Becoming American & Losing Cultural Heritage
Or in the case of Native Americans, simply losing cultural heritage.
The following is a post I had done in Red's Blog. I don't remember the blog address:
______________
As a person of largely unknown mixed heritage, excluding most likely native American, I helped the Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute to set up an Electronic Technologies laboratory. This was not my first encounter with native Americans, but it was the most endearing.
But to the point. My wife was a new physician in Albuquerque and she was trying to let people know that she existed. I asked one of the technicians in the Printing Technologies department what type of native American logo would represent cooperation. I could see immediately that I offended him; there was no intention to do so on my part. He was offended because non-native Americans would frequently use symbolic artifacts for their own commercial use. I was not asking to use a religious symbol, I was asking for an idea for a logo that would draw the attention of someone who is native American. But that did not matter, the damage was done. For him, I was a scoundrel.
I found while I was there that Native Americans truly have certain cultural qualities that I found hard to see. I don't mean to agree with. I mean I couldn't spot the conditions which triggered a response. I tried to be aware, not looking directly at them when we spoke, not warning them of what not to do so as not to imply that is what I hoped would happen, ...
But try as a may, there are still many cultural differences that unintentionally create a gap between desiring to walk freely amongst a people, and being able to do so with confidence. This is my weakness and no one Else's.
When someone deceitfully takes advantage of a cultural artifact where that artifact is used to uncharacteristically represent the culture and its people, then that is a criminal act. There is no difference than calling someone a disparaging remark like honkey, cracker, howley, gringo, ... I might have used other words related to other cultures, but since I am considered white, I hope the intent of me writing these words is taken in the context they were written.
I'm not sure how the Native Americans feel about the Cherokee tribe. My understanding is that the word Cherokee was made up for the benefit of trade and romantic endeavors with Europeans. I don't remember exactly, something like spirit of fire or some such thing.
Why haven't the people calling themselves Cherokee kept their original tribe name(s)? The name Cherokee seems to be a form of cultural pollution. Something like me! My cultural roots are so diverse and weakly connected that I don't consider myself to have hardly any traditions or ancestral history. Over time, I am the product of cross breeding that has made me something like a Petr dish that is left open; full of diverse and often unrelated characteristics.
How does a peoples avoid cultural pollution while promoting the needs of its people?
