Sociology

Native Americans have been considered as hurdles to progress for a long time. In relation to this, reservations have been made smaller and they have been transferred to remote places that are detrimental to the whites. The government hoped that by creating Native Americans reservation they would reduce or completely abolish conflict over land boundaries with the white settlers. As much as the government did try in helping Native Americans get land, they have also contributed greatly to their down fall due to ignorance. Most of them the little land they got they ended up selling their allotments to the whites leaving them with about 25 of the reservation land. Controversy has greatly increased as far as reservation issue is concerned and whether or not Native Americans should continue enjoying reservation rights.

To gear this we must compare both the modern Native American and his past history and know literally where he is coming from. Despite the entire ordeal that has been inflicted upon the indigenous inhabitants of North America in the past hundred years, they have still survived and made a dynamic part of the American population though they are still going through challenges. Some of the challenges that indigenous Americans are going through today are loss of language, trouncing of tribal land, amalgamation of traditional beliefs and Christianity, identity loss, brain drain and cultural mixing.

Compassion and terror is the best phrase we can use as far as Native Americans are concerned. According to Nussbaum, he affirms that compassion begins from our environs and felt towards the things seen as crucial of which importance has various definitions to each one of us. If we focus our thoughts to the Native American tribes and the American army we get the real definition of terror. The American army used force indubitably used brutality and terror to vanquish the Native American tribes. American military was one that was a strange mixture of behaviors and emotions. There was a mixture of hatred and solidarity, sham and sincerity, violence and compassion in the fact that the same military performed diplomatic roles in negotiations and even provided the tribes with health care as well as acting as intermediaries between tribal leaders and local whites.

Slavery, death of husbands and sons in war, raping of wives and daughters, obliteration of the towers by fire are the sad memories of the Indians. They lost their identity among nations and their name changed to murderers and rapacious Greeks. Compassion logically played an imperative part in making the Greeks realize they were one with the Trojans. This is not unusual even in our current society where many still regard Muslims with a sense of malevolence. Compassion can only be build with the exception of impartial motives and realization of the real meaning of respect and dignity. Human sentiments are all over and people showing concern beyond their concern is conspicuous. Basing it on that Native Americans should not be deprived their rights as they are equally important and equality is a fundamental element. They have come from far to have another predicament. Their infliction can be related to the genocide that happened in Rwanda though when it comes to emotions one is viable to feel for what is closer to him. It is evident that compassion starts from where we are and what is closer to us .It basically involves trying to look at a situation from the victims view point to actually sympathize with him or her.

 According to Bradford, wilderness presents the greatest defy of human torment for Gods chosen people. The experience of Native Americans in relation to wilderness is almost related. They fought for what they believed in, and that is their land. They had this image of beautiful lands, a sanctuary for their cattle, and a place for great challenges as they leave a legacy for the generations to come. Native Americans went through a rough time in wilderness and they had no any other way they could call it as they were surrounded by wild people with no leniency.

When we come to think about the whole quandary, we realize how people are full of malevolence. The experience in the wilderness is not one to smile about, but the whites simply did not care.

According to Jeromes description of wilderness, he asserts that it is a place where we return deliberately but do not live habitually. The whites came in the wilderness and looked at the continent and said it was something different as it was wilderness but the Indian said that, that was home.

This can be used to mean two things. One is that the Indians were at home in the wilderness or they preferred the wilderness to the whites habitation that the whites failed to honor. Wilderness as it may be viewed as a place with no hope that is not always the case. The Native Americans transformed it into an attractive site for nations wealthiest citizens and a land of history where tourists could visit before they were forced to move to other reservations.

Native Americans have always maintained that tribes should retain their sovereignty and therefore be given the mandate to govern it with no outside influence. Since 1960, laws have been enacted to secure the rights of Native Americans and promote development among Indians. Controversy has emerged that the Native Americans do not pay tax but logic shows that since it is a sovereign government in itself then the government has no right to tax other governments. While tribes continue to believe that income from gaming benefits both Indians and non Indians this is not the perception for everybody. Some local and state government officials claim that the Native Americans gaming revenue ought to be taxed just like non-Indians casinos.  Critics maintain that the high prices charged in businesses that are not Indian related contribute to the downfall of the non  Indians.

Question whether or not they should retain their reservation is a controversial one as the law stands to be amended. Until that happens, Indian culture will remain threatened by the many storms they have to go through but just like everybody else who needs a reservation, they should not be denied their rights to them and similarly they should make life bearable for everyone concerned.