Native American Culture
There is a great deal of controversy in the United States today surrounding the Native American culture and issues of identity. There are more than 560 tribes recognized by the federal government and there are almost 2 million people claiming membership in these tribes. Nevertheless, there is uncertainty and conflict regarding kinship, lineage, and heritage for those tribal members and for other Americans who falsely claim inclusion.
The population of today’s Native American culture is about ten times greater than it was in 1890 but only a very few people claiming Indian identity are active participants in tribal traditions. In fact, the number of actively participating tribal members today is about 20 percent of what it was in 1890.
The blending of Native American culture into mainstream America today is cause for concern to many tribesmen and women who struggle to maintain social, cultural, and ethnic ties to their Native American heritage. One such activist, Russell Means, is quoted as saying “we might speak our language, we might look like Indians and sound like Indians, but we won’t be Indians.” This forlorn sentiment is echoed by many other activists but certainly not all of them.
One Cherokee chief denies any conflict of identity within the Native American culture. Her claim is that an Indian is an Indian regardless of government declaration or amount of Indian blood.
Another spokesperson of note claims not to know what an Indian is but states that some people are most clearly Indian while others clearly are not.
The defining line for inclusion or exclusion to Native American culture is a controversy in and of itself. The continuing debate is whether or not it is even possible to devise a clear and concise definition of a Native American once and for all. The opposing view is that there can never be a clear and concise definition of cultural identity that will remain effective and true throughout time.
The very concept of racial identity for all people is being disputed more often today, too. Many people see the delineation of race as one of political, or perhaps social, definition versus a matter of biology.
Perhaps there will come a time when Native American culture is comprised of people with the heart and spirit of the earliest Americans alive and thriving in their day-to-day existence.
Please send any comments directly to the author, Joseph Paige.