symbolism in the Sioux

After the discussion of The Soft-Hearted Sioux, I became really interested in the symbolism of the color red because of the many references made in the story. I looked up the meaning of the color red and for the Sioux, it means life. This makes a lot of sense in the story because of the main events surrounding the son's attempts to save his father's life. I find the last paragraph very significant to the symbolism found in the Sioux beliefs. The last paragraph says "soon I shall know, for now I see the east is growing red. My heart is strong. My face is calm. My eyes are dry and eager for new scences." I also discovered that east symbolises "beginning" which makes this paragraph significant to what was going on in the story where he is being put to death. His eagerness for "new scenes" is the beginning of a new life, which he previously pondered about in the story. I think I might use examples like this one in my third essay about point of view and its effects. Something like how the use of first person point of view reveals inner thoughts and with the use of symbolism, like the use of the color red, brings the inner thoughts to the readers attention?

Thoughts about Tribal Chant

Carol Lee Sanchez's poem "Tribal Chant" reminded myself a lot of my cultural identity. Insights into the poem suggests that Carol is of mixed heritage and struggles with her association with each nationality she belongs to. What sticks out to me is when she says "se llanto plays in my head" because to me it means that she is sad about her confusion. It could be that the situations and setting she was it at the time she wrote this poem were issues that made it a difficult time in finding herself. That insight is what I can relate to situations with my family. Sometimes I have felt l cannot understand what relatives of full blood are saying or meaning when they talk or do certain things, and it does create initial feelings of being stuck in between and dual identity. It doesnt sadden me, which is feel can be a tone of the Tribal chant, but it puts me in a place to decide whether I want to feel stuck in the middle or learn and put in the effort to be seen as apart of each cultural identity. I have felt I needed to work extra hard in knowing each traditional ways, not for acceptance, but for growing deeper, closer relationships. I think being of mixed heritage is interesting and adds character to a person that can associate much with different cultural ways. As Avila would advocate, it is important to associate with your roots.

Assimulation or Inevitable

For this weeks blog, I want to share a few of my ideas about the "Wounded Knee" film. The perspectives of the native Indians was very appealing and I have much sympathy for the natives who directly or indirectly are involved or been involved in a tragic event. Whether it be racist murders, or native children taken from their families and culturally transformed at boarding schools, American growth into the nation it has become today has both it's benefits and its negatives. The filmed drew on a lot of the negatives, but I wanted to think about the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm not in agreement with things like seizing land or genocide (like back in the Wounded Knee Creek event in 1890), but after watching the film Ipondered about the possible ways of peaceful assimulation. I don't think that it was justified to kill or steal from the natives as it was done in the past, but eventually the cultures needed to merge quickly, and at that time there was no other alternative available. In a sense, if the natives were left alone they wouldnt have access to modern technology and medicine needed for everyday living and health changes. It's almost as if it were inevitable that the cultures needed to assimulate in order to live within the same regions. I do not agree with the violent acts, or the selfishness of people like Dick Wilson on the reservations, but the conflicts like the film portrayed ended with an agreement and understanding with too much in between. Was it worth the lives of both the natives and the US government officials to spend that many days in conflict? Since the matter was a large scale need for change, it may have been impossible to protest for change in a peaceful manner. I'm curious about this generation of native Indians and how much they are attached to their traditional ways and culture. It seems as though America is approaching assimulation in the present day with more attractive techniques. For example, the Indian gaming casinos throughout California.