Americanization of the Native Indian Tribes Paper Example

The Description of the Picture (the Representation)

The picture depicts the Americanization of the native Indian tribes through the misappropriation or the wrongful application of the school systems or the law. Essentially, it represents the painful experience that the Indians had to go through in the American school systems. The ordeals that the Indian students, and by extension the parents, were subjected to by the education or the government rules and regulations were horrific, to say the least. For instance, on reporting to school (the first day), the students lost their possession to the white people who operated the schools, meaning that they had to surrender anything in their custody to the white people to get admission into the schools. The system further required the students to lose their tribal dress code, as they were compelled to have uniforms.

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The hallmark of the loss of the Indian identity was the regulation that stipulated that every student had to get a proper haircut, as the Europeans considered the Indian hair inappropriate for education or disgraceful to them and the systems they created. To caption the pain, the parents were not allowed to accompany their children to school, which magnified the heinous nature of the European rule or hostility to the people they deemed uncivilized or lower in the social ranking. The parents who defied such orders were shot at or threatened with death merely because they accompanied their children to school. Additionally, the parents who wished their children well in the quest for education as they departed bore the biggest brunt of hostility. Evidently, during that era, the Europeans did not allow the parent to known the conditions in which their children lived. Finally, the picture shows the loss of the native identity, as the locals started adorning European attires and gradually abandoned their own sense of style.

The Life at school- Arizona

By all standards, the life in Arizona or any other school was evidently unbearable for the Indian population. The system was profoundly demeaning and harsh to them since it did not recognize their identity, culture, unique appearance, and their religion. The harsh treatment they underwent that included the introduction of uniforms, the cutting of hair simply because it was deemed irrelevant and the harsh treatment their parent received did make life quite unbearable to them. The denial of the freedom conscience, which is one of the most fundamental human right, and free speech (parents denied the opportunity to say good-bye to the children) marked deep-seated cruelty that made life profoundly upsetting, unsettling, and unbearable.

The Significance of Taking Away Language, Religion, and Clothing (Identify)

To the settlers or the Europeans, the taking away of the Indian culture, religion, or language meant the beginning of dominance. In this way, they established schools, Christianity, and advocated for a new sense of fashion based on their way of life to establish full dominance or control over the Indians. The taking away of the tribal identity marked the European objective of establishing a universal or single order based on the European way of life. Generally, the Europeans wanted to establish a single system of governance or government based on the Western ideals and mannerisms. It is normally easier to govern people who have a common language (English in this particular case), culture, and religion. Permitting the tribal identity or any form of Indian culture to coexist with the European practices would certainly cause rebellion as witnessed during the Pan-Indianism. The eradication of the Indian identity laid the grounds for easier European control.