Journal #1

I do not know very much about Native American culture. Basically, everything that I do know about their culture comes from movies, such as Disney's Pocahontas, or fiction novels, such as Things Not Seen by Jodi Picoult. I know that they were very nature friendly, and instead of going to supermarkets for food and stuff like that, they grew their own food. They also generally would wear loincloths or clothes made from animals they have skinned themselves; they would hunt for food and clothing instead of having someone else do it for them.

I tend to get a little confused, as I imagine many others do as well, with the culture of Native Americans today as opposed to the Native Americans from the time of Columbus. When somebody says the phrase "Native American," I immediately think of animal skins and and war paint. I think of teepees, of wooden sticks with spears made of bone on the end, and feathered head decorations. However, I really have no idea if the Native Americans today live like that as well. I imagine that, like any culture that has evolved, there are the more traditional Native Americans and the more contemporary Native Americans; maybe some of them are still living in cabins shut away from society. However, I think nowadays many young Native Americans are probably living just like any other family would, with houses, store bought clothes, and normal trips to the grocery store.

Like I said, I really do not know very much about traditional Native American culture. Every summer, my family goes up to Wisconsin on vacation to stay in a little cabin on a lake. In that cabin, there are pictures all over the place of Native American people and teepees and things of that nature. When I think of Native Americans, I really just think of how they have been portrayed to me through media and pictures. It is definitely not good that a high school student does not even know anything about the important people who lived on this country before we did, but sadly I do not know very much at all.