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Horses and History, 2005.
This paper discusses the ecological problems created by the introduction of horses into the more temperate regions colonized by Europeans, especially among North American Indians.
1,135 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 39.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the modern focus on successful Native-American equestrian cultures and the stereotype of the mounted Indian warrior obscures a deeper understanding of the often damaging impact of the arrival of horses on Native-American Indian culture and ecology. The author points out that the arrival of horses brought about a cultural transformation by allowing improvements in transportation, hunting, warfare and trade but disrupted the ecology of the bison and grassland, brought about social inequality and created disruptions in subsistence economies. The paper also relates that the native biology of all of the conquered temperate places (including humans) was not equipped to deal with European invaders: European diseases like smallpox decimated native populations, European weeds and agriculture brought large scale reductions in native flora and European animals (cattle, pigs and horses) squeezed out the native animals.
From the Paper
"Horses, in particular, found their new homes rich in grazing lands, abundant with space, and relatively free of natural predators. Australia was populated with kangaroos, and the South American pampas with flightless birds: species that offered little danger to horses. Further, they did not have to compete, on a large scale, with existing animals for their niche. In the New World, horses from the old world found a welcoming ecological climate that was similar to that of Europe. Mountains, especially the Appalachian Mountains in the United States, provided large open grazing for horses, cattle, and other animals."
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American Indians of Maryland, 2005.
A look at the Native-American tribes that used to dwell in the Maryland area.
1,425 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 47.95
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Abstract
The main North American tribe most usually associated with the State of Maryland is the Nanticoke, an Algonkian people that lived and still lives in small numbers on both sides of Chesapeake Bay and on the north bank of the Potomac River. This paper looks at the culture of this tribe and a few other smaller tribes. It discusses how they were forced to integrate with the Europeans and how this affected their way of life and, ultimately, their survival.
From the Paper
"By the years of the American Revolution, the Nanticoke and their related Indian Nations began to experience a rapid decrease in their ability to maintain even trade relations with the Europeans, not to mention the growing numbers of settlers that often forced the native Indians from their homelands within the great woodlands of Maryland. The Nanticokes eventually migrated up the Susquehanna River and resettled in what is now the southern boundaries of the Ohio River Valley. The last Nanticoke immigrants intermingled with the Iroquois Nation and all of their individual cultural identity was lost forever. Today, the remnants of the Nanticoke live along the Indian River in the state of Delaware and the last native speaker of the Nanticoke language died in 1856 which signaled the end of the Nanticoke culture in Maryland."
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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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