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"Ishi in Two Worlds", 2005.
A book review of "Ishi in Two Worlds" by Theodora Kroeber.
1,163 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 0 sources, $ 40.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how "Ishi in Two Worlds" tells the tale of an Indian man who was accustomed to living a traditional way of life and then was thrust into the full brunt of modern American civilization by a cruel accident. It looks at how it is the story of a man who dwelled in two worlds, how he spent most of his life in the ways and sphere of the Yahi Indians, and how, after his tribe's eradication, he was forced to live in contemporary civilization, specifically in the context of the modern American university among well-meaning anthropologists who wished to study and learn from him.
From the Paper
"Ishi's tale is thus at once fascinating and uncomfortable to hear, as the reader finds him or herself a witness to Indian histories, languages and narratives that would otherwise have been lost, yet also a fly-on-the-wall observer to the personal struggle of an essentially private individual, forced to cope with a civilization he never knew existed, a civilization that has overtaken his own even though it is not necessarily superior to the Yahi's ways. At least the anthropologist under whose care Ishi found himself had some of the current postmodern or tolerant mindset of today. They wished to learn about his culture with an open mind, rather than try to change him or to condemn the Yahi practices. Still, the solitude of Ishi's final years amongst White men and women makes his struggle even painful for a 21st century reader to acknowledge."
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"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee", 2005.
A review of the book, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West," by Dee Brown.
1,462 words (approx. 5.8 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 48.95
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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the book, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West," by Dee Brown. Specifically, it evaluates and synthesizes the strengths of Native Americans in the face of adversity. It looks at how the book illustrates just a bit of what the Native Americans had to endure as whites took over their lands and their lives; it is a testament to their strengths, character, and pain.
From the Paper
""Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" is a complex and complete history of Native Americans from their own point of view, rather than the point of view of white historians. Author Brown's style of writing engrosses the reader but sometimes can be a bit overwhelming, and the length of the book (over 500 pages) may put some readers off. However, Brown includes more than just history in his narrative, he includes Native American writings, folklore, and myths that help make the book more interesting and more appropriate as a history. Throughout the book, he illustrates how the Native American tribes were thriving and vital societies that lived off the land and understood the complex natural world and man's interaction with it."
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Peyotism, 2004.
Examines the origins of this Native American tradition and religion.
2,393 words (approx. 9.6 pages), 12 sources, MLA, $ 73.95
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Abstract
Peyotism and North American Indian religion are intimately interlinked and extend over a vast expanse of recorded and unrecorded history. The use of peyote as an essential element of North American religion is evidenced in many archaeological and historical findings. However, the ancient religions of the North American Indian culture were disrupted and, in some instances, destroyed by the incursion of other cultures into into the area. The paper discusses the changes caused by the migration of settlers into the New World, although the central focus of this paper is an integrated view of the origins and importance of Peyotism in North American Indian culture and traditions.
From the Paper
"A very important personage in understanding these cultures, and the significance of Peyote, is the Shaman or spiritual practitioner, who stands in rough equivalence to the Western idea of the Priest. The Shaman is the central figure responsible for maintaining a balance between the spiritual and the mundane. He, or she, does this through ritual and ceremony. The Shaman is also the messenger of the spiritual world as well as the healer. He is the explorer of the spiritual dimensions that infuse our world. It should also be remembered in this context that the spiritual and ordinary worlds are seen to be continually co-present in ancient Indian culture."
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Native American and European American Cultural Differences, 2005.
A look at why Native Americans and European Americans could never have co-existed peacefully together.
776 words (approx. 3.1 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 27.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at the vast differences between the cultures of Native and European Americans and explains why, without significant compromise by both peoples, these cultural differences made peaceful co-existence between the groups untenable.
From the Paper
"Given the proper circumstances, the traditional Native American cultures could not have co-existed alongside European American cultures, with both remaining relatively intact and viable because of basic fundamental differences regarding land and life. Each culture respected their own heritage and felt no desire to change their ways for the other. The Native Americans might have made a fatal mistake by believing that they could co-exist with the Europeans while the Europeans, as demonstrated in Andrew Jackson?s message, had no such intentions. Examining how each culture viewed these issues reveals how, without compromise, any attempts to co-exist were futile."
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Tuberculosis, 2004.
An overview of the history of tuberculosis and its impact on the Native American population after colonization.
1,886 words (approx. 7.5 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 60.95
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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the topic of the disease tuberculosis. Specifically, it describes how the white men brought tuberculosis (TB) with them as they colonized America and how the disease decimated the Native American population. It contains specific details about this event, including time-frames and the resulting impact on human history. It also contains conjecture about what would have happened historically had the event not occurred. Tuberculosis is a deadly disease that is making a comeback around the world. When it was first introduced to what would become the United States, it was little understood and uncontrollable.
From the Paper
"Tuberculosis is actually a very ancient disease, but it was not until 1882 that it was actually discovered, by a scientist named Robert Koch. Before Koch made his discovery, tuberculosis was called many things, including the most accepted, "consumption," which was thought to be a wasting infection that involved the lungs. At the time, Koch's discovery was an important one for all of mankind. In fact, historian Rene Dubos notes, "All textbooks dealing with infectious diseases consider the discovery of the tubercle bacillus as the highest peak of the science of medical microbiology" (Dubos 93). Tuberculosis usually affects the lungs, but it can also have an effect on the intestines, bones and joints, the skin, and the lymphatic and nervous systems, though this happens less frequently than lung problems."
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The Colonies in Early America, 2005.
A brief look at the differences between Chesapeake colonies and New England colonies.
987 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 35.95
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Abstract
Examines the differing lifestyles of settlers in Chesapeake colonies and New England colonies. The paper explains how the English settlers in Virginia did not get along with the Native Americans as well as settlers in New England. It also discusses the fact that religion was a motivating force in settling the New England area, as opposed to the Chesapeake region.
From the Paper
"Another very different part of life for New England was that they had a better relationship with the Indians than the Chesapeake settlers did. The Pokanokets even signed a treaty with the Pilgrims, ?and during the colony?s first difficult years the Pokanokets supplied the English with essential foodstuffs? (31). Further, when the Massachusetts Bay Company (MBC) was established in 1629, Congregationalist merchants ?boldly decided to transfer the headquarters of the MBC [from England] to New England? (31). This allowed the settlers to handle their own affairs, ?secular and religious, as they pleased.? This dynamic was very different from the forced ties the Virginians had with the English crown."
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"Shell Shaker", 2004.
Discusses the imagery of powerful women in LeAnne Howe's novel.
750 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 26.95
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Abstract
"Shell Shaker" is one book that can be read from different angles because the novel is essentially a skillful interplay of various themes. These themes offer a wide range of viewpoints on misuse of power, corruption that is integral part of power itself, women who transcend traditional roles to change the destiny of a nation, and history?s influence on the present. This paper looks at how the novel narrates two separate events at different points in time and simultaneously offers an insight into the power of people who react to horrific events to introduce change and to stop corruption. The paper shows that, among these people, it is the female population that is shown to have the greatest resilience and strength to transform an entire nation and its destiny.
From the Paper
"Shell Shaker can therefore be read as the story of powerful women who managed to influence events, thereby creating and shaping history. It is story of sacrifices made by some women to bring peace and prosperity in the lives of other people of their tribe. These women were undoubtedly powerful because they understood the real meaning of serving the community and the nation. Readers unfamiliar with Indian traditions might not like the idea of self-sacrifice, however these women are certainly worthy of a rich tribute as they bartered their lives for peace and tranquility."
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Achievement Gap in Education, 2005.
A discussion of the historic Brown vs. Board of Education decision and how it has failed to achieve its intended purpose.
1,803 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 57.95
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Abstract
This paper argues that the Brown vs. Board of Education, a Supreme Court decision mandating the integration of public schools with the purpose of promoting equality in education, and ultimately in society, has not yet achieved this ideal. The first part of this paper details how the achievement gap between different races can be seen in all levels of education, from primary to college levels. This section also looks at how this gap can be discerned in various areas from academic subjects like mathematics to extra curricular activities like SAT preparations. The next part of the paper then looks at the reasons why this achievement gap persists. Finally, the paper looks at various programs that are geared towards narrowing this gap. Though their successes remain limited, this paper argues that programs such as these are the only long-term solution to a problem as ingrained as the achievement gap in education.
From the Paper
"The scholastic achievement gap starts as early as pre-school. Data from the U.S. Department of Labor (cited in Jacobson 2001) shows that by kindergarten and first grade, children of African American, American Indian and Latino heritage exhibit lower levels of school awareness compared to white and Asian children of the same age. These tests measure factors such as the mastery of oral language, pre-mathematics and pre-reading skills. In addition, African American, American Indian and Latino children also who lower levels of general knowledge."
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"I Heard the Owl Call my Name", 2005.
Discusses the theme of death and dying in Margaret Craven's novel, "I Heard the Owl Call My Name".
2,951 words (approx. 11.8 pages), 3 sources, APA, $ 87.95
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Abstract
This paper describes Craven's book about a bishop who must tell his young Anglican missionary who is living in a remote Indian village in Canada that he has only two years, or less, left to live. The paper explains the conflict the bishop faces as to how and when to tell the young vicar and describes parts of the book, citing the page numbers to which these descriptions refer. Furthermore, the paper explores the book's theme about death and dying by referencing passages in the book and then explains how this book is, in addition to being a dramatic story, an historical and cultural look at Canadian Indians.
From the Paper
"Readers also know just how ?rough and tumble? and backwoods this setting is, when I page 19, a good description is given of the hang-logger ?Calamity Bill? (the opposite of Broadway?s ?Calamity Jane??). Because his float is subject to its nails coming loose when boats pass to fast and create wakes to rough, he is known to come out of his A-Frame ?shaking his fist and swearing? ? but the most interesting and raw rural aspect of Calamity Bill is the fact that the inner of his two sets of long-legged underwear is ?part of his skin.? The putrid smell of rancid underwear just might be close to the smell of death itself, although the author may not have intended for that linkage. "
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The Pacific Northwest, 2005.
An examination of the history of conflicting cultures that characterized the American Pacific Northwest in the 1800s.
1,241 words (approx. 5.0 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 42.95
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Abstract
This paper provides a brief history of the Pacific Northwest and the clashes of nations and cultures that dominated the history of the region in the 1800s. These clashes were mainly between American settlers and the Native American tribes who already lived in the area. It looks at the attempts of the settlers to change and dominate the native population and various treaties that were signed.
From the Paper
"During and after the so-called ?Great Migration of 1843? which included settlers from all over the United States, it became abundantly clear to the native Indians of the Pacific Northwest that what is now Oregon and Washington State were destined to become strongholds of American culture and society. According to Secretary of State John Calhoun, more than one thousand Americans had relocated to Oregon by 1843 and that twice this number would arrive in 1844 (Fuller, 258); Calhoun also stated ?the migration forces which had driven the tide of population in earlier days would drive it on with increasing power across the Rockies to the banks of the Columbia River which was destined to be peopled by us? (Fuller, 259). Thus, this migration of settlers proved to be a turning point in the history of the Pacific Northwest and was even eclipsed in 1845 when more than three thousand ?immigrants? poured into Oregon which effectively doubled the white population. With this event, it is comparatively easy to understand how the native Indians of Oregon and Washington were affected, for the white settlers had obviously ?expected certain American cultural traditions to be carried over to the Pacific Northwest? (Tisdale, 298), such as commerce, religion and other societal traits. In the end, the Pacific Northwest became part of the true American landscape and, like in so many other regions of the country, the native Indians were either ?assimilated? or outright destroyed."
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