9 réponses à ce sujet

[kingthrall]

Hey im from Australia, i would like to know what exactly is the situation with American indians. We here little of what goes on with these people.

All we here about is black rappers and your white singers on tv and perhaps a few white celebrities.

I just want to know if the american indians live happily, either still in tribal communties like the aborigonals here do or are Mexians just American indians who won the civil war agaist the spanish. As there are many tribes obvously.

Still, that said are there decendents of tribes that are almost dead. And are there American indians who still live the way they did before the white settlers.

I just would like to know a little more about these people as i find their culture of Anamism quite amazing and more meaningful than other religions.

[Panderfringe]

Think of a third world nation, now imagine it's inside another nation which is really rich and could probably help them.



But they don't.



Instead the rich nation forces the poor nation into small communes full of tainted water and useless land and tries to ignore them.

[LdyShayna]

Hmmm...religion AND politics. You should probably ask this one elsewhere.

[deLengua]

I think as long as this doesn't become a discussion of religion or politics the question is fair, albeit worded in not the most sensitive manner. But a want for information is good, and replies that direct kingthrall to such things probably the most helpful.



I myself would then direct kingthrall not first to wikipedia or anywhere, but to the library. They should, even in Australia I reckon, have a section that concentrates on that - either in humanities or anthropology/culture studies, or American History, or even in the arts. Here you can get good information, lots of visuals and a better sense of the vast array of cultures that the generic term "American Indian" encompasses. Get a feeling for the general regional differences between say, Plains Indians and those from the Pacific Northwest, and then compare those to groups from Central and South America such as Mayas and Incas.



A parallel study might include some work by Joseph Campbell, who looks into how environment and location influence different mythologies and religious systems.



Anyway - getting a good background first will open avenues to have the original question of "What's the current situation" answered by itself and in a more fulfilling manner than just asking us forumfolk.



That being said - there are lots of complex things to look at in the "situation" as of late, reparations being one of the most recent hot topics. One could also google that up and work backwards, I suppose.



Good luck and keep an open mind - you may be surprised by the things you uncover.

[iw4o]

[malicious content removed]

[Humanoid_Taifun]

Hm...

I could be wrong, but deLengua, you're not using your usual conversational style, are you?

In my eyes (which are probably not the best of measures), your post looks a little clumsy.



I don't mean to insult you, language simply interest me.

[Monstruo696]

No politics.

[Maria Caliban]

The term American Indian, or First Nations, refers to over a hundred different cultures and people spread out over two continents. They don't have a singular religion.

As for 'what happened' to them, it varies wildly, but in many nations areas they make up only a small part of the population - Brazil (0.4%), Canada (3.8%), Mexico (16%-30%), and USA (0.8%).

You might want to be a bit more specific.

[kingthrall]

deLengua wrote...

I think as long as this doesn't become a discussion of religion or politics the question is fair, albeit worded in not the most sensitive manner. But a want for information is good, and replies that direct kingthrall to such things probably the most helpful.

I myself would then direct kingthrall not first to wikipedia or anywhere, but to the library. They should, even in Australia I reckon, have a section that concentrates on that - either in humanities or anthropology/culture studies, or American History, or even in the arts. Here you can get good information, lots of visuals and a better sense of the vast array of cultures that the generic term "American Indian" encompasses. Get a feeling for the general regional differences between say, Plains Indians and those from the Pacific Northwest, and then compare those to groups from Central and South America such as Mayas and Incas.

A parallel study might include some work by Joseph Campbell, who looks into how environment and location influence different mythologies and religious systems.

Anyway - getting a good background first will open avenues to have the original question of "What's the current situation" answered by itself and in a more fulfilling manner than just asking us forumfolk.

That being said - there are lots of complex things to look at in the "situation" as of late, reparations being one of the most recent hot topics. One could also google that up and work backwards, I suppose.

Good luck and keep an open mind - you may be surprised by the things you uncover.

this is just the problem, ive looked in bookshops the largest bookshops in my state. All the books on American history is either about the struggle for black equal rights, Civil War, War of independence and Mexico.

All i wanted to know really is the sitation of indigenious Americans. It seems there is little or no voice that represents their dieing culture.

I dont think The Cherokee, The souix and the Iroqui (spelt wrong) exsist as tribes anymore and a majority of native americans are probally blended in with white society as a whole. I just was thinking like we have here the little that are not blended in, do these tribes have names?

And also when i say American Indian , this is not a racist term, it is what Australian people are taught at school and in general to refer to Native Americans.

[deLengua]

@Humanoid_Taifun - Yes. No. Maybe? It's clumsy, admittedly. And you point it out, deservedly. But I hope the point made it across?



@kingthrall - Bookstores - find the collection of short stories "Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist-fight in Heaven" by Sherman Alexie. There's also a movie, directed by him and loosely based on the book called "Smoke Signals." Mr Alexie lives in Seattle, Washington and writes about contemporary Native American culture. About its decline and struggle, but also the parts of it that keep it strong. [Side note: He's also an avid basketball fan - his columns in Seattle's alt-paper, The Stranger, when Seattle lost the Sonics, were excellent]



There's a good interview with him here: http://www.lib.berke...MRC/alexie.html

it's mostly about the production of Smoke Signals, but it gets into HIS philosophies and politics as well. Also at his sense of humor. A nice primer before looking at his material.



While we're on the topic - is there a thread already discussing the similarities of the Elves in Dragon Age to Indigenous peoples (be they Native Americans, Aborigines, or others)? Could someone point me to it?