Ethnicity and American Indians

What exactly is race to you? Skin color (redskin), religion (Jewish race), nationality (British), human species (human race)

Newman defines it as "a category of people who have been singled out as inferior or superior, often on the basis of physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, and eye shape."

It is a term that anthropologists don't like to use because they recognize that the nature of racial groupings is "silly."  All humans are essentially part of  a species continuum of physical characteristics that developed as part of adaptations to particular environments. We are one species, equally capable.

Still, anthropologists, but especially sociologists and political scientists, recognize that people categorize, rightly or wrongly, on these physical characteristics, often attributing positive and negative assessments to them.

Ethnicity

An ethnic group, as defined by Feagin and Feagin, is a collection of people distinguished, by others or themselves, primarily on the basis of cultural or national characteristics. Ethnic groups share five main characteristics:

1. unique cultural traits, such as language, clothing, holidays, religious practices
2. a sense of community
3. a feeling of ethnocentrism (your culture as the "best")
4. ascribed membership from birth ( you are born into it)
5. territoriality (occupying a distinct geographic area by choice and or for self-protection

There s a tendency to use race and ethnicity interchangeably, but most believe the distinction between the two is significant.

How important are race and ethnicity in America?

Race permeates every institution, every relationship and every individual. It is part of our individual thought processes. We seemed compelled to think racially, to use racial categories and meaning systems into which we have been socialized.

Race and ethnicity are the basis of hierarchical ranking in our society, with dominant groups holding power over subordinate groups, with dominant groups having the best of matters.

Prejudice

It literally means to pre-judge, based on some set of criteria or characteristics, generally in a negative way. Gordon Allport defined it in a more formal way, "as a negative attitude based on faulty generalizations about members of selected racial and ethnic groups."

Think of how these stereotypes abound. We've noted several about Indians. We'll talk more about this, but think of the sports names: Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Golden State Warriors, Washington Redskins, Chicago Blackhawks, Kansas City Chiefs.  Think of the images, gestures, and attributes of the mascots.

Racial prejudice like this is often called racism, that is, a belief that some racial or ethnic groups are superior or inferior to others.

Racism may subtle or overt.

How do you measure prejudice?

Sociologists use the concept of social distance, that is, the extent to which people are willing to interact and establish relationship with members of racial and ethnic groups other than their own.

There are actual scale, using such variable as minimal contact or marriage. Some groups, interestingly, have less social distance than others.

Indians are one group that generally has a lower level of social distance from the dominant society. This may be the result of the fact that they are native to the land, not some sort of import like African or Asian Americans.

Social distance varies from time to time.

Now it's cool to be Indian or part Indian, but that has not always been the case.

Discrimination

Whereas prejudice is an attitude, discrimination involves actions or practices of the dominant groups members that have a harmful effect on members of a subordinate group.

Prejudice doesn't always lead to discrimination.

Severity of discrimination can vary, and this is well demonstrated by the history of the dominant society toward Indians.

Genocide is the most dramatic form and is the deliberate, systematic killing of an entire nation or people.

Individual discrimination consists of one-on-one acts by members of the dominant group that harms members of the subordinate  group or their property.

Institutional discrimination consists of day-to-day practices of organizations and institutions that have a harmful impact on members of subordinate groups, but often is carried out by individuals:

1. Isolate discrimination is harmful action intentionally taken by a dominant group member against a subordinate group member. Example: a judge who gives Indian defendants for drunk driving harsher sentences than white dwi's .
2. Small-groups discrimination is harmful action taken by a limited number of dominant group members, outside the accepted norms of   community.  Vermillion sweat lodge example.
3. Direct institutionalized discrimination is organizationally prescribed or community-prescribed actin that intentionally has a differential and negative effect on subordinate group. Exclusion of people from public accommodations. Still the case in certain towns in SD where Indians can't go into certain bars and restaurants.
4. Indirect institutionalized discrimination refers to practices that have a harmful effect on the subordinate group members even though the organizational or community norms have no intent to harm. For Indians, this could well be the establishment and maintenance of reservations, but this is complex.

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