Native Agency in Difficult Times
During the time of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, a so called “Indian problem” arose in the eyes of Anglo-Americans as they continued to colonize The Americas. Anglo-Americans viewed these Native American communities as a problem in their eyes, for they believed that the Native Americans were taking up land and were not “Americanized.” In response to this “Indian problem” of theirs, Anglo-Americans worked to impose political, economic, legal and social institutions on Native American communities in order to ‘fix it’. Including a variety of laws, treaties, reservations, boarding schools and unjust actions, such as violence, were used to assimilate Native communities into the American culture. Native Americans had a variety of responses to these Anglo-Americans and their policies, such as rebelling, the use of religion, advocating and others even trying to assimilate. As a result of such policies by Anglo-Americans, long lasting consequences to Native communities proceed, such as the loss of land, their relocation, loss in culture values and many deaths. Native Americans had a variety of responses to the Anglo-American policy impositions which had long lasting consequences on these Native communities.
In the late nineteenth century as the United States grew, the country began to expand more and more, leading to a hunger for land which was a drastic change for the Native American communities. No matter how much land and power the United States acquired from the Natives, as long as the Native culture was alive they were seen as a problem. Because of this “Indian problem,” Anglo-Americans continued to colonize Native communities and imposed a variety of institutions on Native communities to fix the problem. Through the use of treaties the United States was able to acquire all of the Native land. Native Americans delayed to realize that these treaties were one sided and only granted good for the United States and not for the Native community. Treaties were broken by the United States left and right and gave these Native communities two choices, those being either to keep their land and assimilate to American culture or to be removed from the land and keep their sovereignty but not both. The power of Manifest Destiny empowered Anglo-Americans into believing that it was “God’s will” for them to go ahead and take entitlement of all land, including that of Native communities. It was a form of patronizing in order for the United States to not look bad in the eyes of the Americans. Most treaties led to the removal of Native communities, such as the Trail of Tears which included the Cherokee was both forceful and devastating. These Native communities had to give up not only their land, but also their family, who they were and their way of being. During the early eighteen-fifties the use of reservations began, the earliest reservation being the Tejon Reservation. The use of reservations was an effort by the federal government before Americans come onto the land and a path to acculturation and assimilation of the Native communities into becoming farmers which would change their culture, livelihood and values. Reservations, such as the Nez Perce Reservation as said in The Allotment Period on the Nez Perce Reservation by James Stern, served “as a prototype of successful farming, education, and self-sufficiency” for Native Americans. In eighteen-eighty-seven, Anglo-Americans released the Dawes Allotment Act through an economic way of colonization and imperialism in order to privatize Natives into becoming farmers. The Dawes Allotment Act was a way to divide the reservations in order to break Native tribal structure and a way to incorporate Indians into general society, from Native Americans to Anglo-American farmers. Two years later, in eighteen-eighty-nine, a great defeat of tribes was accomplished through the Great Sioux Agreement which targeted “hunting, living in bands, rule of elders, religious leaders and traveling” as said in From Prison to Homeland by Hoxie. The Teton bands’ traditions were destroyed because of this agreement and had no other choice but to assimilate into Anglo-American culture. Through the years, the United States National Government takes control of Native youth education, that being because children are much easier to absorb and be taught the Anglo-American culture. Through the use of boarding schools, such as Carlisle Institute, Sherman Boarding School and many more, Native children were taken from their families, language was taken, taught Christianity, and were to be “Americanized.” The “Indian Problem,” according to the Anglo-Americans was sought to be resolved through the use of land acquisition, treaties, reservation, acts and boarding schools in order to assimilate and take complete control of Native Americans.
Policies created by Anglo-Americans were made to destroy and have complete control over Native Americans. Native communities were given two choices, either to keep their land and assimilate to American culture or to be removed from the land and keep their sovereignty but not both. Natives who chose to keep their land and assimilate, for example Wovoka, advocated for a peaceful existence, committed themselves to their community and got along with Americans without fighting. These Natives, through the use of a ritual dance called the Ghost Dance, connected to their ancestors as a response to stress from the disappearance of the buffalo, confinement on reservations, and military defeat. Natives who chose to to be removed from the land and keep their sovereignty fought for what was theirs, for their communities and for equal power. In response to Anglo-Americans and the settlement of reservations, Natives began to leave reservations and began to fight against these Anglo-Americans. For example, the fight of Little Bighorn in eighteen-seventy six where the Lakotas fought and won, frustrating the Anglo-Americans and leading to them wanting to destroy Natives. While in reservations, many Native communities decided to add their own cultural ideas in order to still remain a community and make reservations to being their cultural homeland and native identity which leads to the creation of the Dawes Allotment Act in order to destroy these communities. Sitting Bull is an example of a Native who rebelled against Anglo-Americans when refusing to take up farming and instead be a model of a ‘progressive’ Native before being assassinated. Soon after Big Foot attempts to move the Native community from the Indian Force but unfortunately fails after the trooped pursue him at Wounded Knee. As boarding schools began to arise, more and more children were forceful taken onto buses and taken from their home and families, those brave enough would jump out of these running buses, in attempt to run away. In the early twentieth century many Hopi fathers would hide their kids from the troops so their kids would not be taken, these fathers were caught, arrested and sent to Alcatraz. Many of the children who attended these boarding schools grew up and wrote about their devastating experience, for example Polingaysi, also known as Hopi. Those who did not want to assimilate to American culture were killed as for Anglo- Americans moto was to “kill the Indian, save the man.”
Native Americans are hit with many consequences for simply living the way they were taught to live and for being who they are. The Dawes Allotment Act has had a great impact on the Native community not only in the past but for the rest of their life. Because of the Dawes Allotment Act, Natives have to live with the lasting consequences of the breaking of tribal structures, the form of forced assimilation, the privatization of Natives, the division of land and the colonization and imperialism of Natives. The ongoing of board schools has also lead to many lasting consequences on Native communities. Negative consequences which Native Americans have had to deal with are the loss of Native language, culture, identity and tradition, separation of families, physical and mental abuse such as PTSD, cultural incarnation, lose of religion, mentally and emotionally traumatized, the loss of parenting skills, a loss of bond with families, and some even suicide. Positive consequences which Native Americans have dealt with are the making of relationships including those with members of other communities, a form of education and the learning of many traits and skills. Many Native Americans had to deal with the loss of money after having put their trust into the Individual Indian Money Account, luckily many were given a settlement during Former President Barack Obama’s presidency. Native Americans faced many more long lasting consequences which have changed their lives and the lives of future generations.
Native Americans went through a difficult series of times during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century as Anglo-Americans continued to colonize and acquire more land. Through the eyes of Anglo-Americans, Natives on the land were seen as an “Indian problem.” They wanted more land and more power, through imposing political, economic, legal and social institution on Native communities they were able to get what they always wanted. Native Americans being robbed from their land, families, culture and much more has been a devastating moment for not only the Natives who experienced it but for future generations.