After the monotonous conversations about the American side of how the frontier was discovered by the Europeans, I think its time for the situation to switch gears in anther direction. I will avoid discussion of another American figure and try to elaborate on anther perspective of how the American Frontier was viewed. I think I will take Patricia Limerick’s approach and attempt to center in on the Native Americans point of view in the website that I will be creating. The figure that I am intending on focusing my attention on will be A native American by the name of Geronimo. After doing a quick background check on Geronimo I found that there were plenty of resources that I can obtain to put together a website filled with information and facts about him and the events that he was involved in. I even found that there was a movie named after him that stars a younger “Gene Hackman” as a main character. There are books that are available as well that break down the details of this courageous figures life and his struggles against the American Pioneers that killed his children and family. I also found that Geronimo was part of the famous Apache tribe whom was well known for there confusing and effective combating skills that were responsible for numerous American casualties. I just think that it would only be fair if we were to highlight on the other side of the wars of the American Frontier, since we spend endless amounts of time glorifying a culture of people who basically stole the land from innocent Native Americans that were guilty of no crime other than protecting their family, home, and other belongings. This will open the opportunity to see the ugly side of the American culture that we have to learn about and accept along with the adventures and excitement that the Western Frontier offered.
Ray Ray--Geronimo is a very interesting figure. I wonder, however, if you might want to think about how you'll be linking your Geronimo website to one of the course reading(s)--through Limerick's essay only? Or possibly also through Sherman Alexie's book?
ReplyDeleteI mention *The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven* because 1) I know you're doing your presentation on it, and 2) Alexie does a lot with historical Native American figures (I can't remember if he references Geronimo specifically, but I wouldn't be surprised), but he updates them for his contemporary characters.
One of his themes throughout the book is that it's politically easy for us to remain fascinated with historical Native American characters, rather than paying attention to contemporary, living Native Americans and the continuing problems they face.
That might be an interesting perspective to add to your investigation of the frontier, and how and why we study history, and whose history we study. Just a thought...
Ray,
ReplyDeleteYour website idea reflects what many of us are thinking at the half way point of AMS 205. The line “…and whose history we study” hits the nail on the head. Before the AMS class, I certainly thought primarily about Anglo Americans when considering American history and particularly the frontier.
Limerick and Anzaldua would say that the study of Indians and Southwestern Hispanics is part of our collective American History. It’s been so long since I’ve been in school; I honestly don’t know what’s being taught about American History in pre-college courses. My guess is that Hispanic and Indian heroes, including as you mentioned, Geronimo and Sitting Bull aren’t a major focal point.
When considering our nation’s governmental structure, I’m never surprised that a few original laws or rights are a little outdated, for example, the right to bear arms. Could the original framers of the Constitution and Bill of Rights possibly have envisioned that any type of firearm, including fully automatic weapons, would be needed for personal defense? I am however astonished at how much of our original governmental framework, much of which was created during western expansion, remains relevant and in use. Pardon my temporary burst of patriotism, but admittedly imperfect, our democracy is the finest government in the world. The real work in progress it seems has been cultural progress. Historical accuracy, including multi-ethnical perspectives must be a big part of the picture.
-Looking forward to viewing you final project.
Matt
Hi Ray,
ReplyDeleteI love your idea for the website and am anxious to see what you come up with. I, too, feel that many Americans take for granted that all that they see is theirs. It was not ours - we took it without any sense of wrongdoing or regret. We destroyed the land, the people, and animals so we could have more for ourselves. However, I also acknowledge that what was done cannot be undone, and our government has made feeble attempts to make it right. I guess at this point, it is simply up to us to make sure nothing happens like that again (although I know that it happens all of the time - just not in the USA).
Like many people my age (and maybe your age as well), I know little about Geronimo. I know that he was an Indian chief, and I know that when I used to jump off of something high, I would shout "Geronimo!" I know that he was supposed to be a "bad" Indian, a trouble maker. That's about it. By the time I was in public school, the Indians were pretty much ignored completely in history - just like they never existed. If they were mentioned, it was sort of like an afterthought. Therefore, I am anxious to see how your website showcases Geronimo and how he relates to our readings.
I always look forward to hearing your comments in class - you are a bright young man. I'm sure your website will be great!
Lou
Ray good idea on your possible website presentation. I like how you tie the material we have been studying throughout the last few weeks and apply it to another important figure in U. S. history of the frontier. It also seem to me that you have done quite a bit of research on the character and have a good idea. Another aspect of your ideas for possible website that I like is how you state that you want to shed light on the ugly past of U. S. history. I think that it extremely important to learn and understand the bad things we have done throughout the history so they can be avoided to repeat themselves in the future. I personally feel like we are treating the Latin American, especially Mexicans, with that same attitude that our country has treated the native Americans in the past.
ReplyDeleteSome suggestion for you to think about when you begin working on your website presentation is that you choose a specific audience that you want to address. I think it would help you out a lot if you select the audience prior to putting anything together because that could serve as a way for you to stay on track when putting together the final website. I also noticed that you plan on tying in the character you selected with Limericks paper. I would personally recommend to have a separate page on your website to explain the connection so that the reader, especially, the professor can clearly tell where you going with it. Overall I think you have a good idea and look forward to seeing the final project.