Consider Columbus Day, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving. Explain how Native Americans might feel ambivalent about these U.S. holidays. What are the historical reasons for these feelings? How might current policies perpetuate these feelings?
2006-10-12 15:34:41 · 8 answers · asked by melissa g 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
They should handle it the same way non-Christians handle Christmas and Easter, or mis-guided Christians handle Halloween. They should make the best of it. Most people aren't really celebrating the origin of the event, they're just celebrating and enjoying an occasion that brings people together.
By the way, many indian tribes participated with the US in the revolutionary war. Indians participated in Thanksgiving, and American Indians never even met Columbus. It's treatment that occured after (not because of) these political events that most tribes have a legitimate beef with, so why should the holidays be a problem?
And currently, the holidays you mentioned are banner days at most Indian casino sites. If they really considered these holidays as disrespectful, they ought to close their casinos on those days in protest, instead of profiting from them.
2006-10-12 15:59:07 · answer #1 · answered by freebird 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think they should celebrate those holidays like I do:
Columbus Day - Curse at my bank for not being open!
Independence Day - Watch fireworks because they are pretty.
Thanksgiving - Food! So much good food! Yummy.
Did you know Christmas was a pagan holiday that Christians overlapped? Why don't the native americans do that too? That way everyone gets to have a good time, and they can still have their right to hate others.
Honestly, here is my opinion:
Columbus Day: Stupid. The guy was in to way the first one to "discover" America. Get rid of the day.
Independence Day: A wonderful patriotic day. It is the current nation. No matter how wrong it was in the beginning, we're here now. If it wasn't the English it would have been the Spanish. It sucks, but it's true.
Thanksgiving: It is about food, sharing, family, and football. Whatever the origins, that's what it is now. Enjoy it.
2006-10-12 15:45:58 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Understanding Columbus, he is seen by many Native peoples similar to how the Jews feel about Hitler. Columbus cam close to exterminating those humans. Yes it is a day of sadness for them.
The arrival of the Europeans were not nice for them or the Africans or other non-white persons. Sad history. Let's not repeat it.
2006-10-12 15:45:25 · answer #3 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They don't have to celebrate. I wonder how the Jews feel during Christmas, or Christians during Ramadan. As far as Native Americans, it is their land too. When the Native Americans were here, at some point, some of them had to fight other Natives to keep their land from someone else. It's cyclical. Kind of like 2 fleas fighting over a dog.
2006-10-12 15:52:14 · answer #4 · answered by baseballandbbq 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
all the answers so far given are very negative .........you should direct the question to native people and you would get a different perspective.
2006-10-15 11:16:40 · answer #5 · answered by scissortail 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I like to think of it this way. We Won. They lost. If we hadn't come, they would still be wearing loin clothes, dieing around 25 or 30, and doing rain dances. No medical care, not heat, no transportation, no written language... etc...etc.... I don't feel to bad just because we have holidays.
2006-10-12 15:38:06 · answer #6 · answered by firestrike85 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋
They all remind them of how their livelihood was destroyed. It's simple: Europeans came to the new world, took advantage or 'the noble savage', and erased their world.
2006-10-12 15:37:38 · answer #7 · answered by tiko 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Get over it.
2006-10-12 15:37:36 · answer #8 · answered by bystander1212 3 · 2⤊ 4⤋