Discovery

     In "La Relacion" Cabeza de Vaca and his crew are starved, weak, and looking for land.  He tells the story of how he was at the mercy of the natives when he landed on Galveston Island.  The natives fortunately take him and his crew in and shelter them well.  Disease strikes the natives however and the men are forced to be healers.  De Vaca returns to Spain in the hopes of being regarded a hero.

     Throughout the story de Vaca embellishes himself with bias. Right from the get-go he states that all his men are starved and weak, and that he is the only one capable of navigating his crew. When they are approaches the island he writes that the ground is plowed, therefore Christians must be on the land because he thinks Christians are the only ones capable of taming animals. De Vaca exaggerates when he says that 100 natives with arrows were looking down on him in order to sound more heroic.  At the end of the story De Vaca tells that instead of doing the weird healing customs of the natives, he instead prays to God and shows the natives the power of Christ.  De Vaca used all of the bias so that he would look better for the king and could be labeled a hero back in Spain.

       
       

  

Modern American Indians

     The culture of modern American Indians is still very much alive.  Even though many are United States citizens, they still follow ancient cultural beliefs. The older the Native American, the more revered they are.  While eating it is common to be served in descending age.
     Modern Native Americans are still gift-givers, and they keep their gifts simple and nonmaterialistic.  Tobacco still reigns as a sacred plant in modern culture. Native Americans still wear regalia, or ethnic dress, to special events and powwows.  Today, many American Indians wear touches of their culture's accessories to show their heritage.
     There are many powwows (dances) that still go on today.  Non-Native Americans are allowed into the powwows, but must be careful to enter from the East.  The East is a sacred direction because that is where the sun rises from.  A two-step dance is a fun and not serious dance where a woman asks a man to dance.  If he declines, he must pay her five dollars.
     Naming ceremonies still occur for modern American Indians, usually including the name of an animal or element.  Also, weddings are still held outdoors in open nature and the couple in dressed in luxurious regalia.
     Even though our government has not been very kind to Native Americans, modern American Indians are very patriotic. Certain powwow dances honor the Natives that have served in the United States Army.
     Modern American Indians do not like being stereotyped as "Chief"and do not like it when their hair is touched. Modern American Indians can be sensitive to many things, including having their tribe coined as a sports team and being called "Indians". Most faux paxes can be made right with a simple apology.  Many aspects of Native American culture still lives on today.


http://paula-marie-deubel.suite101.com/american-indian-etiquette-a176488