Since the abuse of the African Americans from around 1619 until the
Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and beyond, no other race but the
Native Americans has suffered more at the hands of the U.S. government.
From reading chapter 8 of the Contemporary Native American Cultural Issues textbook and the article, Intro to American Indian Politics,
it has quickly become apparent that the United States has not exactly
treated the Native Americans justly. In chapter 16, it refers to the
uranium mining jobs commissioned to the Navajo during the 1940s and 50s.
Although some research had been done at the time concerning the danger
of radon daughters, “forty-eight Navajo people who had worked in uranium
mines for an average of thirteen years reported that at no time were
they informed of the dangers of radation” (Spieldoch 308). It seems very
wrong that an oversight like this by the U.S. government could occur
unless of course the blame falls primarily on the Kerr McGee
Corporation (It was responsible for hiring the Navajos who worked in the mines and also controlled the horrible working conditions). But then one has to wonder why the U.S. government hadn’t
done much of anything to correct the situation. They’ve offered
compensation for miners in the form of the Radiation Exposure
Compensation Act but like other health insurance companies, have made it
very hard to collect. For example, if the miners smoked even one pack
of cigarettes a day, they were required to have a much higher radon
exposure in order to be eligible to receive aid. However, just like the
money from the U.S.’s buying up of Indian land, who knows when the
Native Americans will ever see the money even if they have gone through
all or almost all of the motions to get it? As chapter 16 of the book states; “the three areas of greatest conflict in interpreting
and implementing the act are records, medical supplies, and regulation”
(312). If even one of these areas is lacking, a Native American in need
of assistance may remain in need of assistance with possibly dire
consequences.
Not only have Native Americans been treated unfairly in that area but they have also been the victims of cultural imperialism! Cultural imperialism refers to the “imposition of a
foreign viewpoint or civilization on a people” by the more powerful
civilization (Cultural Imperialism). Cultural imperialism “serves to extend the
political power , secure the social control, and further the economic profit of
the dominant culture” (Champagne 170). In
this case, the United States is the much more powerful civilization and the
Native Americans represent the civilization that is getting taken advantage of.
Two examples of cultural imperialism from the Contemporary Native American Cultural Issues book include white
shamanism practiced by New Agers and the patenting of DNA from indigenous
peoples. The problem with white shamanism by New Agers is that it works to
undermine a indigenous culture’s “integrity and distinctiveness, assimilating
them to the dominant culture by seizing and processing vital cultural
resources, then remaking them in the image and marketplaces of the dominant
culture” (Champagne 171). It’s like stealing from the less fortunate and then
trying to make them look foolish in the process. It destroys the honor of the
Native Americans. Patenting the DNA from indigenous peoples on the other hand
is harmful only because the DNA of the deceased is taken without consent and a
patent is put on it, claiming ownership to the genetic material. This is
unlawful and unjust because it does nothing for the indigenous people who’ve
had their ancestors dug up and branded property. In essence, it would be like someone disturbing your great grandparents' plots simply because they wanted to add them to their collection. All I can conclude from this is that all forms of cultural
imperialism are harmful in some way or another as they dishonor and take away
the rights of the group involved.
Works Cited:
"Cultural Imperialism." Dictionary.com.
Web. 27 Jan. 2012.
<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cultural+imperialism>.
Champagne, Duane. Contemporary Native American Cultural Issues. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira, 1999. Print.
To read more about the problems for the Navajo Nation stemming from the uranium mining, click here: http://serc.carleton.edu/research_education/nativelands/navajo/
To read about an example of cultural imperialism, click here: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/article_103bc67e-be8f-11de-b1a6-001cc4c002e0.html
To purchase Contemporary Native American Cultural Issues: http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Native-American-Cultural-Communities/dp/0761990593/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327897213&sr=1-1
