Research Papers on Native Indian Studies

Click on any of the term papers to read a brief synopsis of the research paper. The essay synopsis includes the number of pages and sources cited in the paper.

  • Rainbow Importance in the Native American Poem 'The Vision'

    A 1 page expletive essay on the poem The Vision. The author writes about their feelings of what the poem means and is trying to explain.

  • Rainbow Importance in the Native American Poem 'The Vision'

    A 1 page expletive essay on the poem The Vision. The author writes about their feelings of what the poem means and is trying to explain.

  • Poetry of Natives

    A 5 page paper which examines poems of Otto Rene Castillo and poetic literature in “The Names: A Memoir” by N. Scott Momaday. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

  • Canadian Aboriginal Youth and Suicide Among Canadian Aboriginal Youths: Rates, Causes, and Solutions

    This is a 10 page paper discussing the high rate of suicide among Canadian Aboriginal youths and the possible causes and solutions to the problems. The suicide rate among Canadian Aboriginals living on reservations is more than twice the Canadian average of non-Aboriginals with the largest rate recorded for young Native males. Half the Native communities living in the Northern areas of Canada report suicide as one of the major problems in their community. The causes for the high rates of suicides among Aboriginals seem to relate to the historical treatment of the Natives which through the Canadian government’s attempt at assimilation, the Aboriginals lost ties with their traditional ways of healing and self-government and eventually the means to remain economically stable. These factors led to a high unemployment rate, overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions among many other negative factors which in turn led to an increase in the number of mental and physical disorders such as depression, and alcohol and substance abuse. Within the last decade, several reports from the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and other Aboriginal-based task forces have outlined possible positive solutions for the recovery of the Aboriginal communities which will hopefully reverse the high suicide rates. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

  • Addressing the Problem of Native American Suicide

    This 4 page paper investigates the reasons behind the escalated suicide rates experience among some Native American groups. This is a problem being addressed by mental health professionals in close association with tribal spiritual leaders. Bibliography lists 1 source.

  • Native Americans as Perceived by English Colonists

    A 7 page overview of early colonial interactions with Native Americans. The manner in which European colonists viewed the Native Americans whose lands they invaded varied both according to geography and according to time. The Puritans as a whole would proclaim their belief that all people were equal before God. Puritan proclamation and act, however, were two different things. In practice, race, class, and literacy were salient issues.

  • History and Effects of Disease

    An 11 page overview of the impact of disease on world cultures. Correlates the impact on traditional cultures and the way those cultures dealt with that impact with advances in modern medicine. Emphasizes the impact of disease on the Americas and specifically on the Native American inhabitants of the Americas. Describes common European diseases which either directly or indirectly impacted the Americas and our contemporary, verses our traditional, understanding of those diseases and their treatment. Includes a one page Roman numeral outline. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

  • History and Culture of the Cherokee

    An 8 page overview of the culture and history of this American Indian group. The author emphasizes that today the Cherokee, in many ways, are little different from mainstream While culture in the United States. They have, in fact, assimilated almost completely into that culture. At the time of contact with non-Natives, however, there were often substantial differences between Cherokee and White culture. These differences translated into rocky relationships between the Cherokee and the United States government, relationships which eventually resulted in the forced removal of most of the Cherokee from their homelands, the establishment of a government reservation for the people, and the separation of the nation into two distinctly different political units. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

  • Jane Tompkins' Indians Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History

    This essay by Jane Tompkins is analyzed for thesis and the arguements that she utilizes in proving her main theme. Bibliography lists 1 source.

  • Captivity of Women in A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson and The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

    This is a 6 page paper on a comparison of Cooper’s “The Last of the Mohicans” and Rowlandson’s “A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” in regards to strength, sexuality and purity. James Fenimore Cooper’s “The Last of the Mohicans” and Mary Rowlandson’s “A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” both tell stories of female captives during the Indian colonial wars in the Eastern U.S. In Cooper’s work of fiction, he tells the story of Cora Munro and how she provides the strength needed to allow her pure sister to survive their captivity. Cora is of mixed blood but still finds the idea of marrying Magua the Huron “morally repugnant”. Cooper was also criticized after the publication of the work in his insinuation of doubting the purity of the colonists. Rowlandson’s true account of her own captivity stressed that she found her strength to survive her ordeal through the purity of the Psalms of the Puritan religion. Rowlandson’s strength came from her religion whereas Cora’s came from within herself and her use of her powerful sexuality: the colonist ideals remain intact however as Rowlandson survived and the impure Cora dies. These ideals of the importance of pure blood lines are still seen today in the rapes which are reported during wartime in Joanne Barkan’s article on the Serbian rape camps of Yugoslavia which were meant to bring impurity to the blood lines of the Muslims. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

  • 'Fur Trade History as an Aspect of Native History' by Arthur J. Ray Summarized and Critiqued

    This is a 3 page paper discussing Arthur J. Ray’s article “Fur Trade History as an Aspect of Native History”. Arthur J. Ray’s article “Fur Trade History as an Aspect of Native History”, presents the reader with an alternative perspective in regards to the fur trade and the relationship between the Natives and the Europeans in early Canadian history. While Ray does not deny the Europeans exploited the Natives throughout history, he nevertheless presents an argument which suggests the possibility that the Natives were not “unintelligent” in their trading methods and indeed controlled a great deal of the competition and the quality of the merchandise traded through the Hudson’s Bay Company. Ray presents good examples and documentation from the 18th century which provides good evidence for his argument, however economically it is clear that despite the important roles the Natives played in the onset of the process, the Europeans nevertheless overcome the influence of the Natives negating most of the argument proposed by Ray. Bibliography lists 1 source.

  • History, Literature, Knowledge, and Native Americans

    8 pages in length. The writer provides two smaller essays on 1) Native American stereotyping and 2) the difference between history and literature. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

  • Jason Meyer's Article 'No Idle Past: Uses Of History In The 1830 Indian Removal Debates'

    A 4 page review of the Fall 2000 article by Jason Meyers summarizing the political discord surrounding the Trail of Tears, the nineteenth century forced removal of the Cherokee people from their traditional land in the state of Georgia. No additional sources are listed.

  • Modern Native American Literature and Cultural Conflict

    An 11 page discussion of cultural conflict as is evidenced in Thomas King’s “Green Grass, Running Water”, Leslie Marmon Silko’s “Ceremony”, Gerald Vizenor’s “The Heirs of Columbus”, and Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven”. The author notes the underlying theme of the differences in the way the environment is viewed by Native Americans verses Non-Natives and suggests that in pre-contact cultures the villain in Native American stories took the form of witchcraft while in contemporary literature it takes the form of non-Natives. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

  • Native American Oral Tradition: Parallels in the Literature

    A 5 page analysis of Gerald Vizenor's ““Word War in the Word Wards” (a chapter in “Bearheart the Heirship Chronicles”) and “An Insatiable Emptiness” by Evelyn Lau. No additional sources are listed.

  • Native Experience: Literature and Film

    A 4 page paper which examines, comparing and contrasting, native experiences as seen through fiction and film. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

  • Thomas King/Medicine River and Canadian Literature

    A 3 page research paper that discusses how Thomas King’s novel Medicine River is an example of Native Canadian literature and differs from mainstream literature. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

  • Paula G. Allen's Spider Woman's Granddaughters and Gordon Henry Jr.'s Light People

    A 7 page book review that addresses Gordon Henry Jr.'s Light People and Paula G. Allen's short story collection Spider Woman's Granddaughters. These works represent literature written in the traditions of Native America. While distinctly different, examination of these two texts reveals that they share commonality that speaks eloquently of the richness and diversity of Native American culture. No additional sources cited.

  • Comparative Analysis of Cherokee and Appalachian Native American Cultures

    A 9 page comparison of these sometimes diverse yet sometimes astonishingly similar cultures. The author of this paper defines the geographic range encompassed by the Appalachians and the unique peoples who presently live there. The author notes that this range was once the homelands of the Cherokee Indians. Specific details are provided on the cultural organization of these two groups, as well as their subsistence patterns, and information about their material culture. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

  • Some Legal Aspects of Hoover Dam

    A 5 page paper discussing the federal government's efforts to reduce the sheep and goat herds of the Navajo Indians in the early 1930s in environmental concern about the contribution of silt to the reservoir that would be created by the Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam brought much improvement to life in the Southwest in terms of electrification, flood control, water availability and irrigation, but in many respects it did so at the expense of the Navajo people and the Navajo way of life, and largely with impunity. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

  • Plains Indians' Tipi

    A 4 page description of the versatile and ingenious home of the Plains Indian. The author describes design, erection, and meaning. The tipi, of course, is just one element of the material culture of Plains lifeways. It is an element that is particularly interesting, however, due to its evolution over time and its representation of the complexity of Plain's beliefs and lifeways.

  • Jerry Mander/The Indian Worldview

    A 4 page essay that summarizes and discusses a chapter from Jerry Mander’s 1991 text In the Absence of the Sacred, which is entitled “Indians are different from Americans.” In this chapter, Mander argues that the worldview of the native or aboriginal peoples of the world—that is, the so-called “Indians,” which is basically a misnomer coined by a lost European—is fundamentally different from the worldview of mainstream culture in industrialized Western society. The discussion of this chapter summarizes Mander’s principal points in making this argument. No additional sources cited.

  • American and Apache Wars

    A twelve page paper which looks at the origins and progress of the wars between the Apache Indians and the Americans during the nineteenth century, with reference to the different strategies which were employed by both sides, the role played by Apache leaders such as Geronimo, the importance of Apache scouts to the American troops and the eventual outcome of the conflict in terms of the cultural development of the Indian nations. Bibliography lists 13 sources.

  • The Subjugation of the Apache and the Invasion of Their Lands

    A 14 page overview of the impacts the Apache faced at the hands of the whites that invaded and took their land. Bibliography lists 12 sources.

  • Christopher Columbus

    A 5 page look at Christopher Columbus as hero and villain. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

  • Analyzing Andrew Jackson's Case for the Removal of Indians in an 1930 Message to Congress

    A 4 page review of one of President Andrew Jackson’s 1830 addresses to Congress concerning the Indian situation. The author of this paper contends that Jackson had a tendency to justify his actions and even to sugar coat them so that they appeared to be in the best interest not only of the white population which had elected him to office but also in the best interest of the people he was, in reality, dealing with so harshly. Such is the nature of political rhetoric! No additional sources are listed.

  • American Indian Sovereignty

    This 4 page paper reviews key laws and Supreme Court rulings relating to these issues. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

  • America's Early National Disgrace, the 'Trail of Tears' of 1838

    A 7 page discussion of the forced removal of the Cherokee Indian in 1838 from their eastern homelands in the United States. Written from the perspective of a foreign reporter who witnessed the event first hand. Provides details of the events which led up to the removal. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

  • Cherokee 'Trail of Tears' and Expansion of the West

    6 pages in length. This paper examines the sad travesty of the Cherokee Trail of Tears march due to western expansion from 1815-1840. The historical treatment of the Cherokee is reviewed. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

  • Thomas A. Bailey and the Trail of Tears

    This 6 page paper discusses historian Thomas A. Bailey's statement that the "only feasible solution to the white-red problem seemed to be the removal of the Eastern Indians, in a body, to the Great Plains West." Using the example of the Cherokees and their experience of the Trail of Tears, the paper argues that removal did not solve the "Indian problem," that the removal did not work, that it was unjust, that there were alternatives, and that Bailey's position on the matter is invalid. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

  • The Trail of Tears: Issues of Sovereignty

    A 4 page discussion of the Trail of Tears and its injustices. This paper targets those injustices from the perspective of tribal sovereignty. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

  • Hopi Culture and the Connection Between Mythology and Landscape

    A 5 page discussion of Hopi mythology as it related to landscape and environment. The Hopi myth of how they are charged with caring for the fourth world is related and a discussion is provided as to how landscape serves as an important in such myths. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

  • Thomas King/Medicine River and Canadian Literature

    A 3 page research paper that discusses how Thomas King’s novel Medicine River is an example of Native Canadian literature and differs from mainstream literature. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

  • The History of California Native Americans Prior to 1900

    (5 pp) From documented information, according to McWilliams (1979) it is estimated that there were about 130,000 Indians in California. If that figure is close to accurate that would have meant that California had about 16% of Native America n peoples in the United States with about 5% of the land mass of the nation. Their history after the "periods of invasion" runs from bad to worse. Bibliography lists 3 sources

  • Sequoyah and His Invention of Cherokee Syllabary

    A 3 page consideration of how this notable Native American leader affected US Indian Policy. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

  • Colonial Latin American Women

    a 6 page research paper which examines the role of women in colonial Latin America. The colonial world of Latin America was intrinsically different from that of North America and this difference had a tremendous impact on the women of Latin America at that time. Although North America was rich in natural resources, the natives of North America did not have the gold of the Incas or the Aztecs. Consequently, the Europeans that came to North America's shores came to colonize-they brought women with them. Those early Europeans, specifically the Spanish, that came to Latin America did so solely for the purposes of exploitation, not for colonization. Because of this, the Spanish conquerors typically did not bring women with them from Europe. The writer argues that the native women in colonial Latin America were viewed by Europeans as simply one more resources that they could exploit. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

  • Political Structures of Inca and Maya

    4 pages in length. The writer discusses similarities and differences between the Mayan and Inca political structure, as well as addresses the religious influences of the architectural layout and planning of Teotihuacan. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

  • The Voyage of Cabeza de Vaca Three Themes Assessment

    5 pages in length. The writer discusses the following three themes in relation to Cabeza de Vaca's voyage: how the Spaniards and Indians viewed one another; Spaniard hatred and racism toward the Indians; and assimilating into Indian culture. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

  • 3 Indigenous Cultures and Marriage

    A 9 page overview of marriage in three indigenous cultures from three separate geographic areas: The Inca, the Navajo and the Masai. Provides general information about marital responsibilities and ritual. Bibliography lists 9 sources.

  • The Roots of Dependency by Richard White

    A 5 page paper that provides an overview of the life and work of White and reflects on the major themes in his The Roots of Dependency. White's book essentially discusses the subsistence, environment and social change among Native American tribes in his work The Roots of Dependency. Bibliography lists 1 source.

  • America's Holocaust, 'The Trail of Tears'

    7 pages in length. Often referred to as the American Holocaust, the Trail of Tears represents a battle between the European settlers and the Cherokee Indians that ultimately brought down the Cherokee Nation. In retelling the tale time and time again, various and minute details have been modified throughout the decades; however, the primary factor remains clear: the Cherokee Indians were forced to fight with blood, sweat and tears in order to uphold their dignity as The Principal People. The event that took place in North Georgia, ultimately to be known as the Trail of Tears, sheds considerable light on how the Cherokee were treated with severe disrespect and manipulation by the Europeans, whose goal it was to settle upon the Indian's territory. The writer discusses the events leading up to the Trail of Tears. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

  • A Review of The Broken Spears The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico

    A 6 page overview of Miguel Leon Portilla's 'The Broken Spears : The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico'. Reveals that this book differs from typical accounts of the conquest of Mexico in that it is one of the few accounts which is presented from the aspect of the indigenous peoples who lived there rather than from the perspective of the European marauders who invaded their lands and killed their peoples. Examines the question of why the Spanish were able to conquer the Aztec. Suggests that this accomplishment is not just due to technological superiority but also to Spanish mindset. The Spanish conquered the Aztec by destroying their culture and exposing them to the ravages of disease. No additional sources are listed.

 

Most Relevant Research Papers

Click on any of the term papers to read a brief synopsis of the research paper. The essay synopsis includes the number of pages and sources cited in the paper.

 

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