It is interesting that in the week when we were studying native cultures of the Americas, it was also Native American Heritage Week. I am very interesting in native cultures, specifically those of the Aztecs, Maya, and Inca, yet I feel like these are areas that we do not study like that of American Indians. Perhaps therefore, the visit to the museum was a good 'tribute' to this week. I visited the museum of the American Indian over parent's weekend and therefore did not think it was very beneficial to revisit two weeks later. I think the museum is rather disappointing in the way that it is set up with only two floors of exhibitions. I also feel that we learn about the American Indian all through elementary and middle school. (At least coming from New Hampshire). Where I come from, there are many memorials and museums of the Native Americans and I have been to a few pow-wows as well as these traditional exhibitions. Basically, I wish that we had been given another option for the Wednesday excursion, even a movie that talked about Native American cultures including those to the south of the U.S. since that is what we are also talking about. I was disappointed that for a required activity, there were at least six people who did not show up.
Something that I did find the most interesting in the museum was the different regalia, the art of making the dresses, and what the decorations can mean. It is really an art that has been dying out and the voices of some descendants of Native Americans voice this in the video at the museum.
I do believe that it is important to remember the heritage of the United States and to consider that these people still exist to this day. In the 2000 census, 2.48 million people identified themselves as American Indian and there are more than 300 tribes recognized by the U.S. federal government. More than half of our 50 states are named after Native American tribes! There is still a large presence of the native culture today, even though much of it has been repressed in reservations, which were originally designed to create a place for the displaced people.
Something that I like the most about Native American culture is their beliefs about animals.
"If all the beasts were gone, we would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts,happens to us all.All things are connected.Whatever befalls the earth,befalls the children of the earth."~Chief Seattle
http://www.geocities.com/klazyfox/nativeam-3.html
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761570777/Native_Americans_of_North_America.html
1 comment:
Hey Rebecca
I totally agree with your evaluation of the Native American Museum: It lacked diversity of regions. The groups from most of what we know as North America were represented, but many tribes from Central and South America were not. As my host mom in Argentina was a Native (south) American, I also was hoping to learn more about that culture.
You also brought up another point I think is interesting: a large percentage of the class chose not to attend the class trip. I personally did not see the museum as a worthwhile trip (there wasn't enough to see for the large amount of travel time required), but I found it interesting and a bit insulting to the Native American culture that so many of us decided that enriching their knowledge of our country's native people was not worth precious time. Isn't that kind of a metaphor for Christopher Colombus' attitude??
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