Hannah Langford

Native American Historical Inquiry Reflection

The Native American Historical Inquiry (NAHI) was a mini research project in which we
examined different texts relating to our countrys history. Through studying these, we hoped to
be able to de-cloud our minds of our biases and see the situation clearly. Our focusing topics
were the intentions of Columbus, the Trail of Tears, the Wounded Knee Massacre, and what its
like to be a modern day Indian. We started off reading chapters from A Peoples History of the
United States by Howard Zinn, in which a basic understanding of Native American History was
established. Zinn also made it clear on why learning this is important and how we can be more
aware of our biases and the impact they can make. Next, we watched a movie called Reel Injun,
which basically talks about how Indians have been stereotyped over time and how the media
has a huge influence in how Native Americans are portrayed. After that, we read selected
stories from Sherman Alexies Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, and got a more
personal perspective on the result of the colonization of the Americas. In addition to that, we
also read two personal essays from First Person, First Peoples, edited by Andrew Garrod and
Colleen Larimore, which provided another look at modern day Indians. Through these reading
we gained a wide array of perspectives and learned why being educated on history is important
so that we can be more aware of our actions.
There are far too many things I learned in this inquiry to name them all, but to name the most
influential one would be to talk about how little I actually know. It took very little time in this
inquiry before I noticed I knew close to nothing about the country Ive lived in all my life. We
had begun reading chapters from Howard Zinns book, and I soon discovered that Columbus
was not exactly the good guy. My previous American History classes had been decent, but our
learning was based on a notion that Columbus was this hero that discovered land and gold and
made a new world. What those classes didnt teach me was that for every good thing the
colonists accomplished, it had a complete opposite effect on the Native Americans. Yes,
Columbus was the first European to land on America, but what happened to the native people
that were already there? I could list more examples, but the main point is that my previous
education only acknowledged one perspective, but learning the other perspective allowed me
to look at not only American history in a new light, but also things that I had always assumed to
be true. After the NAHI, my knowledge of Native American history has evolved from Columbus
discovered America and gold, he is a hero to us all, to Columbus found America, implemented
a harsh plan which oppressed the Native Americans, and stole Gold from the little land the
Indians still had. Pretty drastic change, dont you think? Another thing I noticed throughout
this project was how difficult it was to appear not-ignorant. Since I had grown up with a pretty
strong bias, it was hard to look at the content objectively and sometimes I felt I appeared

disrespectful of other perspectives. This inquiry provided me not only with the basic historical
knowledge of our nation, but also the skills on how to analyze and notice biases.
After all of our research had concluded, we participated in a seminar where we shared what
knowledge we gained throughout the inquiry and what questions still remained. Our group
landed on the controversial topic of affirmative action. Does it really give Native Americans a
higher chance of success? Does it promote a stereotype that Indians are unable to have a
successful life on their own? Is there a better way to assist the Native Americans besides
affirmative action? Is affirmative action necessary? Many people had different opinions about
this topic, and the questions go on, yet our answers began to whittle down. At this point, I
began to realize this seminar didnt necessarily help clear up questions I had about the content,
it just brought more unanswered questions into sight. However, I now know that the point of
this project wasnt to figure out what went well and what didnt, but to recognize different
perspectives and understand where they come from. Additionally, during seminar, I made a
connection between Columbus methods concerning Native Americans and how that technique
is still used today. Ever heard of imperialism? Imperialism of third world countries is very similar
to how the colonists discovered the Americas, and how they treated the Natives of that land.
This made me think about how this process may never end because, for the intruders, its
working pretty well. I feel our groups general perception of Native American History was
wisely stated by JJ in saying, Its crazy.
Now, its the end of the Native American Historical Inquiry, and I have yet to address my
opinion on the essential question: How can an examination of multiple sources and
perspectives lead to a more enlightened understanding of history AND contemporary, social,
cultural and political realities? I think the main discovery I made was that there will never be
one right way to do something. Throughout my evaluation of the given sources, I noticed how
each perspective had its own right way to do things. Yes, some might be more humane than
others, but everyone thought they were doing the right thing one way or another. With that,
how are we supposed to evaluate historical events and decide on who was good and who was
bad? My answer to that question is that we dont necessary have to know who the bad guys
are, but it is necessary to acknowledge the different perspectives so we can become more
conscious of our actions. As the saying goes, those who do not learn history are doomed to
repeat it.