Listen, what you are missing is that the cultural perception of Native Americans was corrupted by narratives of the colonized period. While people did not have an opportunity to investigate the topic earlier, it is essential to express modern concerns. The core of the problem is not the lack of cultural features but its historical suppression that cannot be covered further and must be addressed. Even though the historical context cannot be resolved, modern society is still responsible for the actions of past generations.
One of the most problematic aspects of the Native Americans, voice is that their heritage became part of cultural taxidermy in modern narratives. It is evident in the media, visual representation, and overall associative image. Indigenous People have also been presented in a way intended to invoke particular concepts and colonial tropes in the settler’s story, similar to how a taxidermist poses the animal on which they are operating to serve almost as a decoration in a narrative (King 72). Additionally, you cannot perceive their cultural peculiarities as a museum prop in the background of the United States; it must be respected equally to other parts of the historical context.
Moreover, the processes of integration and sovereignty of Native Americans must be considered a necessary part of cultural formation and suppression. Indian people were forced to abandon their nations and ideas and accept the nation-states’ government, culture, and property laws. Indigenous Peoples choose their identities; consequently, they exist in various tribal and national contexts that are not adequately represented by assimilation and integration representations.
Therefore, we need to support the different representations of Native Americans in the media and culture due to their presence both in historical context and the peculiarities of modern life in the United States. We cannot abandon the narratives as if they were outdated but instead continuously reflect the current state of the societies of Native Americans. Otherwise, there is a risk of turning the history of Indigenous People into a museum exhibit.
Work Cited
King, C. Richard. Colonial Discourses, Collective Memories, and the Exhibition of Native American Cultures and Histories in the Contemporary United States. Routledge, 2021.