Colors of the Wind

Author: Ellie Dufek

Photo: Indigenous Peoples March, Washington, D.C. Photo by Isidoro Hazbun.

           

          From the age of about 2-7, humans develop egocentrism which causes them to see the world only through “their eyes” and their perspectives.  This often makes children a bit selfish, but it’s in a way that can’t be changed until they reach a certain age and can start thinking existentially.  Once this occurs, one can think about another person’s life, their feelings, and what they might be going through.  While some may still choose to overlook other’s perspectives, for most people, thinking about others invokes empathy and understanding.  This can be related to cultural relativism, where it takes some extra understanding to realize that a culture’s differences don’t make it worse or better than another.  Realizing that there can be things gained from learning about and understanding a culture without changing anything about it is important, not only to connect people across the globe, but to be more empathetic and effective people in general.  The indigenous people of America were not given this “courtesy” and instead were thought of through an ethnocentric perspective, meaning white colonists perceived and judged Native Americans based off references from their own lives and culture.

            Ethnocentrism sparks a lot of the current social issues that we have today.  For example, the idea that few Americans share that when Islam women move to America, they should stop wearing their hijabs.  This is not only NOT what America was founded on (cough cough freedom), but it is wholly unnecessary.  How is another humans outfit in any way harming anyone else?  That’s one of the many examples of racism and prejudice still occuring today.  For Indigenous Native Americans, the prejudice against them started with white colonists and hasn’t ended to this day.  Specifically, the current US President Donald Trump has spoken hatefully against Native Americans, making light the genocide white colonists caused for the majority of them.  An article posted through https://www.culturalsurvival.org/ recently written this year discusses how since Trump’s presidency began, “the current administration has rolled back policies that protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and has failed to respect and honor Tribal Nations and their sovereignty” (Cultural Survival).  The President has proven through many of his words and actions, such as his references to Pocahontas, that he is very ethnocentric, egocentric, and perhaps narcissistic due to his lack for human life and decency when money and business are his wagers. 

            I believe this is the number one issue facing indigenous Native American people because if this mentality that the President and some others have were to change to something more understanding, many of the other issues such as exploitation of land or cultural practices would be lessened or even stopped.  The pattern of putting money and greed before human life has been a continuous one though, so changing the root of the problem, people’s mentalities, is the key.  In David Wallace’s book, “This Is Water,” he talks about how there is not one single experience that I, for example, have had where I am not technically the center of that universe (Wallace, David 2005).  By this he means that every second of our consciousness is spent in our own minds, bodies, and perspectives and so training yourself to think beyond yourself is so important.  Many people are in support of this, and are in support of cultural immersion, empathy, and respecting people’s traditions.

            While Trump can mock the traditions and past of Native American culture, he is not the only one to blame.  Robin DiAngelo’s piece on “Why It’s so Hard to Talk to White People About Racism” expresses how racism is always seen as an intentional action, but in America most racism that occurs is systematic or learned (DiAngelo, Robin).  For example, the misinformation taught to young people in American history, where the more gruesome American caused deaths were watered down.  I remember growing up and watching Pocahontas, a very mild version of her true story, and my favorite song was always “Colors of the Wind”.  However, the lyrics are not only intense but very powerful.  She sings,

You think the only people who are people

Are the people who look and think like you

But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger

You'll learn things you never knew, you never knew.

It encapsulates what cultural relativism is trying to express, and what many who are prejudiced against deserve to receive.  Knowledge of others and their cultures is important for the sake of that knowledge itself, and who knows, you might learn things that you never knew you never knew. 

Author Bio: Ellie Dufek is an Anthropology student at IUPUI minoring in Psychology and Spanish.





Sources:

“Presidents Day Under Trump: Dishonoring Native Peoples.” PRESIDENTS DAY UNDER TRUMP: DISHONORING NATIVE PEOPLES, Cultural Survival, 18 Feb. 2019, www.culturalsurvival.org/news/presidents-day-under-trump-dishonoring-native-peoples. Accessed 23 Feb, 2019.

Wallace, David. This Is Water, Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 21 May 2005. Print.

DiAngelo, Robin. Why It’s so Hard to Talk to White People About Racism. Huffington Post. 30 May, 2015.  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/good-men-project/why-its-so-hard-to-talk-to-white-people-about-racism_b_7183710.html. Accessed 23 Feb, 2019.