This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
PERIOD 7 - WHITE MAN'S IMAGE
Over the past two days, we watched and discussed the documentary, In the White Man's Image. Please post your thoughts about the film.
36 comments:
Sarah Fontaine
said...
Though I though the film itself was a bit on the boring side, some of the information I got from the video surprised me. I knew that we went and took the native americans out of their native homes, but I never knew that we cut their hair and forced them to learn english and go to church. I know that American's did terrible things to them but I never knew it went to that extent.
I found it very interesting how the American's targeted the younger population of Native Americans to assimilate. The youngest are the most impressionable because they are naive. The Americans were very strategic in converting them because the adults are more confident in their identities while the younger Native Americans are still changing and developing who they are. This is seen today when cigarette companies target young teens because they are easy to persuade and will then be hooked for life.
Like Sarah, I also didn't know the extent that Americans tried to assimilate the Native Americans. I thought they simply ignored their wishes and dominated the territory rather than focus a lot of their attention on changing their culture.
I agree with Amy how it was interesting how the youth population of the Native Americans were the ones targeted in order to assimilate the culture. It reminded me of racism in the United Stats, the southern population would not view African Americans as individuals but the youth population was able to see this view by being taught it from a younger age.
The film was very boring and it was shocking how easily the Native Americans could be forced to give up their culture. By constantly degrading them, and changing their appearance, the white men were able to change how the Native Americans viewed themselves and completely altered their identity. The use of the psychological abuse used by white Americans was shocking, as I formerly believed the violence came across in more of a physical sense.
I was surprised by what the video showed about the American's treatment of the Native American's. The Americans treated the Native Americans so poorly and they never took a second to realize that the Natives could actually teach the Americans a thing or two about agriculture and the cultivation of crops.
I agree with Sarah in that I thought the video was a little boring. I think the video could have done a better job at making the information a little more interesting.
This movie makes me thankful for the strength that the Natives had against the Americans. I think we can all relate to the Natives, when someone or a group of people try to force you to be like them. I agree with Amy and Molly when they found it interesting how they targeted the young generation of Natives because they easily influenced by a greater power. For me, it hits home because of my culture which is Native American. I remember when my mom’s dad would sit and tell me stories of his dad’s family and the struggle they to overcome to keep their culture. I am proud to be a Native American.
I agree that this was a little boring and that it was a little slow as well. However I noticed how they called it an experiment, it was like the white man was treating the Indians as animals and they were sub human. Also the way that the white men targeted the children reminded me of how the Nazis used propaganda to target the children to brain wash them to their beliefs.
What amy said makes sence they didnt target the adults because they were more comfortable with their identity more so then the kids. they could change the kids much easily and asimilate them faster.
I thought the video was very informative, though it is a bit boring. I had learned about the Dawes Act and Native Americans last year but this documentary helped me remember that the Native Americans were forced to cut their hair, which symbolizes death, and how they were forced to dress in military uniform. Native Americans were told they were “inadequate” and the only they would be accepted was if they assimilated to the “White Culture.” It’s sad to know that Native Americans had their land taken away from them and how some were forced to be apart from their families to go to those prisons to get an education.
I can see how someone would think that the documentary is a bit boring just because it's narration is strung out. I, on the hand, did not feel that this documentary was boring in fact I thought it was quite interesting how Captain Richard Pratt was able to gain the respect of the Native Americans. Before today I was also under the impression that nobody was lobbying on the side of the Native Americans albeit for the questionable task of assimilation, but still vastly better than complete genocide of the Native American population.
I agree with Molly that it is degrading and wrong to strip the identity from an individual and the culture from a nation, but I also believe that were it up to the general population in 1875 the fate of the Native American population could have been much worse.
I think that the film could have been more interesting, but it still taught me a lot about what happened to the Native Americans. The thing that struck me the most was the story about how two of the Native Americans made a plan to escape, but the man in charge gave them a sleeping potion, brought them out where the other Native Americans could see them, and then brought them “back to life” after they had woken up. This showed me how powerful the white man could seem to Native Americans. I think that demonstrating that power probably made a lot of Native Americans fearful to the point where they complied with whatever the white man told them to do.
David’s point (and a couple of other people mentioned this as well) about how the whole thing was called an experiment was really good. The white men in charge definitely targeted children for a reason, and I think that it was because children are much more adaptable to a new culture than adults. Doing that let the whites change the younger generations more effectively.
I was awestruck by the way the white men treated the native Americans, with such disgust and cruelty. The white men had no right to try and change the identity of the native Americans by altering their appearance. They cut their hair, which in the native American cultre means to mourn a death, which showed complete disrespect toward the native American people and their customs. This altered their appearance among other things such as their clothes to mimic the white Americans.
I agree with Ben that, although a bit dry, the film was interesting to me. I can see how one could find it boring but the theme of the film makes it interesting still.
I did not like this video that much. It seemed that the severity of what the white man did was watered down. What they did to the indians was morally and completly wrong. The white man were much worse than what was shown in the film and hearing what they did was still disturbing.
I agree with Sarah with the movie being a little boring and how it was interesting how the people knew of the poeple trying to escape and gave them something to make them go to sleep and make sure they didn't run away. Buut what was even more interesting was that the indians were in awe with the m thinking the doctor had some magical powers.
I think that the film was interesting and informative. It really showed how easily the White Man influenced and tried to changed the Natives culture. What they did to the Natives was cruel and unfair. I think like others said the film could have shown this information in a less boring way, but from watching this film i gained a better perspective of what happened to the indians at this time.
I agree with what Amy said and how they targeted the younger population, and how much younger kids can be persuaded. I also agree with Karli and how she talked about her background and mentioned how we can all relate to the Natives being in a group.
So I think this film was very interesting because I have some Native American heritage. I noticed how the way they dealt with tribes like the Cheyenne in the west was very different from how they dealt with tribes in the east. The white men did more to assimilate the Native Americans in the west. They took them from their homes and forced many of them to become “white.” The video made me compare how the Cheyenne were treated to the tribe my heritage is from the Nipmucs or Natick Praying Indians. The Nipmucs were basically slaughtered and were in small numbers before they began to assimilate. The Cheyenne were not killed in such numbers before assimilation. It was just weird for me to think about the differences.
I agree with what Karli said because it was a huge struggle for the Native Americans to keep their culture. What helped get them through it was their spirituality and strength to keep true to themselves. I am also proud to be Native American.
Unlike most, I was intrigued in the video. It opened my eyes to the assimilation and how the Americans treated the Natives and vice versa. Obviously, it was clearly wrong that the Americans took advantage of the Native Americans. I think that the Native Americans felt forced to let the Americans "educate" their children because if they disagreed, the Americans probably would have fought with force. It's surreal how fear has created similar patterns time after time, like during the civil war, and other instances.
It was interesting to read Jason Silva’s comment because he shared about his Native American heritage, and how the tribes differed from the east and west. Both instances of killing and assimilating were wrong to do to the Native Americans and should not have taken place.
I agree with that Olivia Kane said about the cruelty the Americans had towards the natives and taking away their indentity. If they were so feared by the Native Americans, why wouldn't they try to become friends with instead of enemies. They could of traded with each other and then the violence would not of been a part of their problems just the territories. Also what made the Americna culture better than the Native American culture? The Native Americans culture was what made up the united states before the Ameicans settled here.
I agree with what sarah said as well with how we really never knew that the natives were treated to poorly by the whites. They went through so much and they were here first.
I found that the film was a bit on the boring side since it was mostly images rather than actual footage but there was no footage then so it is understandable. It really makes you think about how the natives were already here in this land and the whites came in and basically took over but trying to educate them, force a religion upon them, and make them look like whites by cutting their hair.
I think the movie was a little dry but informative. Last year, I watched a similar documentary, that I liked a little bit more. This movie however, depicted just how deceitful the white men were about assimilating the Native Americans. Though, unfair to the Native Americans, it was smart to focus their efforts on the younger men of the tribes and the children. They were seen as the weakest link in the white man’s mind thus they were targeted. If you can instill a behavior and or a belief into a child’s mind the chances of them not only them changing their beliefs/ behavioral pattern but then sharing the new belief / behavioral pattern with generations to come is greatly increased. And, that is exactly what the white men did.
I like that Sarah brought up the point about the sleeping potion and then being brought back to life. Coincidental or not, I thought it was interesting when one of the speakers was talking about how when her grandmother was taken, she pointed out all of the correlations between the beliefs of death the Native Americans had and how it was lining up visually in front of them at the time.
I found this documentary to be kind of interesting, but at the same time a little boring. I never knew what Native-Americans, or other cultures thought about us and how they viewed us. I also now know more about Native-Americans, and also have my own views towards them. I think that the “White Man” is being cruel and inconsiderate towards the Native-Americans. Specifically when we took them out of their Native home/land, and also cut their hair, taking their identity.
I agree with what Jason said about the Native-Americans, and I also think it was interesting to see that he has some Native-American roots, and Native-American background. So seeing that he is affected by this not just by watching it but also having those roots, and background is very interesting.
I thought the film was interesting in that it was a documentary about how terrible the native Americans were treated but not from a physical violence standpoint, but a look at how their cultural identity as a people was destroyed.
Like Sarah and Amy, I had not realized how hard the Americans had tried to erase the Native American culture, I had always thought the Americans were more focused on physically destroying the native american people and taking away their land.
I thought the film was interesting. While it was not a motion picture, it taught me many new things. For example, I was stunned by how much the Native Indians were disrespected and treated. Another thing I learned was that Americans repeatedly attempted to end the Native culture and tradition. On the other hand, I also learned that Americans tried to educate some Native Americans.
When I watched the film I thought alot about the English class I took last year. I had Ms. Pellitier and she taught our class alot about the injustices Native Americans face, and still do, today. One thing that I kept thinking over and over again was why we refer to them as Native Americans? They were here first. It continues to puzzle me.
I agree completely with Amy. Cigarette companies are a good example of why teens are targeted. When I saw her post I was reminded of how in the movie they showed that they targeted the younger groups and her post gave a good explanation as to why that was. Very interesting.
36 comments:
Though I though the film itself was a bit on the boring side, some of the information I got from the video surprised me. I knew that we went and took the native americans out of their native homes, but I never knew that we cut their hair and forced them to learn english and go to church. I know that American's did terrible things to them but I never knew it went to that extent.
I found it very interesting how the American's targeted the younger population of Native Americans to assimilate. The youngest are the most impressionable because they are naive. The Americans were very strategic in converting them because the adults are more confident in their identities while the younger Native Americans are still changing and developing who they are. This is seen today when cigarette companies target young teens because they are easy to persuade and will then be hooked for life.
Like Sarah, I also didn't know the extent that Americans tried to assimilate the Native Americans. I thought they simply ignored their wishes and dominated the territory rather than focus a lot of their attention on changing their culture.
I agree with Amy how it was interesting how the youth population of the Native Americans were the ones targeted in order to assimilate the culture. It reminded me of racism in the United Stats, the southern population would not view African Americans as individuals but the youth population was able to see this view by being taught it from a younger age.
The film was very boring and it was shocking how easily the Native Americans could be forced to give up their culture. By constantly degrading them, and changing their appearance, the white men were able to change how the Native Americans viewed themselves and completely altered their identity. The use of the psychological abuse used by white Americans was shocking, as I formerly believed the violence came across in more of a physical sense.
I was surprised by what the video showed about the American's treatment of the Native American's. The Americans treated the Native Americans so poorly and they never took a second to realize that the Natives could actually teach the Americans a thing or two about agriculture and the cultivation of crops.
I agree with Sarah in that I thought the video was a little boring. I think the video could have done a better job at making the information a little more interesting.
This movie makes me thankful for the strength that the Natives had against the Americans. I think we can all relate to the Natives, when someone or a group of people try to force you to be like them. I agree with Amy and Molly when they found it interesting how they targeted the young generation of Natives because they easily influenced by a greater power. For me, it hits home because of my culture which is Native American. I remember when my mom’s dad would sit and tell me stories of his dad’s family and the struggle they to overcome to keep their culture. I am proud to be a Native American.
I agree that this was a little boring and that it was a little slow as well. However I noticed how they called it an experiment, it was like the white man was treating the Indians as animals and they were sub human. Also the way that the white men targeted the children reminded me of how the Nazis used propaganda to target the children to brain wash them to their beliefs.
What amy said makes sence they didnt target the adults because they were more comfortable with their identity more so then the kids. they could change the kids much easily and asimilate them faster.
I thought the video was very informative, though it is a bit boring. I had learned about the Dawes Act and Native Americans last year but this documentary helped me remember that the Native Americans were forced to cut their hair, which symbolizes death, and how they were forced to dress in military uniform. Native Americans were told they were “inadequate” and the only they would be accepted was if they assimilated to the “White Culture.” It’s sad to know that Native Americans had their land taken away from them and how some were forced to be apart from their families to go to those prisons to get an education.
I agree with Amy and how the Americans were smart in teaching the young children about how to assimilate to the White culture.
I can see how someone would think that the documentary is a bit boring just because it's narration is strung out. I, on the hand, did not feel that this documentary was boring in fact I thought it was quite interesting how Captain Richard Pratt was able to gain the respect of the Native Americans. Before today I was also under the impression that nobody was lobbying on the side of the Native Americans albeit for the questionable task of assimilation, but still vastly better than complete genocide of the Native American population.
I agree with Molly that it is degrading and wrong to strip the identity from an individual and the culture from a nation, but I also believe that were it up to the general population in 1875 the fate of the Native American population could have been much worse.
I think that the film could have been more interesting, but it still taught me a lot about what happened to the Native Americans. The thing that struck me the most was the story about how two of the Native Americans made a plan to escape, but the man in charge gave them a sleeping potion, brought them out where the other Native Americans could see them, and then brought them “back to life” after they had woken up. This showed me how powerful the white man could seem to Native Americans. I think that demonstrating that power probably made a lot of Native Americans fearful to the point where they complied with whatever the white man told them to do.
David’s point (and a couple of other people mentioned this as well) about how the whole thing was called an experiment was really good. The white men in charge definitely targeted children for a reason, and I think that it was because children are much more adaptable to a new culture than adults. Doing that let the whites change the younger generations more effectively.
I was awestruck by the way the white men treated the native Americans, with such disgust and cruelty. The white men had no right to try and change the identity of the native Americans by altering their appearance. They cut their hair, which in the native American cultre means to mourn a death, which showed complete disrespect toward the native American people and their customs. This altered their appearance among other things such as their clothes to mimic the white Americans.
I agree with Ben that, although a bit dry, the film was interesting to me. I can see how one could find it boring but the theme of the film makes it interesting still.
I did not like this video that much. It seemed that the severity of what the white man did was watered down. What they did to the indians was morally and completly wrong. The white man were much worse than what was shown in the film and hearing what they did was still disturbing.
I agree with Sarah with the movie being a little boring and how it was interesting how the people knew of the poeple trying to escape and gave them something to make them go to sleep and make sure they didn't run away. Buut what was even more interesting was that the indians were in awe with the m thinking the doctor had some magical powers.
I think that the film was interesting and informative. It really showed how easily the White Man influenced and tried to changed the Natives culture. What they did to the Natives was cruel and unfair. I think like others said the film could have shown this information in a less boring way, but from watching this film i gained a better perspective of what happened to the indians at this time.
I agree with what Amy said and how they targeted the younger population, and how much younger kids can be persuaded. I also agree with Karli and how she talked about her background and mentioned how we can all relate to the Natives being in a group.
So I think this film was very interesting because I have some Native American heritage. I noticed how the way they dealt with tribes like the Cheyenne in the west was very different from how they dealt with tribes in the east. The white men did more to assimilate the Native Americans in the west. They took them from their homes and forced many of them to become “white.” The video made me compare how the Cheyenne were treated to the tribe my heritage is from the Nipmucs or Natick Praying Indians. The Nipmucs were basically slaughtered and were in small numbers before they began to assimilate. The Cheyenne were not killed in such numbers before assimilation. It was just weird for me to think about the differences.
I agree with what Karli said because it was a huge struggle for the Native Americans to keep their culture. What helped get them through it was their spirituality and strength to keep true to themselves. I am also proud to be Native American.
Unlike most, I was intrigued in the video. It opened my eyes to the assimilation and how the Americans treated the Natives and vice versa. Obviously, it was clearly wrong that the Americans took advantage of the Native Americans. I think that the Native Americans felt forced to let the Americans "educate" their children because if they disagreed, the Americans probably would have fought with force. It's surreal how fear has created similar patterns time after time, like during the civil war, and other instances.
It was interesting to read Jason Silva’s comment because he shared about his Native American heritage, and how the tribes differed from the east and west. Both instances of killing and assimilating were wrong to do to the Native Americans and should not have taken place.
I agree with that Olivia Kane said about the cruelty the Americans had towards the natives and taking away their indentity. If they were so feared by the Native Americans, why wouldn't they try to become friends with instead of enemies. They could of traded with each other and then the violence would not of been a part of their problems just the territories. Also what made the Americna culture better than the Native American culture? The Native Americans culture was what made up the united states before the Ameicans settled here.
I agree with what sarah said as well with how we really never knew that the natives were treated to poorly by the whites. They went through so much and they were here first.
I found that the film was a bit on the boring side since it was mostly images rather than actual footage but there was no footage then so it is understandable. It really makes you think about how the natives were already here in this land and the whites came in and basically took over but trying to educate them, force a religion upon them, and make them look like whites by cutting their hair.
I think the movie was a little dry but informative. Last year, I watched a similar documentary, that I liked a little bit more. This movie however, depicted just how deceitful the white men were about assimilating the Native Americans. Though, unfair to the Native Americans, it was smart to focus their efforts on the younger men of the tribes and the children. They were seen as the weakest link in the white man’s mind thus they were targeted. If you can instill a behavior and or a belief into a child’s mind the chances of them not only them changing their beliefs/ behavioral pattern but then sharing the new belief / behavioral pattern with generations to come is greatly increased. And, that is exactly what the white men did.
I like that Sarah brought up the point about the sleeping potion and then being brought back to life. Coincidental or not, I thought it was interesting when one of the speakers was talking about how when her grandmother was taken, she pointed out all of the correlations between the beliefs of death the Native Americans had and how it was lining up visually in front of them at the time.
I found this documentary to be kind of interesting, but at the same time a little boring. I never knew what Native-Americans, or other cultures thought about us and how they viewed us. I also now know more about Native-Americans, and also have my own views towards them. I think that the “White Man” is being cruel and inconsiderate towards the Native-Americans. Specifically when we took them out of their Native home/land, and also cut their hair, taking their identity.
I agree with what Jason said about the Native-Americans, and I also think it was interesting to see that he has some Native-American roots, and Native-American background. So seeing that he is affected by this not just by watching it but also having those roots, and background is very interesting.
I was absent on the day of this blog.
I thought the film was interesting in that it was a documentary about how terrible the native Americans were treated but not from a physical violence standpoint, but a look at how their cultural identity as a people was destroyed.
Like Sarah and Amy, I had not realized how hard the Americans had tried to erase the Native American culture, I had always thought the Americans were more focused on physically destroying the native american people and taking away their land.
I thought the film was interesting. While it was not a motion picture, it taught me many new things. For example, I was stunned by how much the Native Indians were disrespected and treated. Another thing I learned was that Americans repeatedly attempted to end the Native culture and tradition. On the other hand, I also learned that Americans tried to educate some Native Americans.
When I watched the film I thought alot about the English class I took last year. I had Ms. Pellitier and she taught our class alot about the injustices Native Americans face, and still do, today. One thing that I kept thinking over and over again was why we refer to them as Native Americans? They were here first. It continues to puzzle me.
In response to Amy Lightbody..
I agree completely with Amy. Cigarette companies are a good example of why teens are targeted. When I saw her post I was reminded of how in the movie they showed that they targeted the younger groups and her post gave a good explanation as to why that was. Very interesting.
I was absent for this assignment.
Out sick
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