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The American Indian : The Creation Of A National Native American Heritage, 1880-1920, Brian A. Schwegler

Senior Scholar Papers

In this project I examine several of the ideological forces acting upon Native American cultures from 188Q..1920. During this period, Native Americans were subject to extraordinary pressure to assimilate, constituting a virtually bloodless war against traditional Native American identities. As a result the ideology of the majority society infiltrated Native American tribal groups and helped to break down the traditional borders of tribal identity. I focus on three major forces leading to the shift from traditional bounded identity to nebulous Pan-Indian identity. The first is the influence of the federal government and its policies, especially concerning Native American education. The …