2. Theme and Historical Basis
The Cherokee Removal: A Brief History with Documents (2016) by Theda Perdue
- “Who Is an Indian?” article
The Lumbee Indians: An American Struggle (2018) by Malinda Maynor Lowery
- Interlude between Chapter 3 and 4
- “We are Indians not because we have to be racially Indians – we belonged to
this land and each other long before settlers applied the concept of race here” (92).
Conversations with the high Priest of Coosa (2003) by Charles M. Hudson
Elizabeth Warren Discussion, Blood Quantum measurements, Federal
Recognition Policy, We Shall Remain Documentary
3. “Corn Woman”
Pre-1790
– Inspired by Conversations with the High Priest of Coosa and David Joaquin’s
artwork
– Portrays ideas of identity and belonging of the Indians of the prehistoric
Southeast
– Every Indian was created from the same woman, Corn Woman, and was bound
together through kinship and community
– Ties sense of belonging to the land and their home
– No need for 1800s concept of racialization or categorization by blood
– Portrays native thought before the settling of the Americas and the uprooting of
Indian territories and beliefs
4. “Outside the Box”
1790-1900
– Inspired by “Who is an Indian” article and We Shall Remain documentary
– John Ross: more White blood than Cherokee, yet became leader of the
Cherokee nation in 1827
– Contrasted with Major Ridge during the Removal Era
– Background and monochromatic techniques symbolize the perpetual Indian
struggle of confinement and regulation of culture by the U.S. government
– Persevered despite conflict and categorization
– Dawnland Documentary: “People who go from one world to another don’t
belong in either”
5. “Who is an Indian?”
1900-Present
– Inspired by The Lumbee Indians: An American Struggle
– Regulations on how Indians should live, where they should work, blood
requirements on who is allowed to participate in tribal events, etc
– “Criteria” for being Indian is different between native and non-natives, and
even between different tribes
– Symbolism: Blurred and multicolored lines, faded profiles, and few defining
features
– Only Indians have the right to define their own identities. Although the
government has attempted to redefine other cultures many times in the past, it
is not their place and never has been.
