M4 Discussion Respones

Please reply to each classmate's post. Reply with thoughtful and relevant comments and/or questions. Additional relevant replies are strongly encouraged to improve your learning and discussion grade. In your replies, you may wish to include: Follow up questions Supplemental information Connections to your own relevant views and experiences Module Readings: https://guides(dot)loc(dot)gov/sb.php?subject_id=162830 1. Melissa Mardale posted: This page automatically marks posts as read as you scroll.Adjust automatic marking as read setting In Mean Spirit, historical trauma is a reoccurring factor in the way the characters, particularly the elders, interact and distrust the white members in the community due to the Osage Nation’s experiences with violence, loss, and cultural erasure. The legacy of violence and exploitation has effected every aspect of life for Indigenous peoples. The disconnection from cultural traditions and practices due to colonization and trauma is palpable. Characters struggle with their identities, often feeling caught between the pressures of modern life and tradition. Older members of the community such as Belle and Micheal emphasizes the importance of keeping their heritage and world view in which they find strength, community and a sense of purpose. The novel carries a sense of hope for future generations to learn from the past and embrace their cultural identity. 2. Damien Kaminsky posted: Ways of Thinking Linda Hogan's descriptions of the Native Traditions very much conflicted with western ways of thinking at the time and even partly today. Animals and nature in general are sacred to Native Traditions, where in more western cultures it is used like an object. There was some respect in how the Native Americans used the land due to their beliefs. The different ways of thinking, like the content guide states, are similar to the cultures of Europe. They separate the many Native American nations, each having their own traditions and views that effect their actions and their options when it comes to living, as shown with the characters in "Mean Spirit" with their traditions being more matriarchal. It dictates some of their actions and how they do things, like many other cultures. Historical Trauma It shows that even though generations have passed since the Trail of Tears, it still has a clear impact on them. The characters all have emotional scars from that time and overall distrust. Even if it happened generations ago, it still impacted their family so much that the scars remained, and as shown in the book, they struggle between the modern day and tradition. The hope the novel shows with restoring tradition is that it could help them overcome the generational trauma and help them move forward as a community. It would help them in not forgetting what they went through, but also working past it. This will help them build their own identities once more. Laws and Policies Ethnic differences are rather codified in western law. Especially in the United States where these laws were used to actively push Native Americans out of their land and to reservations. For example, the "Indian Removal Act" along with the treaties and agreements that pushed native tribes into reservations. Later on, policy was made to try and force assimilation for the Native Americans, with the The General Allotment Act. After that was not effective, the policies were changed a lot until today, when we see more self-determination for the Native Americans, however the previous mistreatment has left them in a bad state. These polices made the environment and conditions in the Osage awful and overall poor. These poor conditions made the spiritual conditions poor as well. Many of the reservations are in bad areas and suffer from a lot of problems with overpopulation, poor conditions, lack of support and jobs. Sources: M4 Content Guide: Ways of Thinking “Federal Law and Indian Policy Overview.” Federal Law and Indian Policy Overview | Indian Affairs. Accessed October 31, 2024. https://www(dot)bia(dot)gov/bia/history/IndianLawPolicy.