Native American Experience - 8/31/2026

Types of Native American Identity

Biological, Socio-Cultural, Legal/Political

Biological Identity

Genealogy (DNA); Genotype (genes); Phenotype (looks/physical appearance)

Socio-Cultural Identity

Traditions/language (language, community, spirituality, schooling, etc.)

Legal/Political Identity

State and federally recognized; tribe you’re a part of (federally recognized), descendants

Issue of Identity: Blood Quantum

It’s a hot topic among American Indians for several reasons, but mainly due to tribal citizenship; doesn’t really add up or make sense; a mathematical fraction used by the U.S. federal government and some Native American tribes to measure a person's degree of Indigenous ancestry (derived by tracing family lineages back to original tribal census rolls or base rolls created by the federal government); sometimes a minimum blood quantum is required to get tribal benefits/be federally recognized.

Indigenous Identity

A complex issue of Indigenous identity is specific names; Chippewa and Ojibwa are the same; Sioux or Lakota? American Indian, Indian, Native, Native American, Indigenous, or First Nations? (it all depends on preferences, which can be based on the specific area an individual is from, etc.).

Bad names for Native Americans

Indian = India, feather not dot, savage, etc.

Aboriginal Peoples

a legal political category in Canada and New Zealand

American Indian

legal political category in the U.S.

First Nations

legal political category in Canada

Indigenous

use more in a global context purposefully to emphasize natural, tribal, and traditional characteristics of various peoples.

Indian

legal term still in use and use informal to identify a group

Status Indian

a legal political category in Canada located in the Indian Act

Native American

a member or citizen of a federally recognized tribe

Race

physical differences and social/biological attributes of a particular group

Ethnicity

shared cultural characteristics like language, practices, and beliefs.

Cultural Identity

shared sense of identity within a cultural group (often related to a culture’s values, beliefs, and worldviews of Indigenous peoples)

Tribal Identity/Affiliation

strong cultural/ethnic identity of a particular group from a particular location (legal/political - state/federally recognized tribe… but there are tribal members not belonging to this “label)

Acculturation

assimilation to a different culture, typically a dominant one

Assimilation

the absorption and integration of people, ideas, or culture into a wider society or culture

Enculturation

the process by which an individual learns the traditional content of a culture and assimilates its practices/values

Bicultural Identity

2 cultural identities

Multicultural Identity

>2 cultural identities

Native/Indigenous

descendants of the original inhabitants of North America

7 Grandfather Teachings - also known as…

the Sacred Laws

7 Grandfather Teachings

Truth, respect, wisdom, courage, love, humility, honesty

7 Grandfather Teachings Part 2

turtle, bison, beaver, bear, eagle, wolf, sabe (story of bigfoot)/raven

Turtle

truth

Bison

respect

Beaver

wisdom

Bear

courage

Eagle

love

Wolf

humility

Sabe (story of bigfoot)/Raven

honesty

Peoplehood Matrix: Tom Holm

an academic framework used to explain what defines an Indigenous group's unique, collective identity and sovereignty

Peoplehood Matrix: Tom Holm - Language

colloquial, liturgical, subtleties, context

Peoplehood Matrix: Tom Holm - Sacred History

explains origin, landscape, kinship, internal/external relationships, laws, and behavior

Peoplehood Matrix: Tom Holm - Territory/Place

sacred geography, knowledge based on phenomena from within, ceremonies connected to observations, boundaries delineated by sacred history

Peoplehood Matrix: Tom Holm - Ceremonial Cycle

tied to seasonal floral, faunal, celestial, or meteorological change; healing

_____, _______, and ______ (______) are a huge part of Native American Identity (and they’re/its a way of life for them)

Hunting, fishing, gathering (utilizing the land!)

Medicine Wheel

an ancient stone structure or a sacred circular symbol used by many Indigenous peoples in North America to represent harmony, health, and the interconnectedness of all life

Medicine Wheel - East

Yellow, tobacco, baby, spring, earth

Where does the medicine wheel start, and why? (and what direction does it continue in?)

It starts in the East because that’s where the sun rises, and it goes clockwise (east, south, west, and lastly north)

Medicine Wheel - South

red, cedar, adolescent, summer, fire

Medicine Wheel - West

black, sage, adult, fall, water

Medicine Wheel - North

white, sweetgrass, elder, winter, wind

What’s unique about the medicine wheel?

Its teachings can vary (based on specific tribe, area, etc.)

4 sacred medicines

tobacco (Asema), cedar (Giizhik), sage (Mashkodewashk), sweetgrass (Wiingashk)

Tobacco (Asema)

The Anishinaabek are taught tobacco was the first medicine gifted to the people; commonly used as offerings and gifts, for example, offering an elder woman tobacco when seeking traditional knowledge; tobacco is said to be a direct form of communication to the Creator and spirits, so it’s commonly used in prayer; offerings of tobacco are seen as an act of reciprocity because we are taught to give before we receive or take.

Cedar (Giizhik)

cedar is primarily associated with protection, but can also be used for cleansing; while burning, the crackling noise of cedar is said to attract the spirits; traditionally known as women’s medicine, and can relieve menstrual symptoms through cedar tea; cedar tea can also be utilized to relieve symptoms of illness

Sage (Mashkodewashk)

sage is primarily associated with the act of smudging; provides spiritual cleansing and mental clarity; purifies and cleanses spaces; alleviates stress and insomnia; improves air quality

Sweetgrass (Wiingashk)

Sweetgrass is known for its sweet aroma; traditionally used for smudging to cleanse negative thoughts and spaces; associated with positivity and safe travels; commonly used in talking circles for its healing qualities; the act of braiding sweetgrass is a tradition of love and respect, as sweetgrass is said to be the hair of Mother Earth

Types of Dancers (in a powwow)

Fancy dancing, grass dancers, traditional dancing, etc.

Fancy dancing

shawls on shoulders, men and women both involved

Grass dancers/dancing

just men

Items for women to wear in a powwow

jingle dress, fancy shawl, graceful shawl, butterfly shawl

Traditional dancing

animal fur, leather, softer, men and women both involved

Full thing =

powwow

Lineup of powwow

it starts with a grand entrance/entry (where flags from all tribes are brought in by Veterans, sometimes lead dancers as well), then the elderly come in, followed by the adults, then the teens/youth, and finally the little ones

Reason for powwow and why

any (it’s a gathering, celebration, and coming together, which can happen as a result of anything/for any reason, etc.)

“Rumble” Film People

Link Wray, Mildred Bailey, Jimi Hendrix, Vlali Project, Charley Patton, Jessie Ed Davis, Redbone, Randy Castillo, Robert Trujillo

Link Wray

power chord, rumble

Mildred Bailey

Jazz

Jimi Hendrix

Rock

Vlali Project

choral singing

Charley Patton

blues

Redbone

“Come and Get Your Love” (influenced by the Black Eyed Peas song, “Let’s Get It Started”)

Randy Castillo

drummer for Ozzy

Robert Trujillo

Metallica

Lieutenant Richard Henry Pratt

“kill the Indian, save the man”; Civil War Veteran with an extensive Great Plains military career; he pioneered Native American boarding schools after the “Indian Wars” concluded in the 1920s because he formed the controversial system geared towards the cultural assimilation of Native Americans; this way of thinking resulted in the founding of the Carlisle Indian Boarding School.

Carlisle Indian Boarding School

essentially created as a result of Lieutenant Richard Henry Platt and was the guiding force for Native American Boarding Schools in the U.S.

What happened in Native American Boarding Schools?

kids were taken from their home (sometimes far away too), kids were forced to assimilate to American culture, tribal languages were banished, braids were cut off, clothing was taken, children’s names were replaced (often to something biblical)

How many boarding schools were being operated between 1819 and 1969, and across how many states? How many were in Michigan

408 across 37 states; 5 in Michigan

When were the main years (according to the reading) Native American boarding schools were open?

1819-1969

Where were the Michigan boarding schools located?

Baraga, Schoolcraft County, Mackinac Island, Mount Pleasant, Harbor Springs

Recovery/Healing quote

“Healing begins with truth, truth begins with a story”

What does documenting past stories do?

it preserves the history of forced assimilation, cultural erasure, and abuse of Native Americans

What do historical stories show?

a testament to the resilience of Native people, and they contribute to the broader understanding of the need for reconciliation and intergenerational healing.

U.S Term

Indian Boarding Schools

Canadian Term

Indian Residential Schools

Gichinamebine-ziibing

traditional name for Marquette, Carp River area, “At the Great Sucker Fish River'“

Raven Specifically

Marquette area

Sabe (story of Bigfoot) specifically

Canada

Why is the Medicine Wheel split into 4 sections?

Because there are 4 stages of life, 4 sacred medicines, 4 directions, 4 seasons, 4 elements, etc.

grass dancing regalia

jingle dress

fancy/butterfly shawl

traditional dancing regalia

What did Mildred Bailey do/accomplish?

America’s first woman to have her own radio show

Who was Cherokee?

Jimi Hendrix

What influenced Blues and Gospel?

Native American choral singing

What instrument is an African instrument?

The Banjo