Black Hill Controversy

I just finished reading an article on the Black Hill Controversy. The article described the event in which the Sioux people were forced out of their land, the Blacks Hills, due to the gold found in the area by whites. The Native Americans were promised in Fort Laramie Treaty that the Black Hills land would be set aside "for the absolute and undisturbed use and occupation of the Sioux". I've always heard of the Americans going against agreements made with Native Americans, but this event was the first time I actually saw it happen. After being promised the land, the Native Americans welcomed the opportunity to make it their home, and they did. The US Army even patrolled the area to keep American citizens at bay and allow the natives peace. Fifty years after settling, a miner discovered gold in the mountains. The US offered to buy the land from the natives for $400,000 a month as rent, but the Sioux wouldn't settle for anything less the $70 million flat. After being refused the purchase of the hills, The US Government killed many Sioux Native Americans as the brutally invaded the area. The natives, upset about their land being taken away, sued the American Government, and won approximately 106 million dollars. Refusing to touch the money, the Native Americans further complained about not getting their land back. Not touching their money, the natives allowed it to quadruple the original sum given to them by the government. Even today the Sioux still fight for their land, and remain unsuccessful. It is interesting that a group of people can come into a foriegn country, and push the countries natives around however they wish.

Friggens, Paul. Gold and Grass: The Black Hills Story. Boulder, CO: Pruett Publishing Co.,1983; Robinson, Charles M. A Good Year to Die: The Story of the Great Sioux War. New York : Random House, 1995.

Can she really paint the colors of the wind?

For the start of my research project, their was one name which immediately jumped out at me: Pocahontas. I grew up with Disney movies, and I figured a familiar figure might be a good place to start. I soon found Pocahontas was much more then an attractive Native American who feel in love with a white man, but that her story goes much deeper. Although her birth date is unclear, historians believe Pocahontas was born around 1595. Pocahontas stumbled into Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 and unlike the rest of her people, she found herself comfortable among the white people. She grew up being fascinated by the whites, and befriended many of them, to the disapprovel of her father, who was chief of the Potwatan tribe. Pocahontas began to warn the whites when her father was planning on attacking them, and further helped by teaching the whites the ways of the Native Americans, helping them with trades they wished to make with the Natives. The Native American Powhatan princess even saved a white man, John Smith. As her father was about to kill Smith for intruding into the Natives territory, she quickly placed his head on his, and her father refused to attack. Although this idea is also present in the Disney movie, I was interested to read that she was perhaps not actually protecting Smith, but rather "Pocahontas was actually participating in an elaborate adoption ritual that Smith simply misinterpreted". After her saving of Smith and many other white Americans, Pochohantas fell in love with John Rolfe. They fell in love, and they were quickly married. Their marriage helped bond the realationships of Whites and Native Americans across Virgina. Pochohantas changed her releigion and faith after he marrige, going by the name Rebbeca under the Catholic faith. Pocahontas shows how a connection can be made between differnt faiths, and displays a symbol of acceptance from the Native American people.

"Pocahontas." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .

Initial thoughts on Native Americans

Ok, so I was given "Native Americans" as the topic for my research project. I have to be honest, while I'm excited to learn more about America's native people, this topic has never been one I've found all that interesting. I hope that this project will prove my enthusiasm wrong as I do understand that Native Americans hold a rich and beautiful culture full of heritage and tradition. Alright, this won't be so bad. Something which has always interested me with Native Americans is their overall culture. Last week I saw the movie Avatar. I left the movie amazed at the message it displayed. The movie motivated the viewers to have a respect for the earth and value their family and heritage. The values presented in Avatar, respect, lover, and community, are themes which I remember being taught in elementary school. I also remember these are values which Native Americans highly incorporate into their everyday lives. I remember leaving the movie with a friend and discussing the parallelism we saw between the movie and the history of Native Americans. Although I am not the biggest fan of Native American History, perhaps this is due to my lack of knowledge on the topic. The cruelty I know has been preformed to Native Americans throughout the years I know is not only unique to the United States, but to many other nations across the world. I hope my reaserch on America's natives over the next few weeks will prove to be interesting and help give myself a better perspective on the American people by gazing back on our roots.

Ignorance as an American- response to state of union address

Not being extremely involved in politics, I see the president speak as a politically uneducated American. I absorb what he says, listening, trying to understand but still find myself trying to disagree with what the president says. I sound ridiculous; trying to disagree with the president? Who am I? I am, like many Americans, a person who feels to take a stand on a topic, one must disagree. Due to this reaction of attempted disagreement, I find myself ignorant. Then I look deeper; is it wrong for me to take a stand on topics which I know nothing about? Is watching this speech pointless, and am I merely trying to fulfill a nights home work by attempting to understand the foreign language called politics? No. The issues President Obama discussed may not mean as much to me as a member of the congress, but I am able to apply these concepts to my own personal life. Obama tells us as Americans, we must do not what is popular, but what is right. While I may not completely understand how this statement connects to our foreign relation with the Middle East, I can take the words from our President and apply it to my life, and issues which I face everyday. After all, isn't that the real position of the President of the United States? To make Americans think? Watching our President (by the way, I totally don't know if I should be capitalizing the word 'president') made me think about what I can to help America thrive. I must stop thinking about myself, and begin to attempt to be something bigger then myself as to more fully help paint the portrait of America.

Introduction

What does it mean to concept? Cheers to the first Cohn Conception blog post. I am excited to be able to share my own thoughts, ideas, and experiences with not only my classmates, but the world. It's a scary idea to think that me, a small person in this universe, can share my ideas with those around me. I feel I am quickly becoming a part of somthing which is greator then myself. Well, if your taking the time to read this you probably want to know a little about me. I'll throw some numbers at you. 17. My age, the time I've been living. 5. My family size: Mom, Dad, Alex, Jorie, and myself; a tight knit group who live, laugh, and love every single day together. 13. The age I was when I attended a private boarding school in Switzerland in the midst of my eighth grade year. Lets be real, I've never really been too good with math, so lets pass at this number game for now. In this blog I hope to post funny memories, upset ramblings, and hopeful questions. Let this blog be a place for others to read upon my thoughts, and maybe even enjoy them. Cheers.