Deculturalization

The three articles, Deculturalization by Spring, J , Indian Boarding Schools by Michelle Bollinger, and “Native Americans Left Out of US Coronavirus Data and Labeled as Other” by Nagle, R all discuss the process of deculturalization . Deculturalization is defined as the educational process of destruction of a people's culture, language, values and beliefs and replacing it with a new culture. The concept of deculturalization demonstrates how cultural prejudice, racism, and religious bigotry can be intertwined with democratic beliefs.  This process can occur through segregation, isolation, and forcing one to change their language and religion.

               This is infuriating to read that a country that praises itself as “the land of the free” would also force its citizens to assimilate to the “appropriate culture. The United States should allow individuals to feel that their cultural beliefs are valued and important. To deem one culture inferior is unacceptable and only fosters more hatred and racism in a society.

               While reading the articles on deculturalization, it reminded me of the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman. 
The book talks about a Hmong family who fled Laos and seeks refuge in California, along with many other Hmong during the Vietnam War in order to avoid persecution. But not before the United States first recruited Hmong to fight against the communist forces. Once the United States withdrew their support the Hmong were forced to flee Laos. The United States promises them a better opportunity in the United States, but when they arrive, they are dispersed and separated  all over the country, forced to assimilate to western ideas and give up their own culture and beliefs. There is even a chapter in the book about discussing people becoming American citizens.  They begin the course wearing their own counties clothing etc., and end the class holding an American flag. The book discusses in depth the clash between western medicine and the family’s beliefs.

                I also remember my grandfather telling me that when he attended a Polish school in the 1930’s, the majority of the day they were not permitted to speak Polish. They were encouraged to speak only English with the exception of mass, the remainder of the day was taught in English. This always stood out to me, because the school was for Polish children and even as a child, I felt this was wrong. 

One quote that stood out to me that is found in the article Deculturalization was , “Indians were considered domestic foreigners and, therefore, ineligible for citizenship” All Native Americans were not granted citizenship until 1924.” I found this to be extremely shocking because they considered them foreigners. Native Americans were on American soil long before anyone else was, and to consider them foreigners is wrong.

 "The reality was, demeaning, exploitative, and beyond demeaning for Indian children.  All children-including those as young as four or five years old- were forced to cut their hair or shave their heads and abandon traditional dress for military-style uniforms, relinquish customs and language in order to Anglicize their names, and use English. Students lived in barracks and each day was like boot camp- down to the military drills and regimented schedule, orderly marching from prayer, class, and meals." ( Indian Boarding Schools)

I found this quote to be extremely horrific. It's amazing how much of American History is swept under the rug because society now deems it wrong and ashamed of its own history.  This quote also relates to the previous quote about the United States forcing Native Americans to give up their own identity and assimilate.

 "Communities of color are not more susceptible to coronavirus, but because of years of unequal access to healthcare, clean water and nutritious food, they are at greater risk of developing complications”.( Native Americans being left out of US coronavirus data and labelled as 'other'). Reading this quote reminded me of a quote  I read in Time Magazine. " These communities are already at a disadvantage and now are faced with a pandemic."  Low income areas are not less than or different than affluent areas, but rather they have been denied better medical care than others.  Thus, increasing their risk to becoming infected with diseases and other illnesses.

According to Time Magazine, Native Americans are already more likely to contact Coronvirus as a result of inadequate medical coverage and care.  “ The lack of federal support for Indigenous communities is particularly dangerous, given that these communities—who face higher rates of chronic illnesses—are more vulnerable to COVID-19.” Time magazine also states that, “While experts say there is no single reason for why Indigenous populations face poorer health outcomes, Stephane McLachlan, a researcher looking into effective responses to COVID-19 for Indigenous populations says it can be explained by “the long standing impacts of colonization” which have left Indigenous people poorer on average and lacking access to nutritious food, clean water and adequate housing.”  This also compares to the quote found in Native Americans being left out of US corona virus data and labelled as 'other'. It’s also showcasing the long term effects that colonization has on individuals.

The article also argues that the Navajo Nation has one of the highest rates of infection, “If it were a state, it would rank third in the country for confirmed cases per 100,000 population, behind only New York and New Jersey”.  However, they are not receiving  adequate medical coverage and continue to be neglected and excluded from government assistance.

  The New York Times stated that, “The Navajo have had more people infected with the coronavirus per capita than any state in the country. Decades of neglect, exploitation and discrimination mean that even before this pandemic, Navajo here had a shorter life expectancy (72) than people in Guatemala   (74) — and now Covid-19 is hitting Native Americans with particular force.” This reminded me of last week’s  discussion about individuals who are unable to receive adequate health coverage, thus decreasing their life expectancy.

Korene Atene, a certified nursing assistant with the Monument Valley Health Center, gathers information from people lined up to get tested for COVID-19 outside of the health center in Oljato-Monument Valley, Utah, on April 16, 2020.

The image shows a line of cars waiting for individuals to be tested for Corona Virus.