Low Value for Indigenous Americans

Modern American people have significantly ignored and undervalued the identity and existence of the Native Americans. Westernization has slowly erased the pride of indigenous culture powered by unfavorable policies. Gregg Deal, an indigenous artist, protests against Indian policies that devalue the Native culture through his artworks¹. Although Gregg’s story is reliable, considering his indigenous roots, it is biased. The artist’s voice faces continuous rejection, especially in artwork exhibitions, as modern exhibitors ignore the representation of indigenous history. In his TEDx Talks video, Gregg says that the solution to a low value for indigenous Americans is to create space for indigenous art². He seeks modern Americans to create space for Native culture by spreading cultural information and its importance to society. Therefore, modern Americans should recognize and create space for indigenous arts to show value to the Native culture and stories.

Destruction of Indigenous American Identity

Most modern Americans ignore the indigenous arts because they lack the knowledge and meaning of the culture. Native American culture was America’s foundational identity, yet, it is not known to many. Before the arrival of the Europeans, American Indian culture formulated the essence of Americans. Even after the arrival of the Europeans, few governments tried to maintain the value and pride of the Native Americans. In 1786, the US established its first Native American reservation and regarded each tribe as an independent³. Such a favorable policy for the Natives remained intact for more than 100 years⁴. However, this would later change under the leadership of President James Monroe⁵. This move would eventually erase the traces of Native American culture in America.

In his second inauguration in 1821, the president noted that treating the natives with this regard retarded their improvement, flattered their pride, and paved a path to destruction. Monroe added that the westernization development constantly drove the indigenous backward and that all their sacrifices towards their lands were in vain as they were forced to abandon them⁶. Despite all the cultural regard, the Monroe administration ensured that the indigenous people were driven out of the states north of the Ohio River. Historically, this was the beginning of the destruction of native American values.

In 1829, President Andrew Jackson offered similar rhetoric in his first inaugural speech. He emphasized the need to observe the Indian tribes within the limits of just and liberal policies⁷. This would give humane consideration of their rights and wants as an implication of a government that considers people’s feelings. Yet, only 14 months into his presidency, Andrew Jackson signed the Removal Act for the indigenous to be moved to the Indian territories in West Mississippi⁸. This was followed by policies disregarding various indigenous tribes as independent nations. Later as the US grew in the roots of westernization, the indigenous culture and identity would slowly and sadly be forgotten.

Existing Problem of Low Value for Native Culture

Blurred by western culture, indigenous culture is underrepresented in the United States. Gregg says there is no space to tell Native American stories in modern America⁹. He is correct because, according to Goldstein, artists’ true identity is known by knowing their roots and culture¹⁰. Consequently, due to a lack of indigenous knowledge, modern American artists fail to recognize the existence and value of indigenous artists and their works. The Natives have been subjected to colonialist practices that influence the disappearance and impact the assimilation of indigenous people to the predominant culture¹¹. However, the ability of the indigenous people to resist westernization and retain their culture is what creates their identity.

The underrepresentation of minorities is widely evident in the US, especially through various art forms. Art drawn by a contemporary artist from a majority ethnicity is likely to be accepted in museums and exhibition centers compared to that of an indigenous artist. The government is also reluctant to empower talents from minority ethnicities such the Native Americans. Ironically, these ethnicities produce the most creative personnel for major organizations.

Indigenous art, specifically artwork, is not broadly accepted in modern exhibition centers. Gregg mentioned that he had been asked to bring his artwork for exhibition only to be denied a chance to showcase them¹². I believe him because contemporary exhibitors may find the indigenous artworks illusive and less impactful, thus turning them down due to lack of indigenous knowledge. This clearly indicates that the public needs education about indigenous culture and practices. Ironically, indigenous culture is represented through Coachella, costumes, and face paintings¹³. The irony of this representation is that people wearing these face paintings and costumes do not know what culture they represent. Upcoming governments continue to pass policies that seek to bury the American Indians’ culture forever. Therefore, the existing and vigilant Native Americans must fight for a space to tell their stories.

Necessary Spaces for Indigenous Representation

Talking about the forgotten Native American identity without taking action is not enough. Gregg creates indigenous artworks to protest against westernized Indian policies¹⁴. He says that the solution to reviving and according a respective value to the native culture is by creating art that is not influenced by predominant culture. Gregg’s words are confirmed by Goldstein, indicating that indigeneity is a performative process involving the continuous telling of indigenous stories¹⁵. The stories can be told through various art forms, including music, artwork, fashion, and films. The American Indian ethnicity is among the minority groups in America, yet, it is the nation’s foundation¹⁶. Empowering this ethnicity would require adequate representation in policy development for the indigenous people.

When the government recognizes the value of Native Americans, the whole country will also do, thus creating a space to tell historical stories. Since pre-colonial times, art has been used to preserve historical culture¹⁷. Although contemporary art is designed for the sake of drawing, with it, art carries politics in the form of societal conflicts. Gregg revealed existing political conflict within American society by drawing the naked, injured boy.

He was right to convert politics into art because societal politics are part of art culture, and so is the government. In developing policies, the government must consider allowing the indigenous people to tell their cultural stories. Development of such a policy would entail allocating grants to empower the development of indigenous art. The guidelines would also recognize and set formal spaces for indigenous art created in the modern days. Gregg mentioned in his speech that Americans could influence indigenous culture’s values¹⁸. He is reasonable because upon receiving Gregg’s message, the American in the position to air the historical stories can create the necessary spaces. For example, local exhibitions could allow and include the showing of indigenous artworks in their rooms. This would help the Americans to learn more about the native culture.

Evaluation of the Content and Context of the Interview

For the most part, Gregg’s interview content was in line with the topic. He spoke about indigenous people and how they are least valued. Considering the title of this interview, he was expected to focus on the indigenous people, and he did that. However, instead of directly speaking about these people, he started addressing his personal matters, including his family¹⁹. Although this is still important, the speech would have been meaningful if it was purely about the Native Americans and maybe his personal experiences being one. In terms of context, Gregg was accurate and aligned with findings from various sources. Multiple sources used in the paper, both primary and secondary, confirm that indigenous people are undervalued. It is also true that indigenous American culture was replaced by westernization after the arrival of Europeans. Therefore, to some point, Gregg’s interview had the right content and was within the correct context.

Reliability and Bias of the Source

The speech by Gregg Lead is reliable because an indigenous person tells it. The artist mentioned that his grandfather first-hand witnessed discrimination against indigenous people in a boarding school. Gregg has also faced discrimination through rejection and devaluation of his artwork. Therefore, the artist, having undergone personal experiences of discrimination and devaluation, his speech is a credible source. However, the story of Gregg has traces of bias. Instead of looking at the society of indigenous people at large, the artist references his personal experiences as evidence. The speaker addresses his family and related incidents in almost half of his talk. Therefore, the story lacks the scope of indigenous society’s experiences.

Conclusion

The problem of low valuation of the American Indian culture can be solved through considerate policy formulation. The leading cause of the problem is the forgotten identity of the indigenous people as influenced by western culture. The contemporary Americans lack the knowledge about the Native America culture. Such policies should be designed to recognize and inform the culture of indigenous people to the rest of America. They should also allow the showcasing of the various indigenous talents. From a personal level, the art exhibitors can empower the Native American culture by creating spaces to tell their stories.

Bibliography

American Memory. “Inauguration of the President.” 1821. Web.

Deal, Gregg. 2018. “Indigenous in Plain Sight,” interview by Tedx Talk. Video, 13:21. Web.

Goldstein, Alexa. “We May Find Ourselves in Art: The Artistic Purpose of Defiant Indigenous Women.” Senior Theses, Fordham University, 2019.

Lena, Jennifer C. Entitled: Discriminating Tastes and The Expansion of the Arts. New York: Princeton University Press, 2021.

Library of Congress. “Removing Native Americans from their Land.” 2022. Web.

Topaz, Chad M., Jude Higdon, Avriel Epps-Darling, Ethan Siau, Harper Kerkhoff, Shivani Mendiratta, and Eric Young. “Race-and Gender-Based Under-Representation of Creative Contributors: Art, Fashion, Film, and Music.” Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 9, no. 1 (2022): 1-11. Web.

Footnotes

1. Gregg Deal, 2018, “Indigenous in Plain Sight,” interview by Tedx Talk, June 26, 2018. Video, 13:21. Web.
2. Deal, Tedx Talk.
3. “Inauguration of the President,” American Memory, 1821. Web.
4. “Removing Native Americans from their Land,” Liberty of Congress, 2022. Web.
5. “Removing Native Americans.”
6. “Removing Native Americans.”
7. “Removing Native Americans.”
8. “Removing Native Americans.”
9. Deal, Tedx Talk.
10. Alexa Goldstein, “We May Find Ourselves in Art: The Artistic Purpose of Defiant Indigenous Women” (Senior Theses, Fordham University, 2019), 1-46.
11. Jennifer C. Lena, Entitled: Discriminating Tastes and The Expansion of the Arts, (New York: Princeton University Press, 2021), 39, Google.
12. Deal, Tedx Talk.
13. Deal, Tedx Talk.
14. Deal, Tedx Talk.
15. Goldstein, “We May Find,” 12.
16. Chad M. Topaz, Jude Higdon, Avriel Epps-Darling, Ethan Siau, Harper Kerkhoff, Shivani Mendiratta, and Eric Young, “Race-and Gender-Based Under-Representation of Creative Contributors: Art, Fashion, Film, and Music,” Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 9, no. 1 (2022): 1-11. Web.
17. Goldstein, “We May Find,” 8.
18. Deal, Tedx Talk.
19. Deal, Tedx Talk.