Black Elk Speaks
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A five page paper looking at John Neihardt’s interview of Black Elk, a Lakota Indian who survived the massacre at Wounded Knee. The paper explains the theme and importance of the work, and shows how it helped to change early twentieth-century stereotypes of the Indian. No additional sources.
Filename: KBelk.wps

Black Elk's Vision
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A 5 page paper on Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux, edited and translated by John Neihardt. The paper shows that although Black Elk felt he did not fulfill his sacred mission of mending the broken hoop of Indian culture, the rise in public interest and awareness concerning Indians shows that he did. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Filename: Blckelk.wps

"A Spirited Resistance: The North American Indian Struggle for Unity, 1745-1815"
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A 5 page review of the Book by author Gregory Evans Dowd. The author of this paper emphasizes the point that while many Native American leaders had hope of effecting a final victory over the whites that had invaded their lands, the "militant nativist" message delivered by prophets like Neolin (mid-eighteenth Century Deleware) and Tenskwatwa (early nineteenth Century Shawnee, brother of Tecumseh) was rejected by many of the Native peoples. The Native people had suffered tremendously at the hands of the whites. That suffering was not easily forgotten. Even when they were given new hope by new leaders, many were reluctant to confront the whites in yet another battle. They had come to believe in their hearts that the white tide was unstoppable and that by trying to stop it they would only sacrifice more Native lives. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: PPnaResi.rtf

"Beyond the Convenant Chain, The Iroquois and Their Neighbors in Indian North America 1600-1800"
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A 4 page review of some of the major premises of this book. Compares the work to that of past and contemporary scholars and contends that this book is one of the few insights into the Iroquois people that is influenced more by fact than by the historical and personal factors confronting authors. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: PPnaIroq.rtf

"Cherokee Women" by Theda Perdue
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A 5 page book review on Theda Perdue's "Cherokee Women." Her book presents us with a very unique look at the Cherokee women who were actually the leaders and the providers of the Cherokee people. Bibliography lists 1 additional source.
Filename: RAperdue.wps

"First Americans": A Review of One Chapter of Brian Fagan's "People of the Earth"
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A 3 page consideration of the numerous questions that exist regarding the arrival of the America's first peoples. Fagan considers how, when, and why Native American first came here. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: PPnaDate.rtf

"Frontier Regulars" by Robert M. Utley
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A 5 page paper which examines the thesis and main points of Robert M. Utley's book, "Frontier Regulars: The United States Army and the Indian, 1866-1891." No additional sources cited.
Filename: RAutley.wps

"It's a good day to be indigenous." From Sherman Alexie's book and movie Smoke Signals
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(6 pp) The movie (1999) was billed as the first American all-Indian made - written, acted and produced movie. And everyone appeared astounded that it was (is) very good. It has been adapted from Alexie's book of short stories called The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fight in Heaven. Our assignment is to look both at the movie and at the book and determine the dramatic strengths and weaknesses of one version compared to another.
Filename: BBtonto.doc

"No Idle Past: Uses Of History In The 1830 Indian Removal Debates"
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A 4 page review of the Fall 2000 article by Jason Meyers summarizing the political discord surrounding the Trail of Tears, the nineteenth century forced removal of the Cherokee people from their traditional land in the state of Georgia. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: PPnaRmvl.rtf