M4 Discussion HIST

The early history of Native Americans is marked by the Indian Removal Act (1830) which entailed repeated relocation by forced marches whenever resources were found where Indians lived. Marches were called names such as "Cherokee Trail of Tears," (4000 deaths) and "Choctaw Trail of Tears" (2500 deaths). The people were stripped of their weapons so they could not hunt, and promised food was often not delivered so many died of starvation; in winter marches, cold and disease also killed many. The Osage too were forced to move from their homelands in Kansas to Oklahoma, where they actually purchased their new reservation. This left them poor, and the government did not honor the treaty to provide annuities and food during re-settlement. But because they had paid for their land, former modes of removal were not as easy after oil was discovered. The Osage had been reduced to half of their former population when Hogan's novel begins. In it we see all four themes: Land, Labor, Ethnic Identity, and Religious Freedom. We will use the interdisciplinary fields of Indigenous Studies and Religious Studies to address the novel and the events that it chronicles. Over the next three weeks, answer these questions, using the bold text as your subject line. Respond to at least one different student per week, covering one of the categories each time. Discuss ways of thinking. How do Linda Hogan's descriptions of land, animals, and the sacred align with or challenge western ways of thinking? How do different ways of thinking (as described in the content guide) affect the options and actions of characters? Discuss historical trauma. How does the novel portray trauma being passed from one generation to the next? What hope does the novel offer for restoring Osage spiritual traditions and healing Osage trauma? Discuss laws and policies. How are ethnic differences, or beliefs in ethnic differences, embedded in western laws and policies? How do these policies affect material conditions and spiritual conditions for the Osage?