Worthless self-help drivel packaged up to look like a biography of a great scientist.
I could do a similar thing and write a "biography" of a historicWorthless self-help drivel packaged up to look like a biography of a great scientist.
I could do a similar thing and write a "biography" of a historical politician by pasting How to Win Friends and Influence People on the pages within. To hide the fact I created a sham I might provide around 3 pages of biography scattered within; the first website I find on the internet would be the obvious source for such important historical information regarding the "subject" of my book. Yes... not only will this be a valuable use of my time, I will have the vaunted title of 'author.' I could even do it over and over again in order to claim I have "published numerous books!" I'm such a genius, I should even think about writing a book about myself one day!...more
Though this ethnography by Sturm is specifically about the Cherokee, the general issues this book deals with could theoretically be applied to almost Though this ethnography by Sturm is specifically about the Cherokee, the general issues this book deals with could theoretically be applied to almost any group of people. With the Oklahoma Cherokee, there is simply magnification of said issues to a dizzying degree.
The book deals with a (seemingly) simple question: What is a Cherokee? The problem is, this is actually a sickeningly complex question.
The title of the book should give some hints as to the different aspects of that question. The (CNO) Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is the institutional governmental body of the Cherokee nation. They require blood as a requirement for enrollment as a member of the tribe. Not blood quantum, just blood, meaning you can have less than 1/2000th of Cherokee blood in you, and you are eligible for enrollment as a member of the Cherokee Nation. This has led to the Cherokee Nation being the largest (by membership/citizenship) Native Nation in the United States; what's a possible reason? Political power, money, competition with other institutions... take your pick. Yet, the Cherokee Nation has to do some serious soul-searching. If you are descendant from the original Cherokee population pre-trail of tears, and never made it Oklahoma? Sorry you aren't eligible into the federally recognized organization of the Cherokee Nation, no matter your blood Quanta or cultural affinity. The Cherokee were also historical slave owners, yet what if you are the descendant of a Cherokee master and slave? Sorry, if you are descendant of a former slave (a "freedman") you aren't Cherokee, no matter if you are actually half-Cherokee by blood and may know the language; and if you have black skin? Forget about it. In this sense, white is an empty color category. It's like a bucket of paint: Add some red color to a bucket of white paint and it turns pink, or reddish. But, add some red to a bucket of black paint? It will always be black. A quote from a freedman in the book deals with pregnancy; being black is like being pregnant. Even if you are a little bit pregnant, you are considered all pregnant.
Which further begs the question of what makes a Cherokee. Language? Certainly language has a major role to play in how the Cherokee perceive what it means to be Cherokee. A person with a very low (or non) blood quanta yet who knows the language, would likely be seen by the Cherokee as being "more Cherokee" than someone who has very high-blood quanta, yet who doesn't know the language. What about phenotype? Someone of pale skin, with freckles isn't going to be seen as being "as Cherokee" as the person they are standing next to who has darker skin and darker hair, with high cheekbones; regardless what the actual genetic descent is (yet genetic descent, no matter how distant, is what the CNO uses to determine enrollment eligibility).
All of this is a bit more tangential than I was planning, but I was hoping to get your head spinning a little bit (don't worry, the book goes into further depth to further complicate the issue).
The point, ultimately, is what does it mean to "be" someone. We fit people into these cognitive categories, often unconsciously, without truly thinking about what it actually means. If you were walking down the street and saw a young women wearing a hijab, you might categorize her as one thing. But what if you heard heavy metal music coming out of her ear buds? What if you heard her greet a friend on the street by saying "Yo, what up, girlfriend?" This creates complications to our system of labeling people, and when people don't "fit" into the categories we have set, it makes people uncomfortable.
Sturm explores this issue of identity with the Cherokees of Oklahoma, to the point that hearing any labeling of them just makes you want to throw up. There's a charming scenario in this ethnography that highlights the issue perfectly: A full-blooded Cherokee women is at a Powwow watching a white, non-Cherokee friend of hers performing (with the dress garb and all). She is with her young son (also full-blooded Cherokee) who points to the man and says to her, "Look Mamma! A real Indian!" Her shocked response is, "But, You are a real Indian." "No I'm not," he replies "I'm Cherokee!"
The book shifts between ethnographic anecdotes and extensive historical records, but it is a very thorough exploration of how we label people, how we associate (or claim) identities, and how no matter our method of doing so we will fail to be adequate in our efforts....more
Loading...
