and professional development.
The paper is organized into three labeled parts: a historical survey of anti-Native American discrimination, a personal discrimination inventory, and an action plan for culturally competent social work practice. Each section is supported by the same core texts, creating internal coherence. The conclusion of each section feeds into the next, so the historical background informs the personal reflection, which in turn motivates the proposed interventions.
Discrimination and prejudiced attitudes toward Native Americans stem back to colonial times, when colonists' living practices and governance policies did not adequately value "the culture, history and knowledge of the American Indians" (Koppelman & Goodhart, 2003, p. 86).
Colonists rarely acknowledged the indigenous peoples living in America when they first arrived. Many considered Native Americans to be savages — people who were less than human and dangerous at best (Koppelman & Goodhart, 2003). From early colonial times, a precedent was established that Native Americans were "obstacles" to be overcome rather than people deserving of equal rights and respect under the law.
There is evidence to suggest that early explorers such as Columbus appreciated the peaceful nature and beauty of the indigenous people, yet despite this he took many back to Spain as slaves (Koppelman & Goodhart, 2003). Though the indigenous people offered much to the colonists — including well-established roads upon which colonists eventually built their own systems — they were rarely acknowledged for their contributions.
Benjamin Franklin is even cited as noticing the impressive governance structure utilized by Indian nations and is noted for borrowing heavily from them, though he did not acknowledge the contributions or Indian influence on his work and was publicly prejudiced against the natives (Koppelman & Goodhart, 2003, p. 88). There is much the colonists might have learned had they paid closer attention. Native Americans, for example, had much to offer in the way of food and medicine, and were well known for their understanding of the value of medicinal plants.
In modern times, Native Americans remain victims of prejudiced attitudes. Many people still hold the idea that Indians are either noble savages who lived long ago and were exterminated, or view Indians as people living in contemporary society who have lost their culture and been "degraded" by "white men's ways" (Koppelman & Goodhart, 2003, p. 95). Native Americans in contemporary times have also been criticized for operating casinos, which may potentially provide them with significant revenue.
Many indigenous people today face issues with forced assimilation into the "dominant society," which includes struggling with high unemployment rates, low school completion rates, domestic abuse, and alcoholism (Koppelman & Goodhart, 2003, p. 97). Many scholars suggest that Native Americans have not had the opportunity to "adequately mourn the events that happened to ancestors," and that their unresolved grief lies at the heart of their current social problems (Lum, 2003, p. 203). Alcohol is often seen as a tool of oppression and a way to "cheat indigenous people out of their land and natural resources" (Lum, 2003).
It is difficult at first to acknowledge that one might hold prejudiced opinions or believe in stereotypes about any given population. However, upon close examination it is not hard to see that I do hold several stereotypical assumptions about certain populations, particularly the Native American population. Discrimination and stereotypes can sometimes be unconscious, as evidenced by the literature reviewed (Ayres, 2003; Lum, 2003). I have found that I hold unconscious personal bias against Native Americans, and that I may have fallen victim to many of the stereotypes that exist regarding this population. I also believe this unconscious bias is due in part to the pervasive body of literature and longstanding stereotypes that depict Native populations as savage, uneducated, and generally very different from other populations living within the United States.
One of the first images that comes to mind when I think of Native Americans is of people dancing around a fire, singing what I imagine to be primitive songs and worshiping animals. The next image is of people living in teepees, smoking pipes and drinking. The last image that comes to mind is perhaps people gambling in casinos. Though I know these are not accurate descriptions of indigenous peoples, I believe I have succumbed to many of the early stereotypes that have existed since colonial times. As Koppelman and Goodhart point out, many of the early colonists of Columbus' era believed that the native peoples inhabiting this country were savages. That image of Native American traditions has lasted for centuries and permeated modern thinking, as evidenced by my own perceptions. Many of the early colonists appreciated the beauty of the native peoples, but only from the standpoint that they were poor, helpless people who needed to be civilized and taught the ways of "modern" man. I believe I still carry the unconscious belief that the Native population needs to be, in some way, civilized. Why, after all, would anyone choose to live in a small community apart from modern cities? Why would anyone still maintain religious beliefs so foreign from common practice, or consider living in a teepee?
Even today, if confronted with Native customs and religious traditions, I can honestly say I would feel uncomfortable and would likely hold a negative view of traditions other than Christian ones. This may stem from what Lum (2003) describes as a tendency for people to associate more with what is familiar to them and to hold unconscious — or even conscious — prejudice toward what is not. I have no comfort level with the cultures and traditions of indigenous peoples, most likely because I have not been meaningfully exposed to them. What I have learned about Native peoples I have largely learned from textbooks or media imagery, including depictions of fiercely painted figures on horses chasing cowboys or raiding colonial villages. Such imagery is bound to have a negative effect on one's perceptions of any population.
Most of what I formally learned about Native American customs was taught during grade school. Of what I can remember, I recall no positive imagery — only a pervasive image of "Indians" living in teepees. The idea of someone living in a teepee rather than a conventional home is foreign to me, perhaps an expression of my discomfort with the unknown and unfamiliar. Most depictions of Native culture have been dramatized to some extent, and even within the academic literature there seems to be a bias toward the belief that Native traditions are somehow less civil than others.
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