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Hillary LeDesma

In the book, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel
Tatum and the article, An Indian Fathers Plea, I learned about the struggles with identity
development for a native American Indian in the United States. I chose to analyze their
development, because I dont know much about that culture or its history. The one time I met a
young man from an actual Native tribe was giving me a tour at Northwestern University. He
explained how he went through a depression and almost dropped out because he missed his
family and culture so much, while away at college. His story made more sense when I read these
two pieces on their culture. I read the chapters first, which made the article make much more
sense.
I had read An Indian Fathers Plea before, but the chapters gave me a historical context about
the American Indian history, which made me understand the article differently. I had of course
learned about the colonization of America and the gruesome deaths and injustice that was forced
on the Native Indians, but there was much more after that. Tatum explains that after colonization,
the Indians that remain were at odds with the European White settlers. According to Tatum, after
the establishment of reservation Whites wanted to facilitate converting their culture by
establishing off-reservation boarding schools for Indian children. Over 50 years, thousands of
children were taken away from their families and culture to be shaped by strangers. Parents were
too poor to visit, so children went most of their lives without that warmth. In the 1930s this was
reversed, but several generations of Indian children had lost touch with their traditional cultural
values and ways, yet still not accepted by dominant society. In later years, Indians were forcibly
removed from their land and relocated to urban areas. This culture shock made them susceptible
to alcoholism, suicide, and homicide. This history gave me insight into the An Indian Fathers
Plea.

Hillary LeDesma

Education became a priority for imposing their customs on everyone, including the uncivilized Indians. With this in mind, Americans wanted to mainstream their ideas about what a
quality education is. Although, this wouldnt align with many people and students. This is
clearly seen in the plea by the Indian father, who wrote to a teacher about her decision to label
his son a slow-learner. Considering this happens too often with students being misunderstood,
it is important to evaluate this decision. He emphasizes that the child is only in kindergarten, yet
has already been labeled a slow learner. Like Tatum too emphasized, the father educates the
teacher on all that his son knows. He lets the teacher know that in their culture, they bond with
not only family, but Mother Earth as well. This makes him a unique student. He includes the way
his culture develop childrens intuitive faculties; that maybe in American culture this may be
seen as hindering his sons motor-skills, but in reality it is much more. This establishes the
division growing between his culture and the teachers (the norm). The father insists that as one
with nature, his son may seem like a slow-learner but he takes longer to absorb and reflect on
experiences. One of the most prominent points the father makes is that his son may not be
grasping the tools the teacher uses in class as fast as all the other students; he calls these tools
familiar to his white peers. His son, Wind-Wolf is culturally different, but is forced by the
government to attend public schools that teach and assess from a completely different culture.
Why a 6 year old is expected to convert to this new culture so easily? He himself has his own
cultural knowledge; the father gives examples of the number of season and the types of birds he
knows, but white societies is not expected to know his culture.
The father takes is further in describing the social hardships and racism his young son has faced.
Other white parents wont let their child play with him. He is constantly teased about his name
and hair. He is forced to learn a one-sided American history, where his culture and people are

Hillary LeDesma

written to be savages and anti-American. It is here when children, like Wind wolf, are torn
between two cultures. This stress has driven him away from the values and traditions his family
and culture thrive on. He is becoming less Indian, but not more American. All of this was meant
to civilize American Indians but in reality has torn a culture apart.
I myself never had to experience such a cultural struggle. My cultures bring up certain forms of
racism and like Wind Wolf, what is the norm seems to be shaping my identity. I am actually
fourth generation Mexican American. I am an American, yet am expected to act and still thrive in
Mexican culture. It is difficult to be born in one society, but expected to learn the customs of
another. So although Spanish was spoken at home, I was encouraged to speak English because
my parents knew I would then do better in school. I remember being in Kindergarten, placed in
ESL because I had a speech impairment and I looked like a dark Mexican child. I was asked to
close the door in Spanish, but had no idea what the teacher was saying. The class laughed and in
disappointment explained what he was asking. I didnt have the Spanish language prevalent in
my life, and am today still trying to connect myself to my Mexican roots.

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