The Name Game

            It is amazing how difficult starting up this blog really was. I did not even know what to rename it. After thinking n it for probably ten minutes, this is what I came up with: A Stranger on Native Soil. Then came the task of what to change my layout to. The stereotypes are earthy tones: browns, yellows, oranges, etc. My step-grandmother is very into Native “things”: turquoise jewelry, painted wolves howling at the moon, orange and red symmetrically patterned blankets. So my biggest goal was to stay away from that. In the end, I stuck with the nature background I had for my previous blog.

            In class, I got to thinking about what I know about the Native people. I know there is a high rate of alcoholism amongst the Natives. We watched a movie in high school (granted, that was four years ago now and the movie itself I doubt was up to date) about the lives of a couple groups of modern day Natives. They were determined to stay on that reservation in the desert. Draughts prevented good crop growth to keep them fed. They lived in poverty and the majority of them were unemployed. The image from the film that most sticks out was the one father coming home to his family in his beat up truck, kicking up dust, while the family hung out the door of their very small home. That’s a complete 180 degree difference from the painted faces, loin cloths, and war whooping that Disney or older Hollywood media (even current Hollywood media) would crassly paint them. And it’s different from Greg Sarris in the TEDtalk, who, frankly, reminded me of Hank Azaria. For anyone to have the audacity to generalize Natives is outrageous in this day and age. That’s like picturing all blacks in ghetto, baggy clothing or barely any clothes still working the fields. No taking into account Condoliza Rice or Colin Powell. That’s like assuming all people of German decent wear lederhosen and eat sausages all day. That’s like seeing all Asians as Micky Rooney painted them in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. We no longer make those generalizations…right? Or just for some groups?

            What really struck me was something Dr. Morris said. It had to do with Congress issuing an official apology for the previous treatment of the Native Americans. It shows how our forefathers really dropped the ball on upholding their promises to the natives and we have yet to carry out our side of that bargain. However, what about the 40 acres and a mule? More recently, what about the =promise to care for our vets? Or rebuild the lives of the Katrina victims? The US government has failed to uphold many promises. Ours is a country that demands intrusive action from its “victims” to make any changes. So I highly encourage all modern day Natives to make waves, hell, cause a tsunami to demand the respect they desire and to obliterate those ‘70s crying Indian images. Don’t just wait for respect.