ANTH 23 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Ethnonym, Urban Indian, Race And Ethnicity In The United States
Friday 16th Feb
ANTH 23
American Indians and the Politics of Ethnic Identity!
Terminology:
•It is best to use the name of an individual’s tribe, but it is often necessary to generalize, even
though someone will object to almost any term you choose. !
•Native American - not very specific because anyone born in Western Hemisphere is native
to it. Most tribes also have myths about migrating from elsewhere. !
•American Indian - obviously inaccurate, but some like it because it is only ethnonym to put
“American” first, has clear historical roots, and highlights incompetence of European
conquerers.!
•Is most popular among Indians themselves, for convenience and as a form of co-optation like
the N-word or “queer.” !
•In a 1995 census survey 49% preferred American Indian, 37% preferred Native American,
5% no preference, and 4% something else!
-Neither terms ideal because they’re very general and glass over differences. Archeologists
say they’re not exactly from the Americas but the term American Indian has been adopted
by tribal members and some appreciate it as it is one of the only ones that put “American”
first. It is also pejorative to call them “Indian” because they aren’t.
Constructing Ethnicity:
•can be self-identified or ascribed by others!
•Among Indians, one’s self-identification often needs to be recognized by tribes in order to be
legitimate !
•But some contend only those who grow up on a reservation are real Indians !
•Increase in those identifying as Indian and debate about authenticity underlines socially
constructed and structurally contingent nature of ethnicity
-Native American ethnicity is different as it gives you a different set of rights. In order to get
rights you have to be recognized by a tribe. And different tribes have diff requirements to
enroll. So theres a legal category of who is/isn’t Native American.
-Many areas with large concentrations of tribal members, speak the language, so lots of
others say it’s not whether you have enrolled or not but rather if you have lived on the
reservation or experienced the lifestyle.
-Part of this controversy is due to the rising no of people identifying as native American.
There are many factors involved as why people started identifying as NA. NA also have the
highest rate of intermarriage with other races. They originally identified as hispanic, black ,
etc.
Joane Nagel-University of Kansas sociologist:
•Nagel’s research question: Why has the Indian population increased and what are the
implications of it's growing diversity? !
•Answers: “Urbanization, education, and political activism of American Indians, all of which
led to an increased sense of ethnic pride and thus an increased likelihood of identifying
oneself as ‘American Indian’” (115) !
•She supports this answer in Nagel (1995) American Indian Ethnic Renewal:Politics and the
Resurgence of Identity!
•Here, she discusses how growing diversity produces increased debate over authenticity and
who is entitled to resources.!
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
