American indian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

American indian - Essay Example us people, the descendants that remained from the genocide that occurred during the 1800’s, have been supplanted to distant outposts of despair called reservations. During the late 1700’s trappers established trading posts which initiated business relationships with the native population. This new relationship introduced tribal members to firearms which aided them while hunting or defending themselves. The association also brought smallpox which devastated the tribes’ population. The trading posts offered provisions outside of what was supplied in nature and enhanced the tribal economies which were previously tied directly to following the buffalo herds. Otherwise, buffalo provided almost everything the Indians needed including food, clothes, weapons and shelter until they were nearly hunted into extinction in the 1880’s, forcing the Indians to depend upon the white man for trade. From the first landing of the Europeans in America to the present, Indians have desperately attempted to retain their land and culture. However, as there was then, there are now some Indians who learned the white mans’ customs well enough to use this knowledge as an advantage benefiting both personal and tribal interests. Throughout the history of the nation, Indians have learned to speak English well enough to articulate their beliefs, art, folklore and culture to those outside the Indian reservation. It is because of this effort to at least partially assimilate into white society that Indian culture, religion and traditions have become of interest and widely respected among mainstream Americans. Some have become good students of capitalism as evidenced by the success of the casinos (Hoxie, 1992). A number of Indians have gone to great lengths to be equally adept in both Indian and non-Indian cultures over the past quarter century. These individuals have been able to express the concerns of tribal society at the congressional and judicial level thus positively