History of the Native Americans and the Story of their Culture

Mario Escobar

West Coast University

 Abstract

This paper shares insight in the culture and history of Native Americans, with details of their

contribution to our country and its significant events. The influences it has made and what we

dont appreciate from their culture are often obscured by simply not appreciating talents and gifts

that Native Americans have. This paper will address various ways Native Americans made a

difference in the history and culture of the United States. Many modern concepts and trends

followed today can be derived from this culture yet we never dont stop and ponder their origin.

The diversity in culture is important for survival, and many norms of habitation. The fashionable

shoes worn, and music listened to modernly may have originated from this native culture. You

can read about the artifacts and different technologies used in the everyday lives of this

innovative culture. Many dont realize the great contribution Native Americans made to be what

we enjoy and use today, you will learn how it began and all they had to offer.
 History of the Native Americans and the Story of their Culture

We dont seem to realize that many of the fashion trends or things we use today could have

been influenced from a culture that is so close to us, but dont give enough appreciation to.

Looking around at the different artifacts and objects from Native American culture, you see

things similar to what is used today. We give so much credit to celebrities and people that are

considered important today, but dont realize how important the culture that really influenced

these new trends now are. Before any celebrity wore a certain piece of clothing they were worn

by others that used scarce resources not to make a fashion statement but for mere survival.

Influences from Native Americans

Many artifacts in the National Museum of American Indian stand out to you while you

explore the different items displayed. You begin to see how similar they can be to modern

household items and tools used. Examples of items used, which you can see commonly, now are

objects used in our wardrobes; bracelet and earing styles are very similar to what is worn today.

You stop and think, where did our culture get the ideas and designs that are commonly used

today. Many give so much credit to modern designers and their ideas of what stands out to us.

Shoes are a big deal in our culture today, and designs that stand out are what catch our attention.

An object that stood out to me was what they called women leggings. These in particular stood

out more in color and design but you cannot ignore the strong resemblance to what today are

commonly known as Ugg boots. This is such a standout item that many dont realize came from

these indigenous cultures, but only catch our attention because they are popular and many want to

wear them. The fact that many design ideas are brought up from the past is constantly ignored.
The diversity was very significant in the time that this culture was prominent due to different

needs for different tasks, weather, and means of survival.

Culture Diversity

I learned a lot about cultural diversity from the different objects being displayed in this

museum. There are many similar tools and objects but if you really think about the uses, you

learn why they were diverse. The Native Americans lived in different regions of what is the

United States today. They wore different kinds of clothing depending on the environmental

needs. Diversity is bred by need. The reason why we wear different types of clothing each season

is due to our need to adapt, thus creating diversity. A person originating from Miami wouldnt

wear the same attire a person from the northeast region of the united states would wear during the

fall. It then becomes an extension of our culture, due to how the weather in our region influences

our attire. Common business attire seen in Miami could be lighter colored clothing. What are

called guayaberas are more comfortable to wear in the heat, which then deems it appropriate to

wear to everyday functions. You wouldnt see the same attire worn in New York, the attire is

deemed appropriate because we are influenced by different instances we need to accustom to. I

see this go hand in hand with the different skin colors across the world. We discussed how are

bodies genetically modify to acclimate to the regions we live in. Those with more fair skin could

have originated from northern Europe where the weather is cold, and there isnt a need to protect

from extreme heat. Individuals from many regions in Africa have to protect themselves from

harsh heat and other environmental extremes. Dark skin helps protect from exposure to

ultraviolet radiation, their skin is also tougher which protects them from sand and dirt that is

common due to a drier land. We dont realize how we differ in appearances due to physical

needs, and worry too much about appearance instead.

New Ideas

Something new that I learned was the big involvement of Native Americans in the

military, and their contributions in such events. 44,000 out of a population of less than 350,000

served during World War I and II. A very unique contribution was their language. This

contributed in the development of wartime communication. Maintaining privacy and plans being

undetected is very important when trying to surprise attack the opposition. Initially wanting to

eradicate the indigenous language, they shortly learned that it was going to be of great use. Code

talkers aided many of the victories of the Americans and their allies. This is an example of how

we can come together in any circumstance and put together diverse abilities, ideas, and talents,

which can aid in reaching a common goal. We many times look at how we might not fit together

instead of looking at the bigger picture, and opening our mindsets to new and diverse ideas.

Histories and artistic expressions

An interesting theme that has always stood out to me, which caught my attention once

again is the involvement of animals in Native American culture. There are many different

woodcarving animals being displayed and they arent just created for decoration or anything in

that line, but seem to have value and meaning. Different animals have different significance and

meanings to different tribes in their culture. I think this reflects this cultures pride and beliefs.

The animals depicted can have a sacred meaning, or represent a specific tribe which members

pride fully represent. These animals are part of their belief and influence the way they live and

ways of life they follow. Similar to these animals, many cultures have different symbols and

artwork that are a huge part of their culture and beliefs. They have different meaning to them and

create a story within their culture. This work of art is engaging because you learn what kind of
values and beliefs some cultures might have. It makes you realize how there are more important

things than what the modern society teaches us about. This teaches us about the diverse beliefs

and ways of life in this culture, how they lived, and what they created that can still influence a

small part of our lives now. The works of art are effective in teaching us this, because they depict

every specific belief and tell a story of their culture all through theirs existence. I think the

biggest message relayed when you walk in to any museum about a specific culture, or group of

people, you see and learn a story, by the art, clothing, tools, and architecture. These collections

are 3D history books that we learn with and are able to vividly see and learn about different

cultures.

Perspective

This field trip did remind me how many cultures have many different beliefs and how we

should be more open to understanding them at minimum. We are selfish to be closed minded

about our own beliefs and culture. We see others as weird and think negatively of others because

they are different. Many ethnicities share different cultures, which influence, beliefs, morals,

values, and different aspects of their lives. We dont think how others might feel about our

culture and how we might seem odd to them with what we do and even eat. Theres times you

find yourself judging a certain cultures food or clothing but you dont look at the bigger picture,

and see how this could have been part of something much bigger than just fashion. A big issue

about this is that we only see what we dont like versus looking at what we might learn from

diverse cultures and how they can contribute to a diverse society. If we look at all these

contributions as things that we can put together to share and make something we can all benefit

from, we would open to learning more about other people rather than judging them. The culture

today is very superficial and sets our mind to think only of the smaller picture, rapid and short-
term gratification, not valuing the work and possible story we might leave behind one day. The

same way we look back to these antique cultures, we will be looked at in the future. What story

will we leave behind? What contributions will we leave behind? These are things we need to

value and think of today before we continue to waste talent and potential we can use to leave

behind a legacy.

Evaluation

I would recommend this museum to other students, this is very interesting place where I

learned more about the culture of Native Americans and who lived in the land that we now

inhabit. My eyes were opened to the different contributions have made to our country and how

they did things that we have learned to use today. We take for granted the contributions by this

great culture and should appreciate them more for some things we have today. This museum

doesnt just put different art works, tools, and artifacts used during the time of this culture to

exhibit what existed in the past, but to show how it contributed and how valuable they should be

to us today. The contribution that the American Indians had in our military was specified in a

single exhibit and not only left for us to imagine or assume from looking at different things. They

are very specific to give credit to the Native Americans and show how diversity can help us come

together as one and share our potentials for an ultimate goal. An issue I would recommend to a

friend or student to have in mind while visiting this site is the different ways culture diversity can

be used in contribution to a society. The different factors in different cultures can all come

together to be shared amongst each other. To do this we have to be open minded and not make

snap judgments about different groups of people. Keeping an open mind helps us see the bigger

picture and learn about why certain things have different value to others. A part of this site that

really stood out to me and would emphasize to not be missed, is the Our Heroes sight. This sight
taught me about one specific contribution the American Indians made to the American military.

This is something I newly learned about and had not learned or even heard anywhere including

school, the different contributions of the American Indians are obscured by the same story of

how this land was theirs and was taken away. This exhibit helps us learn more and see other sides

of the history of their culture. I learned about how the Native Americans Language was used to

facilitate a secrete language used to encode secret messages and plans being put together by the

military. This helped in not being detected by the enemy and was a big factor toward victory. The

contributions and technologies of Native American culture isnt always appreciated and this

museum opens your eyes and helps you learn not only how the American Indians contributed but

how many different cultures can come together and work to help each other towards any given

goal.
References

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Smithsonian Institution

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Smithsonian institution

Our Heroes. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2017, from https://nmai.si.edu/nnavm/heroes/

Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of the American Indian : Search Results. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2017, from

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Smithsonian Institution

Kaiser, K. (2017, March). NATIVE AMERICAN LEGENDS Native American Totem Animals

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