Dr. Thomas\u2019s lecture largely focused on information about and interactions with Native American Reservations in Montana. This was especially relevant to me, as I am actually also from Montana. I can unfortunately confirm that not much has changed in the education system concerning education about the history of Native American mistreatment. This topic was often brushed over, sugar-coated, or only mentioned in passing while focus was given instead to the minors and missionaries who built the American towns, or Lewis and Clark. As a result of this, a new generation of school graduates, including myself, are coming towards these problems with only a vague awareness of them, and to make a solid grasp on the subject we have to learn about it on our own.<\/p>\n
I was very interested to learn about these priests who travel from India and come to work on these reservations. I had honestly never stopped to think about priests coming to America on missions. It seemed incongruous with the idea of what a \u201cmission\u201d is, which of course is ridiculous and part of the \u201cAmerica is the best\u201d mentality that all American students are nurtured with in elementary school. It didn\u2019t surprise me, given my initial reaction to hearing about Indian priests coming to America, that they were given the title \u201cImports\u201d rather than being called what they are, \u201cMissionaries.\u201d These little cues, even just slight changes in a name, all perpetrate this flawed, racist concept that Christian westerners are the only ones who can \u201chelp\u201d others (non-Christian, non-Westerners).<\/p>\n
This lecture really demonstrated how the many various and unique Native American communities are being smashed into one collective group and systematically erased. One would hope that the days of those boarding schools aimed at \u201cassimilation\u201d would be antiquated by this time, but modern attitudes towards these problems show that this really is a modern issue. The rude and dismissive language used by politicians, such as at the Trump rally in Montana this summer, and the lack of media coverage on the high numbers of missing Native American women both regrettably exemplify this inattention. There is limited exposure to Native American issues in the mainstream media, and there is no major inclusion of their perspective on history in school curriculums. This lack of information raises more individuals who are entirely ignorant of these affairs, aside from a few, usually prejudiced comments thrown around.<\/p>\n
One comment made during the Q & A session after the lecture brought up the idea of personal blind-spots, and how to find out about them and overcome them. I think I can honestly claim that this topic is one of mine. Even being raised in Montana not far from the Flathead Reservation, we never discussed Native American history in school in much depth beyond the Thanksgiving meal and Sacagawea\u2019s role in the Lewis and Clark expedition. I am responsible for letting it slide out of my mind and not thinking about it, until this lecture brought it back to the forefront of my thought, even just for a week or so. This is a topic that I need to reflect on more, and work to reassess my childhood education\u2019s role in dismissing it from my mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dr. Thomas\u2019s lecture largely focused on information about and interactions with Native American Reservations in Montana. This was especially relevant to me, as I am actually also from Montana. I can unfortunately confirm that not much has changed in the education system concerning education about the history of Native American mistreatment. This topic was often … <\/p>\n