Sherman Alexie is a prominent Native American writer, filmmaker and poet. He was born on the Spokane Indian Reservation and utilizes his experiences as a Native American on and off the reservation throughout his work to examine the cause and (often negative) effect of stereotypical perceptions of Native Americans, and in doing so, highlights the issues that Native Americans are still currently facing. ... Given the title of this novel and the main storyline revolving around a band, it is of no surprise that Alexie uses music significantly throughout his work. Although the title can refer to th...

• Word Count: 2551
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Native Americans had their sovereignty taken without consent. ... Natives used these as examples of ways of reforming federal Native American policies. ... Native Americans played a big role in WWII. ... The title of the state was The Rescue which led to idea that Natives needed white intervention. ... The moving and slaughtering and infiltration of Native American lands was the reason that nearly 100 million Natives were killed. ...

• Word Count: 1633
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

This fear of Native Americans is what fueled, in part, the Jackson-era anti-Native American policies circa 1830. ... While the title is explicitly referring to a single character in the book who is literally the last of his tribe, in certain contexts it accentuates the fact that the American colonists completely decimated the Native Americans. ... Although Cooper seems to have no apparent bias, it is rather curious that he would obscure this message after making such an effort with the title as it is. ... He thinks of Native American words as fused with the places they name, and links Nativ...

• Word Count: 1482
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

He entreated the King and Queen to grant him the title "Don" and "Grand Admiral of the Ocean Sea and Viceroy and Perpetual Governor of all the islands," (Halsall). For an individual whose exploit if successful would bring him greater admiration and respect than a title from the King and Queen, why is he so concerned with personal accolades and badges even before he sets sail on his quest? ... By directly pointing out the lack of proper military weapons and equipment of the natives, Columbus downplays any threat of resistance. ... He laid the foundation with the blood of mi...

• Word Count: 1689
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

As the title of Alexie's tale indicates this story is primarily about a Native tradition, in this case a Spokane tradition involving ritual drug use. ... However, This seemingly contradictory approach to the idea of shamanic or nature based religious experience in literature and film makes the Native fictions a little hard to follow. The shamanic myth in fictions involving Indians but written by whites while he identifies with Native beliefs, culture, and practices as acceptable in fictions written by Native Americans. The romantic view seems to be the actual issue as writings indicate ...

• Word Count: 1919
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

This proved to be quite difficult as many of the natives held onto their cultural heritage with fierce resistance. The different native cultures included the Aztecs and Mayans as well as many smaller tribes. ... Aside from its primary goal of converting the native Americans, the church built schools and hospitals, provided nursing care for the elderly and mentally ill, and established church based schools to convert native American children to Christianity. ... They were still able to gain titles of nobility and typically able to obtain the best money could buy. ... Human sacrifice was replace...

• Word Count: 980
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Captivity narratives of Americans relate the experiences of whites enslaved by Native Americans and Africans enslaved by Americans. ... This compromise leaves him torn between his adopted Western beliefs and his native African values. ... After taken into captivity by the Native Americans, she conveys her strong Puritan values by criticizing and demeaning the Native's religion, or what Rowlandson illustrates them as heathens with complete lack of values, morals and religious conviction. Rowlandson portrays the Natives as "Ravenous beasts" (Rowlandson) considering them as evil an...

• Word Count: 1490
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the nineteenth century, as white Americans proceeded to build and delineate their nation, they carried on a process they had started as colonists, settling a new world, and transforming its landscape, which had been modelled by Native Americans up to that time. ... Westward movement, which often involved the violent displacement of native people, was stimulated by the concept of Manifest Destiny, the divine right of white Americans to settle the whole North American continent. ... There are also a few Native Americans glancing at the rapidly changing landscape that spreads b...

• Word Count: 3252
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: Undergraduate