The "name cards" have words that are used to
describe Native People. This
conversation is about when one would use which word, or what words should be
explained before being used (or not used at all). We talked about Tisquantum (Squanto's name) and Boriqua/en
(the Traditional name for the island of Puerto Rico). See previous Turtle Talks to read specifics
about these names.
The
"text and media cards" have words that are "problematic" or
require thoughtfulness before using as they can provoke strong emotional
responses. These words may be seen and heard in textbooks, novels, movies,
commercials, and cartoons, to name a few areas. We talked about the word savage and how
it has derogatory implications of being less than human or animal-like.
We discussed the terms: Manifest Destiny,
Reservations, Half-Blood/Half-Breed, Slave/Slavery,
and Middle Passage. Manifest
Destiny implies that one group (European colonizers) has the right to
overpower, exploit, and even kill another group because it is “destined” to
have that land and be the dominant group. Reservations are areas
of land reserved by the U.S. government as permanent tribal homelands. The United
States established its reservation policy for American Indians in 1787. Today
there are 314 reservations, among the last large tracts of private lands. More
than 78 percent of American Indians live away from reservations. Half-blood and half-breed are derogatory terms that should be avoided. They refer to a black/white mix, as well as a
person who is half/part Native American.
The term, enslaved
people, is preferred to slaves or
slavery because it better describes
the practice imposed on a people and retains their human dignity, rather than
remind the people that they were objectified as mere property. Part of our discussion about enslavement
included remembering that Columbus immediately enslaved Native Americans and
the practice continued for centuries, quickly including Africans through the
Triangular Trade. Also, we discussed
instances where Native Americans enslaved other Native Americans (i.e. Maya,
Aztec). This Native American enslavement
was qualitatively different than the “curious American institution of slavery,”
since captured folks who were enslaved could earn their way out of enslavement,
eventually inter-marry, and even rise in the social-political power structure,
something African people never/rarely were able to do. Some Native Americans also owned and enslaved
African people once they had assimilated into the southern economic plantation
system. This is particularly
interesting, since these same Native People who felt like they were “just like
everyone else” were then marched across the country in what is known as the Trail of Tears for being clearly NOT
part of the mainstream society. The Middle
Passage refers to the Atlantic slave trade. John Henrick Clarke sums it up,
“No where in the annals of history has a people experienced such a long and
traumatic ordeal as Africans during the Atlantic slave trade. Over the nearly
four centuries of the slave - which continued until the end of the Civil War -
millions of African men, women, and children were savagely torn from their
homeland, herded onto ships, and dispersed all over the so-called New World.
Although there is no way to compute exactly how many people perished, it has
been estimated that between thirty and sixty million Africans were subjected to
this horrendous triangular trade system and that only one third-if that-of
those people survived.” The part that is missing is that Native Americans were
included in this trade when they were brought from the Americas to
England/Spain and when they were brought between the U.S. and Caribbean areas.
The "phrase cards" have
expressions that one might read in magazines or books or hear on television or
in social situations. This conversation can be about the problems with the
phrase, a larger stereotypical context, or a piece of history that is captured
in the phrase. We talked about the phrase, “I had a dream last
night” and how
Native Americans are stereotyped as interpreters of dreams. See previous Turtle Talks to replay a more
detailed explanation.
The
"culture cards" have words that are meaningful to Native Americans
and important to now when you are re/connecting with the culture. I choose some
words that are common across Native Nations, and others that are specific to a
particular Nation, to give participants a taste of culturally relevant
terminology. In Marshfield, we talked about these cultural words and their
impact: Holocaust and Giveaway/Gifting. The Holocaust is known as a time when 12 million deaths and murders (6
million of which were Jewish) during WWII by Hitler and his followers
occurred. It’s important to know that
Native Americans also describe the destruction of culture and people in the
Americas as a holocaust. Similarly,
Holocaust Remembrance Day – April 18, to honor the memory of the Six Million
Jews by learning about their heroism in the face of inhumanity, and exploring
the roots of anti-Semitism. The word
holocaust evokes destruction of any people.
We talked about the term and meaning behind the giveaway/gifting. This
is the custom of sharing property or making some other personal sacrifice to
honor the recipient or earn prestige for the giver (e.g. Potlatch). The term giveaway
appears especially connected to Native People from the plains. Often also associated with reciprocal
obligation.