Native American Civility - Free Essay Example

Throughout history and even to this day, people have called the Native Americans uncivilized However, that is not always the case. Some tribes were innovative in their own right or surprisingly resembled other countries in various aspects. The Comanche, Cherokee, and Choctaw tribes, while labeled as savages, exhibited civilized and advanced aspects of culture and government. The Comanche tribe are mostly known historically for fierce fights against the white settlers. However, they also invented their own method of transportation. The tribe created a variant of the dog sled; two wooden poles would be attached to the dog, with netting or a small platform suspended between the poles. This could then be used to carry supplies or food to wherever they needed to go. Dogs could carry up to 20 pounds, so it made it easier for the Natives to carry everything or relocate to a new location as they left the harder work to the dogs. This improves upon dog sleds in one major way: the transportation could be used even without snow on the ground. The Comanche create technical improvements to better their own lives, but they also adapted to new technologies brought to them from the Europeans. The Comanche tribe were introduced to the Europeans horses, and learned how to expertly ride these animals as well by observing the Spanish and attempting to learn on their own tim e. Soon after, one succeeded and was renounced as a hero of the tribe. The tribe eventually began conducting battles on horseback, a first for the Native tribes, and quickly became feared for their mobility and creativity, all because they mastered a technology they did not even invent. Combining the two previously mentioned aspects, the Comanche then attached two poles to horses, similar to the dogs. The horses could carry much more, including people. The Comanche could utilize horses for transportation easily because they did not carry many possessions, therefore they could efficiently use horseback as a means for travelling and transportation. This adaptation further improves the Comanche way of life, and cements the idea that they were civilized enough to invent new ideas. Savages would be unable to think of creative ideas, however this tribe does that and continues to improve their own invention with adaptations. The Cherokee tribe bears some striking similarities to how certain older European countries were run. For example, their tribe was set up to where they had red war towns and white peace towns. There was a war chief and a peace chief that each type of town was subject to, one for foreign activities and the other domestic, respectively. If an emergency occurred and the towns needed to unite, one man would be elected Chief until the crisis had passed. Then he would step back down to whatever position he was in, and the towns would return to autonomy. The Cherokee also believed that they were the representatives of the Native Americans as a whole, given they were the largest tribe at the time of coming into contact with the white people. This shows a surprising quality of caring for ones self-image, something an uncivilized group would not even consider. The women had a role in their government, too. A few were even Chiefs. This could suggest an argument could be made that the Cherokee w ere even ahead of their time on important issues such as women rights. Overall, it ran like a confederacy, which is similar to countries like the Netherlands when they once had a confederacy as well. Upon earning independence, the United States had a brief period of confederacy, too. Their religion was also similar to older beliefs of the Catholics. As stated in a book called The Cherokee Perspective, written by Eastern Cherokees but edited by Laurence French and Jim Hornbuckle, Catholics once believed the earth was flat and surrounded by water, with heaven immediately above earth. The Cherokee believed the earth was an island floating in the water, also completely surrounding it. They thought four cords connected the earth to a rock vault in the sky, their form of heaven. Catholics believe in a powerful entity they call God, while the Cherokee believe in a natural mighty figure they called Nature. These similarities present a shared way of thinking between the so-called savage Cher okee and the civilized Catholics, and reveals how the men were similar to each other in their beliefs and minds. The government structures sharing similarities as well support this argument. Confederacies were a relatively successful form of government for both the Cherokee and the Netherlands, and mirrored in coalitions such as the European Union today. It is hard to argue how the Native Americans are uncivilized when they did many things that the Europeans either currently do or have once done. Finally, the Choctaw had a very structured government system along with laws. They had three separate districts of autonomous units, however when needed the Chief of each district would convene and form laws. In A Gathering of Statesmen: Records of the Choctaw Council Meetings 1826-1828, by Peter Perkins Pitchlynn, the laws are detailed, such as If men had been fighting each other, and, even though they had quit, and the fighting was feigned, if one kills himself through his own actions, he himself will lie there to decay (Pitchlynn 87). The three Chiefs all signed off on these laws, and they would be enacted across the tribe universally. Further laws detail when a mans will comes into play, and whether a well-educated man can help the will be completed, or detail that if a man employs someone to steal, he and the robber will both be punished based on the value of what was stolen. These laws establish the idea of a civilized and well thought out governing plan. Their laws punish most forms of savagery, such as crimes. Some punishments involve lashes on the back, while others involve sentencing one to death or requiring them to pay a fine. The system of laws overall mirrors the United States Congress, though on a much smaller scale, because three representatives- the Chiefs- make laws for the entire country, which the people have allowed the representatives to govern for them. The main difference is that the Chiefs are not elected, and do not have terms. However, they still gather together to make new laws. An uncivilized tribe would not make laws nor would they have a system so in-depth and well refined as this one. In the end, these three tribes help dispel the notion that the Native American tribes were so-called savages. The Comanche utilized technology, a concept the white people believed brought about superiority to themselves. Next, the Cherokee resembled Europes older lifestyle, with a shockingly similar religion and form of government which the white people once solidly believed in just as much. Lastly, the Choctaws laws were well-structured and combated savage crimes and thoughts, contradicting the whites labelling of all Native Americans as uncivilized beasts. In some way or another the tribes each had similarities to various countries and colonies. There is no universal characteristic of savagery, but each tribe has a very refined behavior or system in place that they should not be labelled uncivilized in the big picture.

How to Start Writing Tips for 2016

Being a writer is an ever-evolving process. It seems like every time I begin a new project or a new phase of my career, I find myself in the same conundrum: How am I going to get out of THIS one? Of course, this is what keeps the job satisfying and interesting. Yet, trying to figure out how to start writing, whether as a beginner or as a seasoned freelancer, never stops being a challenge. What’s a writer to do? In this article, we will take a look at how to start writing at different phases of your work, whether you’re about to start a new project or dive head-first into your first assignment. Let’s begin! How to Start Writing Whether it is a career or an assignment, I think of why before I think of how to start writing. It’s strange to have a career where the mind rebels and casts self-doubt before anything is created. The solution is to get in touch with your motivations. Are you looking for money, sex, public adulation, or just a personal challenge? If you can be honest with yourself, you will learn just how far your writing will take you and just what it will achieve. Conversely, if you feel lost while writing, rekindling your motivating factors can jumpstart you from the malaise that plagues us all. Blank Page Syndrome Few things strike fear into a writer’s heart like a blank page. Staring into an ocean of nothingness can intimidate a writer like nothing else. While the idea and form may seem straightforward and easy, knowing how to start writing a cohesive document makes all of those notions evaporate. I call it â€Å"Blank Page Syndrome†. So, how do you outwit this scourge? One effective strategy is to write anything that comes to mind. This includes fears—â€Å"I’m not sure how to begin this article, so I’m just going to say†¦Ã¢â‚¬  You’ll notice once there’s something on the page, your anxieties will start to dissipate. Sometimes, you might just have ideas for headings or related topics; you might be limited to an opening paragraph or a vague idea. Whatever they are, write them down immediately. The effect is instant, and you no longer have a blank page to worry about. You might have an unorganized mess instead, but that mess is the primordial ooze from which you project can evolve. Hemingway’s Sentence Trick â€Å"The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day †¦ you will never be stuck. Always stop while you are going good and don’t think about it or worry about it until you start to write the next day. That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.†¨ an excerpt from Ernest Hemingway’s A Movable Feast If you’re looking for how to start writing an in-progress document, it all comes down to where you left off. Ernest Hemingway was a masterful writer and he had a number of strategies to overcome his mental struggles. One such strategy was to avoid the feeling of completion, even if it meant stopping mid-sentence or mid-thought. The idea is that you want to leave your future-self enough to go on and not have to overcome the inertia of a newness each time you sit down to write (see â€Å"Blank Page Syndrome† above). If you’re astounded this technique, do yourself a favor and read A Moveable Feast, Hemingway’s memoir of his expatriate days. It provides unique insight into the methodology that served him well not only as a journalist, but also as an acclaimed fiction writer. The Number One Distraction Wanna know how to start writing? Turn off your internet connection. No, really. DO IT NOW. Well, maybe after you finish reading this article. Going down a wormhole of distraction that may feel like work (â€Å"I’m researching!†) can quickly devolve into distractions, especially for useful websites  like Reddit. In this age of distraction, many people applaud their â€Å"ability† to not own a television. But the instantaneous access to every topic imaginable can be worse. How does a writer, who may need an internet connection on a daily basis, fight this temptation? The solution is what I call â€Å"research reconnaissance†. If I have to cite an article, I make it a phase of my writing process to grab all of the information I need, copy-and-paste it into a related folder and work from there. Once I have enough information, I turn off my internet connection and get to work. If I find that I need more information, I make a quick note for later and continue writing. Understanding the temptation of endless entertainment is the key to not being handicapped. Trust me, one goofy cat picture can waste an hour of hard work. And there is no shortage of those on the internet. Flow State The best thing I’ve discovered when it comes to how to start writing is to simply not stop writing. If you’ve got the momentum going, your mind may try to bargain with you: â€Å"After this paragraph, let’s take a break.† Resist these urges and keep going for as long as you can stand it. Let me clarify: my mind is always working and I’ve written entire pieces while standing at the line of a Walmart. But I know that when I’m â€Å"writing†, my mind is engaged on the task at hand. The flow may not be completely broken; instead, because the writing has been going on in my head, I usually rush to a keyboard and type until I’ve emptied the idea. If you’re looking for more information on this topic, start with the Wikipedia page. Understanding the psychology of writing is almost as important as to what you are writing. Creative Writing Prompts Originality is overrated. Writers often wonder how to start writing their magnum opus when it seems like every good idea is taken already. The truth is that the original idea is just a spark to get you started. It doesn’t matter if this has been done before, because it may evolve into something that has not. That’s where creative writing prompts (click here for our in-depth article on creative writing prompts) can come in handy. By finding an idea that sparks your interest, you can fill out the rest of the story to your heart’s desire, often coming up with something that no one else has created beforehand. The result may not be what you intended for The Next Great American Novel, but then again, you never know†¦