Newly Opened Eyes

     Over the weekend, I went shopping with Hallie and Janine at the Lehigh Valley Mall. We were there because Hallie had to do a simulation where she had to pretend to be a physically disabled person for her special ed class. While we were shopping I had started to notice that there were a lot of items of clothing that seemed to have a Native influence. Some of the most common foot wear for the winter are moccasins. Also many of the boots have a Pocahontas like vibe because they have fringe or turquoise beads on them. This get me thinking about our recent conversations in class about what a Native American "looks" like. Also many of the shirts I saw had feathers in them that we're vaguely Indian in nature. What does a Native person really look like? Do they wear moccasins and feathers? Why is out fashion so influenced by Indians considering there is no real Indian "look". That would be saying that a person had a European look, it really means nothing and is very confusing. Why are non native people so enthralled with the look of Indians? Even when I was little one of my favorite movies was Pocahontas, she was this noble, mysterious, exotic looking strong woman who seemingly was intelligent enough to have everything she wanted. She also "looked" Indian with her black hair, dark eyes, and her tan skin, which is what the typical stereotyped Indian looks like. No one ever thinks about how she seemingly learned English so quickly, or whether any of the situations or places were actually plausible. The real Pocahontas really didn't have all that great of a life. She was actually kidnapped and she was converted to being a Christian after much hardship. She, when given the chance actually did not return to her family or her home, and married a tobacco plantation owner. She was apparently somewhat of a celebrity and was even taken to England so that they could see what a "civilized" Indian looked like.
     Due to the fact that Hallie, Janine, and I were all getting stairs from various people while we were doing the simulation at the mall, this made me think about what it must feel like to be a Native person and go out in public and be stared at because you look different. It is no wonder why many Natives go through and identity crisis, or why some Natives just try to assimilate into the mainstream culture. For God's sake, Hallie was getting odd looks just because she was riding around in a wheelchair, how must Natives of the past felt when they were paraded in front of the settlers and they were mocked and ridiculed, I am sure. I felt judged, and I was only pushing Hallie in the wheelchair.
     Another point that I wanted to talk about is that it took until now, but I was finally offended by the book we are reading. In "Everything You Know About Indians is Wrong," By Paul Chaat Smith, there is a part where he basically goes on a rant that says something to the effect of: everyone who is interested in Indians is usually unintelligent, and the people that want to know more about Indians and/or talk to them is even more unintelligent. He then goes on to say that the smart people are the people that stay away from Indians, they go about their business by finding out at an early age that it is a dangerous place to be and a ticking time bomb. It's not that I disagree with the second part, about the people finding out early how it is easier, because trust me, I agree. There is a reason that the saying "ignorance is bliss" is so popular, because it is very true. Before this class, I really thought that I knew a good amount of information about Natives, and I called it a day. Now that I know better things are much harder. The part that I have a problem with is the part about being unintelligent if you try to learn more about Natives. While I understand what he is getting at, that it is such a touchy subject, one that has literally been going on since 1492 and before, it still makes me mad that he says it in this way. It's not even that I disagree, I think that he is right in what he says, I just wish that sometimes the truth was sometimes easier to hear.
     I titled this particular blog post Newly Opened Eyes because I feel like I really am experiencing more diversity this semester, largely through this class. I am finally weeing things that before I didn't know, or didn't want to know. 

 (How Natives are "supposed to look")

(When I found this picture it was titled "Navajo Chic". I wish I was kidding.)