American Indians: Uncovering the Impact of Western Civilization on Identity - Essay Sample

Introduction

Understanding identities is a complex issue because of the different modalities different people live. To understand identity, we have to consider how people can fit in or fail to fit in with other groups. The way of life which helps people know who we are has changed, when two generations from different eras are compared the impact of western civilization is seen on human development

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American Indians are a group of people believed to be the natives of America. They have an identity that is unique from many other groups that have existed in America over history. Due to the development of other dominant societies, American Indians still identify themselves through legal, cultural, biological, and geographical principles. One of the identities of American Indians is their continued hold on tribal lands otherwise called reservations. According to Reich et al. (2012), the Indians may have settled in America over 15 thousand years ago, according to genetic evidence There are approximately 326 Indians reservations with over 567 tribes living within them, according to the department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs (2015). Another identifier familiar with American Indians is their leadership or political system. It should be noted no particular gender is preferred for these chiefdoms since, in many Indian tribes, there has been a woman chief or tribal king. They are governed by tribal leaders who either inherit or are selected by a group of Indian council. The leaders are the tribal kings, and they may make decisions on behalf of the tribes' men. The third identity for the Indians is cultural practices like eagle feathers, drums, and herbal medicine has helped them maintain their status. According to Tinker (2008), English invaders condemned these traditions as bizarre, unreligious, and savage. It is not easy to understand Indians in the context of their political involvement in the state and federal governments. Every government has a unique portfolio covering the Indians, and not hard to wonder why they get more attention than other identifiable societies. American Indians also have been associated with the gaming industries. It includes casinos, among other gambling operations. According to the national Indian gaming commission (2011), there are over 460 gambling operations in over 240 tribes. It is becoming part of their identity with such a massive scale of operations.

Millennials are a group of people born between the years 1981 and 1996 (Smith & Nichols,2015). Millennials have a unique identification that is not racially oriented. According to Andert (2011). Millennials are easily identifiable due to their non-traditional families and values. I agree with this notion because many millennials have been brought up without the traditional values of their forefathers. The other identifier is their need for economic growth and financial status. Lack of traditional values has led to many millennials adopting the capitalistic principles, which guide them to consider the financial gain than anything else. The more money they have, the happier they think they are, and this cuts across all genders within this group. It has been propelled by social sites, which perpetuates everybody as successful. The third way I understand millennials is through their social behavior. Millennials have been engulfed by social media sites, and they are rarely creating physical, social interactions. What is hard to understand about this era is the need for opposition. Hershatter and Molly (2017), in their research, found that millennials who are the people entering the workforce are always ready to oppose whatever authority in place. Millennials are also spending a lot of time on the internet, especially social media. It is not clear whether this technology is doing more good than harm. Another issue when it comes to millennials' identity is the traditions since most of them are born from traditional families with cultural and ethnic practices, why is not essential for millennials to embrace these practices.

Civilization being a socially collective process that may get society from one generational age to another has a lot of impact on human development. Western culture, in this case, has changed the whole globe towards a new way of life. It has affected human development in many aspects, including cultural, social, and economic. Culturally people have moved away from the conventional form of life where everybody had values and ethics dictated by the collective well-being of the society. Arowolo (2010), stated that western civilization has contaminated the traditional values of Africa and Africans, which in turn has affected their social behaviors. The impact is on religion, language, and even social practices like marriage practices. Economically, western civilization has promoted more capitalistic actions as compared to the previous communist way of life. In general, western civilization has changed the way of life and this is what helps individuals and groups have an identity. Even though changes are inevitable the scale at which western culture effects these changes are very rapid.

Identity in the context of one's personality can be what defines an individual's role or aim in society. Civilization, on the other hand, can be like a process of moving from one sociocultural age to another. Western civilization has radically changed the social-cultural principles of many societies, such that other civilizations seem redundant. Western civilization has inspired continued creativity, which has stretched cultural limits to the maximum. Religions, languages, traditional values and ethics, and other aspects of culture have succumbed to these inspirations. The way of life which helps people know who we are has changed, when two generations from different eras are compared the impact of western civilization is seen on human development

References

Andert, D. (2011). Alternating leadership as a proactive organizational intervention: addressing the needs of the baby boomers, generation Xers, and millennials. Journal Of Leadership, Accountability & Ethics. Retrieved April 18, 2020. From https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266352314_Alternating_Leadership_as_a_Proactive_Organizational_Intervention_Addressing_the_Needs_of_the_Baby_Boomers_Generation_Xers_and_Millennials

Arowolo, D (2010). The effects of western civilization and culture on Africa. Afro Asian Journal of Social Sciences. Retrieved April 18, 2020. From https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266252078_The_effects_of_western_civilisation_and_culture_on_Africa

Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (2015). Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible to Receive Services from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. Retrieved April 18, 2020. From https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/01/14/2015-00509/indian-entities-recognized-and-eligible-to-receive-services-from-the-united-states-bureau-of-indian

Hershatter, A & Epstein, M (2017). Millennials and the World of Work: An Organization and Management perspective READING 6.1. Retrieved April 18, 2020. From https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311537583_Millennials_and_the_World_of_Work_An_Organization_and_Management_perspective_READING_61

National Indian Gaming Commission (2011). Gaming tribe report. Retrieved April 18, 2020. From https://web.archive.org/web/20130220134916/http://www.nigc.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=0J7Yk1QNgX0%3d&tabid=943

Reich, D., Patterson, N., Campbell, D., Tandon, A., Mazieres, S., Ray, N., Parra, M. V., Rojas, W., Duque, C., Mesa, N., Garcia, L. F., Triana, O., Blair, S., Maestre, A., Dib, J. C., Bravi, C. M., Bailliet, G., Corach, D., Hunemeier, T., Bortolini, M. C., ... Ruiz-Linares, A. (2012). Reconstructing Native American population history. Nature, 488(7411), 370-374. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11258

Smith, T Nichols, T (2015). Understanding the Millennial Generation. Retrieved April 18, 2020. From https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324922926_Understanding_the_Millennial_Generation

Tinker, T (2008). American Indian's religious traditions. Retrieved April 18, 2020. From https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293187309_American_indians_religious_traditions