Native American talk provokes thoughts
By Karlie Baker
IV Leader, Dec 7, 2006
Merri Mattison, instructor of Anthropology and
Sociology, worked to dispel myths about Native Americans during a Nov. 13
presentation.
The presentation, which was called “Minority Among
Minorities: Misrepresented, Misunderstood and Overlooked,” was given as part of
Native American History Month to dispel common misconceptions about the Native
American culture.
Mattison, who is a member of the Diversity Team, studied
Native American cultures as an area of emphasis for her Anthropology degree.
The presentation began with an impromptu five-question
assessment mirroring common beliefs held about Native Americans, such as,
“Native Americans are excellent hunters” and “Indians are financially well off
because of the casinos [on the reservations].” The statements, all false, set up
discussion for how Native Americans are incorrectly perceived by our culture.
Whether the discussion fell under misrepresentation,
misunderstanding or being overlooked, Mattison’s points proffered the same fact:
Americans tend to ignore the diversity of Native Americans. This ignorance
begins with image.
Many people think an Indian is an Indian is an Indian, and
that the headdress-clad man with braids represents members of every tribe. Yet
this iconic image is really the Plains Indian.
Mattison presented pictures of variously-dressed Native
Americans from tribes around North America. Their behaviors are also largely
misunderstood. What may look to Americans like recreational peyote use is a
spiritual quest.
Native American potlatches, or the celebration and spreading
of wealth from one person to an entire tribe, are a practice unheard of in
American society. Perhaps the most thought-provoking part of the presentation
involved the unawareness of Native American history.
Americans sometimes forget that just 400 years ago, somewhere
between 75 and 145 million Native Americans speaking nearly 2000 languages
inhabited North America. They were part of the world’s largest genocide, with
over 100 million Native Americans killed over the course of four centuries.
Even in the last century, their ranks dwindled further from
the suppression of the spread of Native American culture. The discussion was
then opened up to audience members; Mattison and a panel of Steve Charry, Jason
Beyer, Judy Whitley and Jean Batson-Turner fielded questions. The audience
discussed several ways in which the government allows the degradation of Native
Americans.
A particular area of focus was the portrayal of Native
American mascots. “Their defense is that their drums are not used in ceremony,
but by another culture’s game,“ Mattison said. Panelists revealed that due to
years of suppression, many Native Americans struggle with identity issues.
Mattison told the audience to leave knowing two things. One,
how are they a minority of a minority? And second, no singular person can
represent all Native Americans.