The struggle of Native Americans culture living in two worlds

The struggle of Native Americans culture living in two worlds

Introduction

For most Native Americans, daily life seems almost a nightmare since the arrival of other people in their territory dating back to colonization.  Native Americans struggle to maintain their culture amid the wave of globalization that seems to be changing everything even the closely held cultural practices.  The influx of foreign culture and influences has systematically destroyed the richness and way of life for Native Americans. Today, most Native Americans will acknowledge that they life in two worlds; one world with richness of culture and beauty of environment, and the other world full of problems and worriers on how they will meet their daily needs.  They struggle on daily bases to find a balance between their rich culture and the changing nature of modern life.  They seem to be fighting a strong wave of change and influence of modern time in reality of incompatibility of cultural practices and nature of modern life. For Native Americans, it no longer amounts to protection of culture but a struggle to survive in a life defined by two worlds.

Systematic erosion of Native American culture

The major problem for Native Americans has been government policies that have for years eroded the richness of their culture. Native American culture is rich and has struggled to remain intact but they have been systematically destroyed by the emerging western culture.  Dating back to 18th century, the government responded to gold rush in the Great India plains with policies that perpetuated ethnocentrism (Harold, 2002). U.S government policy towards Native Americans shows that the government has been implementing policies with mixed effects on the Native Americans culture. Initially, the government followed policies that recognized the richness and diversity of the Native American culture but this was systematically destroyed by the subsequent policies that sought to destroy Native American culture.

Changing government polices towards native Americans brings about confusion to most Native Americans. With lands established in their previous Great Plains where they had roamed for years, Native American worriers were turned to farmers who struggle to get their daily bread. In addition, the government introduced schools and churches which systematically broke down the rich culture that had held the community together.  Towards the end of the 19th century and in the course of 20th century, the government then put in place policies that once again recognized the rights of Native Americans to live in their ancestral land but the damage had already been done and the process of reconstructing Native American culture was practically impossible (Harold, 2002).

Struggle to maintain culture in the changing social world

Native Americans love their culture and have a great respect for it. Despite years of colonization, Native Americans have shown that they are ready to protect their culture, regardless of the minute aspect of their culture that still remains (Winona, 2004). For year, Native American tribes including the Great Plain Indians have struggled to maintain the values that define their culture despite the incursion of the western culture into their territories.  They have struggled to maintain their social institutions despite the incursion of modern government.  It is the beauty of culture, that has defined them as a community for a larger part of their life, that keeps the community glued to their past. However, it is a just a struggle to stay in the past and at the same time (Harold, 2002).

This is more like living a double standard life, for the young and for the old.  For most Native Americans, their culture is pearl, source of beauty, and point of satisfaction in life.  However the changing nature of life works against the odds for most Native Americans. The introduction of schools, churches, government institutions, and others have worked to destroy the culture they have held for many years.  Modern social institutions like the church and schools have particularly dealt a big blow for most Native Americans to live in abundance of provisions of their culture (Harold, 2002). For children, it becomes particularly difficult to go to school which trains them to become like whites and at the end of the return home back to their rich traditional culture.  They can be described as children of the two worlds, one defined by richness and abundance of culture and the other defined by western values.

Maintaining beauty of the environment

The environment is a source of inspiration for most Native Americans (Winona, 2004). They have known the environment to provide everything they need in life, from food, medicines, clothes, and many others. For example the Amazon has been home to many Native Americans who consider it not just a forest but their home as well. They fancy and adore the beauty of nature and protect it with all their efforts. As a source of livelihood, they are not ready to exchange it for anything or see it systematically destroy.  Native Americans live in natural environments which have not been interfered with and therefore enjoy the beauty of their environment. Cool air, clean water that has not been toxic with industrial chemicals, clean environment, are just few of the goodies Native Americans draw from their environment (Harold, 2002). In others words, the struggle for Native Americans to maintain their environment is the beauty, satisfaction, and appreciation of nature that they draw from their surroundings.  But this surrounding is fast being reclaimed by the expanding human settlement. The government is leasing lands to explore mineral wealth in these environments which is systematically destroying the environment.

Amid the beauty of nature in their environment, Native Americans have to struggle daily to look for food and other necessities of life. Outside their usual residence, the world is change facts and their children getting into contact with outside world. They are no longer contented remaining hunter and gathers forever. They want to live in decent home that have running water and comfortable beds. They want to wear clothes like the rest of the population.  Amid the rising population, most Native Americans realize that the environment can no longer cater for all their needs and they are forced to face the outside world in search of new life (Winona, 2004). When they come back, they face the distorted reality of their environment and the outside world. For many Native Americans, working outside their environment and coming back home to their environment is a big challenge they have live with, living the same life but in two worlds.

Is there reality for Native Americans culture in modern times?

There is a hard reality for Native American culture in the modern times. They have struggled for years to maintain their culture aimed the incursion of modern westernized culture but it is becoming a great challenge.  Their culture provides beauty, aspiration, happiness, and cohesion but this is also difficult to hold on to.  While those who live in their natural environment may find it easier to practice and respect their culture, this may become difficult for those who go outside their traditional settings and mix with westernized cultures.  It is hard reality they have to live with balancing between royalty to their culture and the pleasure of the modern culture (Harold, 2002).

Native American culture will eventually be eroded in favor of modern culture. As the world become more and more globalized and  native American interact with the outside world, not many will be in a position to hold on to their culture values (Winona, 2004). It is a culture full of richness and abundance but the changing times many not spare this richness and abundance.  Most Native American will assure you that they live in struggle living the same life but in two worlds. The young Native Americans who make contact with the outside world may not hold to their native practices for long which means slow and slow, the Native American culture will be eroded (Harold, 2002).  Like other native cultures, Native American culture holds dear to the practices the define it including language, foods, social institutions and others but these are being replaced at a faster rate by new practices. It is hard reality for one to live two words at the same time. They cherish their culture that is naturally set to provide everything in their natural environment but they have to struggle to meet the needs of modern life.

Conclusion

Native Americans have for long struggle to maintain their culture. Since the advent of colonialism, government has implemented a number of policies that have systematically eroded the richness of their culture and destroyed their natural environment. However, they are not ready to abandon their culture for any other and struggle daily to maintain it. Most native Americas have to live the same life but in two worlds; one defined by their native culture and another embedded to the modern culture.

Reference:

Harold, H. (2002). The current condition of Native Americans. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press

Winona, S. (2004). The paradox of Native American Indian culture. Melus, 29