Typically, I know with the blogs we should talk about the previous week’s discussion and film. I already posted two blog posts about Captain America, so for this week, I really wanted to focus on talking about American Indian Education. It is interesting that we are studying this in Hum 200, because in my Hum 251 genocide class, we just finished watching Soldier Blue, a film about the genocide of the Native Americans. With that fresh in my mind, I would love to discuss the reading for this week. From the Soldier Blue film and this reading, I have learned a tremendous amount about Indian culture. I am amazed that the Indians have such a strong system for passing traditions down from generation to generation. Each member of the tribe feels a responsibility to not only learn from their ancestors and elders, but also to educate the next generation to do the same. I think that that creates very strong ties between members of the tribe and teaches the young members about responsibility, tradition, values, and morals.
As a young child, I would always love when my mom and dad would tell me stories before bed time about their childhood. Even today, I can still recite the stories exactly how they told them to me. The storytelling time was something I looked forward to and it brought me closer with my family.
In terms of the Indian boy’s training for their own education, I like how the author discussed the misconception that “the characteristic skill of the Indian is instinctive and hereditary.” It is hilarious that people could actually think that as a baby, an Indian boy or girl would already know the practices of their tribe. As humans, we learn from watching others and practice. I found it very interesting that the Indian children would not get to drink soup because that was reserved for the elders. There seemed to be a huge hierarchy within the tribe, and as you reach certain ages, you have different responsibilities and privileges. I also love how much respect that the Indians had for nature. To them, nature was not something to be taken advantage of, as it was a gift from their gods to be borrowed with care. I am really excited to discuss more about their traditions in class today!
Humanities 200 