Anthropology
My ethnic identity is Native American. We are commonly referred to as American Indians or Indians in America and sometimes Amerindian. People have nicknamed us because of our appearance as it is slightly different to all American ethnic identities, and we possess a specific dressing ode. Although the dress code is not essentially practiced on a daily basis, we maintain them for our official ceremonies. However, some staunch believers of the native Americans dress that way throughout their undertakings to signify their origin and to honor the rules set. I believe that my great grandparents originally migrated to the country where they chose a spot and settled into. Ever since then, no migration has been done by them, resulting in our lineages existence in the country. Although some of my relatives have intermarried with other ethnic communities, my parents specifically chose to remain bound by our ethnic identity.
I do not feel comfortable with ethnic labels accorded to us as it sometimes comes with discrimination. It covers a wide part of our lives as it ranges from job opportunities, school treatment, housing, and living conditions. Native Americans are known to hold the most less paying jobs, which is a discouraging factor to the upcoming generation (Reyhner, & Eder, 2017). Some people portray a closed mind towards my ethnic identity and expect you to always behave in a different manner. Sometimes discrimination portrays even in the way we live and our areas of occupation. They expect one to have an accent, dress like an Indian all day, and at times have little knowledge of what is going on. This is not equally fair to my fellow native Americans as we deserve an equal chance and bearing in mind that all human beings are the same and deserve fair treatment. Otherwise, some people enlightened people to treat us well, knowing that ethnic backgrounds do not exactly define us, which should be the new normal.
Our ethnic community mostly believes in animism, which is a religious belief that all-natural objects and the universe possess souls. Owing to this, we believe that souls exist in every single thing on earth apart from human beings like trees, animals, and rocks. We further believe that spirits controlled nature, such as the sun, rainfall, and thunderstorm. We further believe in shamanism as a culture whereby a religious leader is selected called a Shaman. It was believed he acted as a medium between the spirit world and the visible world (Reyhner, & Eder, 2017). They were delegated power and authority to heal and also predict the future to the rest of the ethnic community and believers. Owing to that, they receive a high level of reset and hearing from members of the ethnic group. We always perform a ceremony to appease and worship spirits, as it is believed they watch over us. The spirits take a key interest in our lives and are believed to protect us. The ceremony entails carrying out rituals that involve agriculture to show appreciation.
The festivals are designed to occur during high agricultural seasons to ensure their plenty to be celebrated for the whole population. Agricultural harvests are made, and the great festivals are carried out to ensure everyone around s gets to benefit (Carmack, Gasco & Gossen, 2016). We hold the ceremonies for a couple of days, and it involves singing, dancing, and getting to know each other. This pratie has run down from the ancient days and was passed to s by our ancestors. By virtue of that, it has become part of us and is still observed and practiced by a lot of native Americans. Through these ceremonies, a lot of dances were discovered that are still practiced today, famously known as the Indian dances. They include Buffalo dame, pipe dance, and the doll dance. In our culture, marriage has not been granted a higher role, like other ethnic communities.
Specific leaders in the community were selected to take children through the way of life regarding our culture bringing in the aspect of communal responsibility in how children turned out. Owing to this, having children was not believed to be the sole purpose of marriage but was counted as a blessing from the creator. Intermarriages with other ethnic communities have been allowed to promote interaction. Moreover, we portray a unique way of dressing ode for the different genders in existence (Bennett, 2015). The dress code is meant to signify identity, and it also acts as our form of identification, although it is not mostly worn currently unless during special occasions. Our culture identifies different roles for different genders. In their growth stages, children are allowed an opportunity to partake in chores that are in line with their genders. It helps nurture a child in the right way as expected.
My culture suits right into the broader culture of the US due to its unique attributes rendering it important. It is also associated with the fact that we account for a larger population. During our ceremonies of thanksgiving that have been set to our seasonally, we invite other ethnic groups in the state. This move has been encouraged by the intermarriages making us one large family. In this way, we get to influence them as we interact and exchange cultural ideas (Bennett, 2015). Moreover, our dressing ode has always stood out. The dress codes are observed too during the ceremonies, and some people outside of our group tend to adopt them during those significant periods. We have a unique language that we use to pass across messages, and through interaction with other people, they get to hear and learn it hence unde4rstand it with time. It is further identified as an ethnic group on its own and can be further classified into different dimensions.
Ethnic identity is an issue that is keenly observed in America; it registers a high number of ethnics group’s currently. This factor has been ignited by various factors, including globalization, immigration, and some original form. As a result, people tend to interact with others by considering their ethnic community. It occurs, especially if the people possess unique aspects that can be clearly identified, like body color, dress code, and a particular accent. It is in line with this that ethnic discriminations our even at the slightest points least expected. Furthermore, the state allows people of certain ethnic communities to hold events and elaborations as scheduled originally like our seasonal celebrations. People are also allowed to freely identify with their ethnic communities, giving them a sense of belonging. It also helps the minority groups in existence to feel comfortable and carry out their activities normally.
References
Bennett, T. (2015). Cultural studies and the culture concept. Cultural studies, 29(4), 546-568.
Carmack, R. M., Gasco, J. L., & Gossen, G. H. (Eds.). (2016). The legacy of Mesoamerica: history and culture of a Native American civilization. Routledge.
Reyhner, J., & Eder, J. (2017). American Indian education: A history. University of Oklahoma Press.