Social Issues, Essay Example

Introduction

Native Americans have been known to fight for their cultural beliefs and the problem of trying to assimilate them into the European-American culture started years ago. This was without regard to their customs and values and the assimilation was to make them more like the Whites. However, there have been public policies that were geared towards cultural relativism which demanded that the Native American beliefs be regarded as important by the dominant groups. Some of them have been effective while others have not. This paper discusses these policies as they apply to ethnocentrism or cultural relativity as well as their effectiveness.

Public Policies

There have been inconsistencies with regard to the United States’ public policy towards the Native Americans. This is because some of the policies have tended to regard the Native American cultures as inferior such that they have been designed as a way of assimilating the people into the dominant culture. On the other hand, there are those that have supported the cultures of the native people allowing them to have their own way of life.

Policies Reflecting Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism may be seen in almost every community around the world but this is usually discouraged due to the fact that the culture that is looked upon may be damaged not just socially but also economically. Kendal describes ethnocentrism as a way of assuming that there is superiority to one’s own way of life (64). The Allotment Act or Dawes Act of 1887 is one of the policies that reflected on the ethnocentrism of the United States. With this Act, the native people were required to become US citizens in exchange for some piece of land for individual ownership. Becoming US citizens also meant that they were not to practice some of their customs such as self governance. This was aimed at assimilating the native people into the European American Culture so they could become like the mainstream Americans (nebraskastudies.org). This policy was however made redundant when the Indian Reorganization Act was instituted and allowed the natives to have their lands.

The Indian Termination Act was another policy that was meant to do away with the native governments through termination and hence assimilation into the mainstream American society. This meant that they were to observe laws of the United States government and this saw many of them get into trouble as a result. An example is the State v Sanipaw case which happened after the termination of the Menominee Tribe under the Termination Act. Three members of the tribe were prosecuted for violating state game laws and it was established by the court that the Menominee termination did not protect hunting and fishing rights (Wunder, 110). In some of the tribes, termination did away with most of their rights as a tribe as they were now subjected to the laws of the state they lived in. This led to many of Indian tribes losing not just their reserves but also their culture.

Policies Reflecting Cultural Relativity

Cultural relativism has been regarded as the solution to ethnocentrism since it reflects and appreciates cultural diversity. There have also been policies in the United States which reflect openness towards the Native American culture. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 is one of the policies that recognized the rights of the native people to own land. Jones says that the Act demanded that a total of over 40 million acres of land titles be transferred to 220 native villages and 12 regional corporations. With the transfer of titles to the natives, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was successful in ensuring the rights of the Native American people.

The Indian Reorganization Act is another policy that showed cultural relativity as it provided for the increased self-governance of the Indians. The act also advocated for the return of land that had been allocated individuals to the tribe (Encyclopedia Britannica). With this act, the Native Americans were also allowed to have their own written laws that would make it possible to handle their own affairs without the interference of the Federal government. Through this policy, the native tribe was to purchase land through a credit program which was also meant to provide funds to those who wanted to go to school. This policy has been effective since the Native Americans increased their reservations while many of the tribes have their own constitutions in which they govern themselves. The Native Americans have also improved economically since the act also provided opportunities for education and hence employment.

There is also the Indian Employment Assistance Program which is meant to assist American Indians who are capable of obtaining training and employment opportunities. The program identifies eligible Indians who have a skill and offers them employment as well as vocational training. The program’s main aim was to reduce the number of people depending on the government. With this program, many Indians were able to get employment but those who went to urban areas could not cope and had to return to their homes.

Conclusion

There have been inconsistencies created by the enactment of various policies but the Indians have suffered ever since as the dominant groups regarded their beliefs primitive and wanted to assimilate them into their own societies which they considered superior. However, policies meant for cultural relativism has enabled most of them to preserve their cultural beliefs which now form an interesting topic for many sociological researchers.

References

Encyclopedia Britannica. “Indian Reorganization Act.” 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 26 Mar. 2010 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285946/Indian-Reorganization-Act

Jones, R. S. “Alaska native claims settlement act of 1971: History and analysis together with subsequent amendments.” 1981. Retrieved from <http://www.alaskool.org/projects/ANCSA/reports/rsjones1981/ANCSA_History71.htm

Kendall, D. Sociology in our times: The essentials. 7^th ed. California: Wadsworth. 2010.  “The Reservation System: Native American Lands Sold under the Dawes Act.” <http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/frameset_reset.html?http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/stories/0701_0143.html>

Wunder, J. R. ed. Recent legal issues for American Indians, 1968 to the present. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc. (1996). p. 110-112.