Native American Identities

The cultural, tribal, and national identities of Native American Indians are marked by uniqueness that is defined in part by language, literature, and gender. The "scientific image" discussed by Berkhofer was developed by Euro-Americans in their representations of Indians but also figured into tribal and national identities, impacting Indians at a conceptual level. While Native American Indian nations and tribes originally had distinctly different cultures that "shared neither a universal language nor a known historical experience," and consisted of "hundreds of aboriginal groups speaking some 250 distinct languages," each with their own mode of living and unique culture, when the Europeans arrived on the continent, they gave all of these Native American groups a common name-"Indians" (Hertzberg 1-2). Even the name "Indian" came from the European explorers rather than from the Native Americans themselves (Hertzberg 2). In his book The Invented Indian: Cultural Fictions and Government Policies, James A. Clifton points out that "versions of the Indian story are mostly pieced together from borrowed hand-me-downs, with enough ruffles and flourishes sewn on to suggest innovativeness" (42). This paper will examine the uniqueness of cultural, tribal, and national identities of the Native American Indian and how it was undermined by the white man, as well as the influence of the scientific image described by Berkhofer.

Culture is the "'designs and ways of l

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ns that sparked interest in the Old West. While many period films sought to attain minute authenticity of detail in dress, customs, and language, this was generally not the case for the parts of Indians. Berkhofer points out that "the Indian was generally depicted as a person of little culture and less language. Speaking how! and ugh! Dialogue and wearing combination, if not phony, tribal dress Indians were usually portrayed with little concern for tribal differences in language, customs, or beliefs" (103). The part of the Indian in many motion pictures and television shows was played by a white or an Asian, because "all Indians looked alike to movie and television directors" (Berkhofer 103). It is here that Native American literature holds great value. Native American Indian literature preserves the real culture of the Indians rather than perpetuating the concocted stereotypical culture that the media have depicted. Authentic Indian history, culture, and spiritual beliefs are reflected in Indian literature, and contemporary Indians rely upon their people's literature to learn about their own heritage just as whites need the literature to identify where Indian stereotypes are inaccurate and damaging. The Indian

Category: History - N