I found this poem particularly interesting in light of our discussion about change on Thursday. We talked about how fear of change is what sparks a lot of fear of immigrants and cultures different to our own. As a result I had a few different interpretations of this poem.
On the one hand, it seems to be arguing that change is a natural part of life – that there is no need to mourn or fear change because essence remains the same. If you think about it, with or without European invasion, Native American culture would not have remained static, like any other it surely would have evolved to be something quite different today than it was then.
On the complete other hand, however, when considering the “boarding schools” in which Native Americans were stripped of their culture, I could see this poem instead as a battle cry. “The Indian race vanishing? No, never! The race will live on and prosper forever,” states the last line, seeming to say that no matter how Native Americans outward appearances may be controlled, their thoughts and their spirits will remain free and Native American.
Any thoughts?
I found this poem interesting as well because it poses the question of if anyone's native culture is ever completely stripped away. It brings me back to Daniel La France who was very americanized but still held on to his native tongue. The poem seems to say that even if that happens, these people are still indians, but should they still let themselves be changed? I think this poem is kind of contradictory...and even now I'm still a little confused by the message!
ReplyDeleteI really like this poem, because during the hardships and oppression, the oppressed doesn't give up and hold onto their belief. I especially like the these quotes because I could almost feel their heartache and longing for their freedom and belief. "The Indians will not vanish." and "The Indian race vanishing? No, never! The race will live on and prosper forever."
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