America’s Native Prisoners of War

Student’s Name

Institution

Date

The Lakota population went through cultural assimilation. In sociology, cultural assimilation means the absorption of immigrants or minority groups into a larger majority group. The minority’s culture may completely disappear or blend into the majority culture. As seen from their story, the Lakota nation completely vanished from the US map. These people underwent episodes of colonization, forced migration, and discrimination based on ownership of land. History books do not present the existence of the Lakota Nation, as they should. Lakota is a larger group of Indian tribes called the Sioux, who were removed out of their lands to prisoner war camps that are called reservations. The Pine Ridge Indian reservation is located seven miles southeast of the Black Hills, South Dakota, which was the prison of wars camp number 334.

Even though the native Indian culture views them as prisoners of war confined in war camps, the Dawes Act of 1887 allowed the native Indians to govern themselves. They worked to uphold their culture and social traditions. This act led to the subdividing of their lands into smaller acres owned individually. However, they did not live the American dream of owning large pieces of land as the surplus remained under the ownership of the whites. Moreover, for instance, their chief Red Cloud’ led their three tribes to war against the US army, which they successfully won.

The American Indian Movement (AIM), or of Russell Means, or Leonard Peltier, presents the Pine Ridge as a ground zero for native issues in the US. The native Indians made several treaties with the US military, which they failed to hono ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”SZO8V8eN”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Boxer, 2009)”,”plainCitation”:”(Boxer, 2009)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:647,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/H8K3GLCU”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/H8K3GLCU”],”itemData”:{“id”:647,”type”:”article”,”title”:”Native Americans and the Federal Government”,”author”:[{“family”:”Boxer”,”given”:”Andrew”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2009″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} r (Boxer, 2009). Initially, the Bureau of Indian Affairs that was created in 1824 set an early tone of aggression for the Native Americans. Next, in the year 1851, another treaty of Fort Laramie was made to demarcate the boundaries of the Lakotian nation that stated that the lands were sovereign to them. The boundaries of this treaty were never held, and that led to the complete removal of Lakota from the US map. President Lincoln signed a Homestead Act that led to the flooding of white settlers into the native lands. In the year 1863, an uprising of the Santee Sioux in Minnesota ended the Indian war with the hanging of 38 Sioux men. This was the largest massacre recorded during the time. Unfortunately, this happened only two days after the signing of the emancipation proclamation by President Lincoln. The native prisoners expected a new era in the year 1866. They expected land for trails and trains to shortcut through the heart of Lakota as the treaties were no longer in place.

The relationship between the US federal governments with the native Indians in the past was troubled. During the treaties of 1868 and 1869, the US federal government guaranteed the sovereignty of ownership of Lakotian land ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”rV9adyYE”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Rodriguez, 2011)”,”plainCitation”:”(Rodriguez, 2011)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:646,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/GGSMSF8C”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/GGSMSF8C”],”itemData”:{“id”:646,”type”:”article”,”title”:”Essays About American Indian Cultures and Traditions”,”author”:[{“family”:”Rodriguez”,”given”:”Roberto”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Rodriguez, 2011). However, when the transcontinental railroad was completed, a large number of hunters begun wholesale trade of buffalo. This led to the elimination of sources of food, shelter, and clothing. Given the history, the US has the mandate to take responsible care of the Indian natives. The population at Pine Ridge living in abject poverty indicates that the federal government has failed.

The American Indian culture is legitimate in viewing itself as prisoners of war living in war camps, as seen from their status of poverty. There exist high rates of unemployment, homelessness, and poverty as people are living in wrecks. The rate of tuberculosis is high, resulting from overpopulation in those homes. Other diseases such as cancers and diabetes are highly prevalent, and infant mortality rates are incredibly high. Parents cannot take care of their children due to alcoholism and general levels of poverty. They have left them under the supervision of their grandparents, who are also weak ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”GFD6NdV7″,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Rodriguez, 2011)”,”plainCitation”:”(Rodriguez, 2011)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:646,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/GGSMSF8C”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/GGSMSF8C”],”itemData”:{“id”:646,”type”:”article”,”title”:”Essays About American Indian Cultures and Traditions”,”author”:[{“family”:”Rodriguez”,”given”:”Roberto”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Rodriguez, 2011). The life expectancy is between 46-50 years. The Americans took their land in the year 1870, where communal ownership of land act was disposed. Instead, more land went into surplus and remained under the white ranches.

It is only fair to observe what the native population claim concerning the ownership of the black hills. The Sioux nation, for example, claimed the back hills not to be for sale after an offer of 6million dollars. A more accurate perspective should present statistics of the native populations as fighting for their independence, forced migrations, and treaty violations. What the government considers subsidies given to the native is only a legal requirement considered as payment for their lands, which was taken away from their ancestors ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”SiOIdOJb”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Friends Committee f National Legislation, 2010)”,”plainCitation”:”(Friends Committee f National Legislation, 2010)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:645,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/QRD9QQC9″],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/QRD9QQC9″],”itemData”:{“id”:645,”type”:”article”,”title”:”The Origins of Our Trust Responsibility Towards the Tribes”,”author”:[{“family”:”Friends Committee f National Legislation”,”given”:””}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2010″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Friends Committee f National Legislation, 2010). Besides, in the year 1980, when the US Supreme Court determined the millions of dead acres of land be opened to prospectors and homesteads became a new era for the native Indians.

In the past, Americans perceived natives as being unable to look after themselves. For instance, after George Castro announced the discovery of the black hills, there was an influx of white settlers into the Lakotian land, further ordering the ending of the treaties in the year 1874. In the year 1874, they were also discriminated against under a new law, which required them to sell their land, or they would starve. The government is responsible for the fulfillment of returning to the natives that belonged to them ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”K5RPe5aw”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Boxer, 2009)”,”plainCitation”:”(Boxer, 2009)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:647,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/H8K3GLCU”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/H8K3GLCU”],”itemData”:{“id”:647,”type”:”article”,”title”:”Native Americans and the Federal Government”,”author”:[{“family”:”Boxer”,”given”:”Andrew”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2009″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Boxer, 2009). It should legally and ethically fulfill responsibilities made by these treaties that were genuinely made by the initial settlers.

Today, we all have a responsibility concerning the American Indian culture. People died fighting for their rights. Among the people who died were women and children, many of them being buried with their dreams. Apart from the federal government looking out for the welfare of these natives, every individual has the responsibility to understand their roots. Individuals should promote healthy relationships between themselves and the native population. Such will include visiting the reservation. Besides, community and charity programs such as providing care for the elderly, sick, and looking after the children both in schools, are responses that can be offered.

If the US had honored its treaties, America’s prisoners of war would have been preserved and included in history books. These people hoped to maintain their culture to the generations after them. Treaties aimed to promote honor, respect, responsibilities between themselves, and the US federal government. Sociologists have studied mainly the history of Indian natives due to their diverse ethnicity amongst American society. They have a significant contribution to the economy through increased urbanization resulting from their growing numbers. The population living below the federal poverty line should not be outlooked while the rest of the community enjoys a good education and healthcare services. Neglecting this population is neglect of fundamental human rights. The current generation of native Indians should not suffer when their ancestors were people who lost their lives and dreams of trying to fight for better lives.

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {“uncited”:[],”omitted”:[],”custom”:[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Boxer, A. (2009). Native Americans and the Federal Government.

Friends Committee f National Legislation. (2010). The Origins of Our Trust Responsibility Towards the Tribes.

Rodriguez, R. (2011). Essays About American Indian Cultures and Traditions.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ted+talks+america%27s+native+prisoners+of+war&&view=detail&mid=2B01CBF942D40BD7A9BF2B01CBF942D40BD7A9BF&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dted%2Btalks%2Bamerica%2527s%2Bnative%2Bprisoners%2Bof%2Bwar%26%26FORM%3DVDVVXX

America’s Native Prisoners of War

Student’s Name

Institution

Date

The Lakota population went through cultural assimilation. In sociology, cultural assimilation means the absorption of immigrants or minority groups into a larger majority group. The minority’s culture may completely disappear or blend into the majority culture. As seen from their story, the Lakota nation completely vanished from the US map. These people underwent episodes of colonization, forced migration, and discrimination based on ownership of land. History books do not present the existence of the Lakota Nation, as they should. Lakota is a larger group of Indian tribes called the Sioux, who were removed out of their lands to prisoner war camps that are called reservations. The Pine Ridge Indian reservation is located seven miles southeast of the Black Hills, South Dakota, which was the prison of wars camp number 334.

Even though the native Indian culture views them as prisoners of war confined in war camps, the Dawes Act of 1887 allowed the native Indians to govern themselves. They worked to uphold their culture and social traditions. This act led to the subdividing of their lands into smaller acres owned individually. However, they did not live the American dream of owning large pieces of land as the surplus remained under the ownership of the whites. Moreover, for instance, their chief Red Cloud’ led their three tribes to war against the US army, which they successfully won.

The American Indian Movement (AIM), or of Russell Means, or Leonard Peltier, presents the Pine Ridge as a ground zero for native issues in the US. The native Indians made several treaties with the US military, which they failed to hono ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”SZO8V8eN”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Boxer, 2009)”,”plainCitation”:”(Boxer, 2009)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:647,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/H8K3GLCU”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/H8K3GLCU”],”itemData”:{“id”:647,”type”:”article”,”title”:”Native Americans and the Federal Government”,”author”:[{“family”:”Boxer”,”given”:”Andrew”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2009″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} r (Boxer, 2009). Initially, the Bureau of Indian Affairs that was created in 1824 set an early tone of aggression for the Native Americans. Next, in the year 1851, another treaty of Fort Laramie was made to demarcate the boundaries of the Lakotian nation that stated that the lands were sovereign to them. The boundaries of this treaty were never held, and that led to the complete removal of Lakota from the US map. President Lincoln signed a Homestead Act that led to the flooding of white settlers into the native lands. In the year 1863, an uprising of the Santee Sioux in Minnesota ended the Indian war with the hanging of 38 Sioux men. This was the largest massacre recorded during the time. Unfortunately, this happened only two days after the signing of the emancipation proclamation by President Lincoln. The native prisoners expected a new era in the year 1866. They expected land for trails and trains to shortcut through the heart of Lakota as the treaties were no longer in place.

The relationship between the US federal governments with the native Indians in the past was troubled. During the treaties of 1868 and 1869, the US federal government guaranteed the sovereignty of ownership of Lakotian land ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”rV9adyYE”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Rodriguez, 2011)”,”plainCitation”:”(Rodriguez, 2011)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:646,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/GGSMSF8C”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/GGSMSF8C”],”itemData”:{“id”:646,”type”:”article”,”title”:”Essays About American Indian Cultures and Traditions”,”author”:[{“family”:”Rodriguez”,”given”:”Roberto”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Rodriguez, 2011). However, when the transcontinental railroad was completed, a large number of hunters begun wholesale trade of buffalo. This led to the elimination of sources of food, shelter, and clothing. Given the history, the US has the mandate to take responsible care of the Indian natives. The population at Pine Ridge living in abject poverty indicates that the federal government has failed.

The American Indian culture is legitimate in viewing itself as prisoners of war living in war camps, as seen from their status of poverty. There exist high rates of unemployment, homelessness, and poverty as people are living in wrecks. The rate of tuberculosis is high, resulting from overpopulation in those homes. Other diseases such as cancers and diabetes are highly prevalent, and infant mortality rates are incredibly high. Parents cannot take care of their children due to alcoholism and general levels of poverty. They have left them under the supervision of their grandparents, who are also weak ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”GFD6NdV7″,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Rodriguez, 2011)”,”plainCitation”:”(Rodriguez, 2011)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:646,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/GGSMSF8C”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/GGSMSF8C”],”itemData”:{“id”:646,”type”:”article”,”title”:”Essays About American Indian Cultures and Traditions”,”author”:[{“family”:”Rodriguez”,”given”:”Roberto”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2011″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Rodriguez, 2011). The life expectancy is between 46-50 years. The Americans took their land in the year 1870, where communal ownership of land act was disposed. Instead, more land went into surplus and remained under the white ranches.

It is only fair to observe what the native population claim concerning the ownership of the black hills. The Sioux nation, for example, claimed the back hills not to be for sale after an offer of 6million dollars. A more accurate perspective should present statistics of the native populations as fighting for their independence, forced migrations, and treaty violations. What the government considers subsidies given to the native is only a legal requirement considered as payment for their lands, which was taken away from their ancestors ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”SiOIdOJb”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Friends Committee f National Legislation, 2010)”,”plainCitation”:”(Friends Committee f National Legislation, 2010)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:645,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/QRD9QQC9″],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/QRD9QQC9″],”itemData”:{“id”:645,”type”:”article”,”title”:”The Origins of Our Trust Responsibility Towards the Tribes”,”author”:[{“family”:”Friends Committee f National Legislation”,”given”:””}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2010″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Friends Committee f National Legislation, 2010). Besides, in the year 1980, when the US Supreme Court determined the millions of dead acres of land be opened to prospectors and homesteads became a new era for the native Indians.

In the past, Americans perceived natives as being unable to look after themselves. For instance, after George Castro announced the discovery of the black hills, there was an influx of white settlers into the Lakotian land, further ordering the ending of the treaties in the year 1874. In the year 1874, they were also discriminated against under a new law, which required them to sell their land, or they would starve. The government is responsible for the fulfillment of returning to the natives that belonged to them ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {“citationID”:”K5RPe5aw”,”properties”:{“formattedCitation”:”(Boxer, 2009)”,”plainCitation”:”(Boxer, 2009)”,”noteIndex”:0},”citationItems”:[{“id”:647,”uris”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/H8K3GLCU”],”uri”:[“http://zotero.org/users/local/rEYGfGF8/items/H8K3GLCU”],”itemData”:{“id”:647,”type”:”article”,”title”:”Native Americans and the Federal Government”,”author”:[{“family”:”Boxer”,”given”:”Andrew”}],”issued”:{“date-parts”:[[“2009″]]}}}],”schema”:”https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json”} (Boxer, 2009). It should legally and ethically fulfill responsibilities made by these treaties that were genuinely made by the initial settlers.

Today, we all have a responsibility concerning the American Indian culture. People died fighting for their rights. Among the people who died were women and children, many of them being buried with their dreams. Apart from the federal government looking out for the welfare of these natives, every individual has the responsibility to understand their roots. Individuals should promote healthy relationships between themselves and the native population. Such will include visiting the reservation. Besides, community and charity programs such as providing care for the elderly, sick, and looking after the children both in schools, are responses that can be offered.

If the US had honored its treaties, America’s prisoners of war would have been preserved and included in history books. These people hoped to maintain their culture to the generations after them. Treaties aimed to promote honor, respect, responsibilities between themselves, and the US federal government. Sociologists have studied mainly the history of Indian natives due to their diverse ethnicity amongst American society. They have a significant contribution to the economy through increased urbanization resulting from their growing numbers. The population living below the federal poverty line should not be outlooked while the rest of the community enjoys a good education and healthcare services. Neglecting this population is neglect of fundamental human rights. The current generation of native Indians should not suffer when their ancestors were people who lost their lives and dreams of trying to fight for better lives.

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {“uncited”:[],”omitted”:[],”custom”:[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Boxer, A. (2009). Native Americans and the Federal Government.

Friends Committee f National Legislation. (2010). The Origins of Our Trust Responsibility Towards the Tribes.

Rodriguez, R. (2011). Essays About American Indian Cultures and Traditions.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ted+talks+america%27s+native+prisoners+of+war&&view=detail&mid=2B01CBF942D40BD7A9BF2B01CBF942D40BD7A9BF&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dted%2Btalks%2Bamerica%2527s%2Bnative%2Bprisoners%2Bof%2Bwar%26%26FORM%3DVDVVXX