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ANTHR7: North American Indians – Guide for the Final Exam

This is a very, very lengthy document – 8 pages to be precise. Make sure you read all of it before coming to any decision
regarding the type of final exam in which you’d best like to participate. Also, because of the demands on my time, everyone
must take the same type of exam – no exceptions.

There are at least four possible formats that the final can take:

• Take home essays

• In class essays
• In class multiple choice questions
• In class essays PLUS multiple choice questions

TAKE HOME ESSAY FORMAT

There are four options from which you would select one as your final exam.

OPTION ONE
Below are 14 essay questions grouped into five sections. Everyone must answer both questions (1 and 2) in Section One
PLUS two questions from EACH of the remaining sections for a TOTAL of TEN questions. Which questions you pick from
Sections Two through Five is up to you.

Section One
1. Name the ten culture areas defined in the Smithsonian Handbook of North American Indians, which the author uses.
Define a culture area and discuss the good and bad points of using culture areas to group people.

2. We have looked at the native peoples in five of the ten North American culture areas. For each of the five, provide a
very brief overview (no more than 3 sentences per topic) of the ethnographic present. Your overview should:
a. Indicate the dominant features of the culture area’s geography & environment
b. Name the major linguistic / tribal groups that inhabited the culture area.
c. Summarize the basic form(s) of political organization.
d. Provide a sense of the basic form(s) of social organization.
e. Discuss the basic economic forms.
f. Highlight basic religious beliefs and practices.
g. Discuss current conditions.
h. Include any other topics you feel are important for a general reader to know about the culture area.

Section Two
3. Based upon your limited reading, my brief lecture on the topic, & the film depicting life in a Canadian Indian boarding
school in the 1930s, give a synopsis of the conditions under which Indian children were forced to live.

4. In a few sentences, indicated the major cultural and biological impacts of Europeans / Euroamericans on American
Indians.

5. Why is the site of Ozette so important?

Section Three
6. Name several types of totem poles and then in one or two sentences, cite a couple of specific reasons why totem poles
were traditionally made?

7. What was a potlatch and of what importance was it in Northwest Coast social, political and economic life?

8. In one or two sentences, explain why evidence of human occupation during the PaleoIndian Period is so sparse in the
Northwest Coast culture area?

Section Four
9. In Thunder Rides a Black Horse the author, Claire Farrar, speaks of the "mythic present." What does she mean by this
and how is it manifested in Mescalero life?

10. Briefly describe the Mescalero coming of age ceremony. Then discuss the functions the ceremony serves for both the
girls who are participants and for the Mescalero people as a whole.

11. Write a few paragraphs on the kind of relationships that existed between Puebloan and non-Puebloan groups before the
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coming of the Europeans and the kinds of relationships that exist today.

Section Five
12. Write several paragraphs in which you explain the impact that horses had on a Plains people’s subsistence and warfare.
Be sure to define specific cultures before and after horses enter the Plains.

13. Frequently during the semester I made reference to California and how it can be used as a model for much of what
happened in other culture areas of North America during the Euroamerican invasion and expansion. Write several
paragraphs in which you demonstrate this concordance.

14. How is having traditional knowledge integral into one’s identity as an Innuit? Athabascan Indian?

OPTION TWO
You’ve been reading (I hope) the novel Waterlily by Ella Deloria, Deloria was a Sioux Indian and an ethnologist who in the
early 1940s wrote this culturally detailed novel of 19th century Sioux life focusing on a young girl named Waterlily. The
novel is an evocative story of not only Waterlily’s life, but also of Indian life in the late 19th century. By writing about
Waterlily’s life experiences, Deloria reveals to the reader Sioux values and cultural practices. Deloria also uses stories
throughout the book both to educate her readers about cultural practices and to demonstrate a process of learning that
contrasts sharply with the Anglo educational system. Deloria tells stories at many levels in Waterlily. Through the character
of various tribal members she describes the cultural sanctity of language and behavior and kinship.

Through her book Deloria writes against the dominant grain of Indian image making. Her book challenges the capacity of
impersonal ethnographic accounts to "capture" Native American experience; she counters popular stereotypes of Indian
people; and she poses an alternative form for elucidating cultural knowledge.

YOU ARE TO ANSWER ALL OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

• How does the Sioux process of learning contrast with the Anglo educational system? Cite specific examples from
Waterlily.
• Personal dignity is one of the most important factors in shaping relationships between Sioux people. Discuss and
provide examples of this respect from Waterlily (citing the appropriate page numbers).
• What are the major phases, events, rights-of-passage in Waterlily’s life? Provide examples of each. Keep in mind
that some things are major phases in any person's life and you would probably want to discuss such things as they
pertain to Waterlily. However, there may be other events that are significant for Waterlily (as an Sioux) but may not
be seen as such in another culture. Such events would also need to be discussed. (Cite the appropriate page numbers
to support your thesis)
• Throughout the book, Deloria makes references to the Sioux concept of kinship which meant "achieving civility,
good manners, and a sense of responsibility toward every individual dealt with." What is it about these issues that
informs both Waterlily’s life and the book? (Cite the appropriate page numbers in support of your thesis)
• Is there a moral center of the book? If so, what is it? (Cite the appropriate page numbers to support your thesis)
• Critically think about Deloria’s generalizations about life as an Indian in a non-Indian world and how it can be
experienced. Can you relate to any of this? If so, to what parts of your life do these comments connect?
• What do you think are the key passages in the book? Why are they important? How do they work with the rest of
the book to convey the author's message? (Cite the appropriate page numbers to support your thesis).
• Choose any three of Waterlily’s "life experiences" and show how they relate to the themes we've been discussing in
class. (Cite the appropriate page numbers to support your thesis)

OPTION THREE
Many years ago, when my sons were attending high school, they complained that their American History class began with
the coming of Europeans to this continent and omitted any mention of the people who were already here (except in passing).
Their teacher taught them that America was "discovered" by Columbus and that American "history" was what followed. In
1981 Ronald Regan, giving his first inaugural speech, praised the "brave pioneers who tamed the empty wilderness."

Over my lifetime I've listened repeatedly as "Americans" told their children to "stop acting like a bunch of wild Indians;" or
how they were cheated by an "Indian giver;" or how preposterous the demands of the Indians are that the U.S. live up to its
treaty obligations. Most "Americans" view the treaties as "ancient," even though most were made less than 160 years ago. I
also have seen the dominant non-Indian image of Indians shift from that of the savage [John Wayne leading the U.S. Cavalry
against the Indians], through the noble savage stereotype [which portrays Indians as part of a once-great but now-dying
culture], to the current Indian-as-guru stereotype. And I have heard more times than I can recall stories of whites descended
from Cherokee princesses; or how Indians are always fighting each other over disputed lands; or my favorite, the "rich
Indian" stories (either oil-rich or gambling casino rich). And let's not forget the "I love Indians. I have Indian artifacts all
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over my house. And I just returned from a weekend class where I learned to be a shaman (read "sham-man")."

For more than 35 years I have tried to raise people's awareness about North America’s First People. Sometimes I have only a
minute or two; at other times, I have an entire semester. And neither is sufficient. But one works with what one has. And
that's what I'd like you to do.

Imagine you have been asked to present a 60-minute lecture to a group of high school students and their teachers concerning
North America's First People. You know that it takes about 10 minutes to cover even a single, relatively simple topic. So you
decide to communicate five points to your audience.

In an OUTLINE FORMAT:
 List each point (e.g., perhaps you feel that an important point is how long the native peoples have been here; or the
contribution of the Indians to world economics via their foods; or the idea of kinship with the all - that the Indians
believed, and still believe, the Earth is a being with skin, soul, and organs)
 Underneath each point tell me WHY what you've selected is important for an understanding of the Native Peoples.

NOTE: There are no "correct" or "incorrect" points -- just those YOU feel are important. Therefore, I'll NOT EVALUATE
your exam on the basis of the points selected but rather on your explanation of WHY what you have selected is important for
an understanding of the First Americans. Your answers also will be evaluated for clarity, content, and critical thinking. Your
answer for EACH of the five is to be no less than 200 words nor more than 400 words.

OPTION FOUR
This class was one of probably very few you have taken, or will ever take, in college whose subject matter has formed the
basis of numerous Hollywood movies. Why do you suppose that is the case? No medium has done more to create and
confound images of American Indians than film. Ranging from simplistic, warlike savages to ennobled, ecological mystics,
these images tend to mirror the complexities of the dominant society and are mostly created by them. The problem of white
romanticization and demonization of indigenous culture are important themes in movies and we must ask "What are the
impacts of these images on both Indian people and the dominant society? How are the images created? What are the cultural
contexts of the medium itself?" These are some of the issues I want you to address in your final exam.

You are to write an essay about one of the movies listed below. These movies are available at almost any video rental store
in Santa Cruz county. What want you to do is to watch the movie, but in a different way than you ordinarily would. While
the plot and acting are interesting, I want you to see around those. Each of these films communicates to the audience subtle
(and not so subtle messages) about both Native Americans and their conquerors. These are the messages that I want you to
think about as you watch the movie.
Movie List
SELECT ONE movie for analysis:

• Little Big Man • Geronimo

• A Man Called Horse • Dances With Wolves
• Last of the Mohicans • Squanto: A Warrior's Tale
• Powwow Highway • Grey Owl
• Thunderheart • Cheyenne Autumn
• Black Robe • Windwalker
• Dead Man • Medicine River
• Pocahontas • Clear Cut
• Lakota Woman • Standing Bear
• Last of the Dog Soldiers Smoke Signals

In working on your exam you may wish to consult one or more of the following works:

1. Bataille, Gretchen and Charles Silet (eds.)

1980 The Pretend Indians: Images of Native Americans in the Movies. Ames: Iowa State University Press.
2. Collins, Peter C. and John E. O'Connor (eds.)
1998 Hollywood's Indians: The Portrayal of the Native American in Film. Lexington: The University Press of
Kentucky.
3. Hilger, Michael
1995 From Savage to Nobleman: Images of Native American in Film. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc.
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At a minimum your exam is to include the following:

• A brief summary of the movie. Do NOT use the ones from the back of the video box.
• How are both Indians and Whites depicted in the movies: at a minimum you need to address such issues as
stereotypical presentations and historical and/or cultural reality.
• Compare and contrast the values of BOTH Indians and Whites as they are depicted in the movie: some possible
things to look at would be how each group treats/views members of its own society and those of the other
society; attitudes toward natural and cultural resources (land, animals, water, etc.); concepts of honor; religion;
children; women; men.
• Of what value to both Indians and non-Indians is the film you selected? Does it help each group to understand
the other? Does it perpetuate inaccuracies about either or both groups?
• What is the basic production information? (company/distributor, producer, director, main cast, length, awards,
etc.)
• Do Indian people have roles in the film? Who? What roles? Are they lead characters?
• Do Indian people have a role in creation, production or finance of the film?
• What key issues relate to Indian people in the story line?
• Are Indians central or peripheral to the story? Could the same story have been done without Indians, that is, is
"Indianness" crucial?
• What images or stereotypes of Indians are apparent in the story?
• If the story involves Indian/Non-Indian interaction, how is the interaction portrayed? One-sided? Negative?
Positive? Reconciled by the end?
• Does a non-Indian have to mediate or translate Indian culture to other non-Indians?
• If the story portrays an historical event or character, is it historically accurate?

For examples on what your exam should, at a minimum, include I’ve posted several on the web at
http://www.cabrillo.edu/~crsmith/noamer_finals99.html. Please note that the assignment which produced these examples
was not quite the same as yours.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR A FINAL TAKE HOME EXAM

It must conform to the following:

• Be in my hands at the beginning of class on the day of the final exam.

• Typed or machine printed (NO HANDWRITTEN finals accepted) ONE SIDE ONLY
• Use white paper - no other colors -- 10 or 12 pt. font. -- Double space
• Leave a one inch margin at top, bottom, and sides.
• Put a page number on each page.
• Use a cover sheet on which you have typed/machine printed your name, the class name, the semester and
CLEARLY indicates which option you’ve selected
• Do NOT put your final in a fold, binder, or any similar device. Instead, staple it together in the upper left-hand
corner.

IN CLASS ESSAY FORMAT

This is essentially the same as the Take Home Essay Format Option One EXCEPT that I will select six questions for which
you will be responsible.

MULTIPLE CHOICE FORMAT

This format consists of 100 multiple choice questions. Each question has five possible answers – only one of which is
correct. Below are questions (without the answers) from previous exams.

1. The staple aboriginal Aleut food was:

2. A kiva is a:

3. Among the Eskimo dogs served as

4. The aboriginal Hopi traced descent ___ and after marriage residence was ___.

5. In the Mescalero life cycle, a ritual focus on ___ dominated.

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6. Much of Hopi religious ceremonial activity centered on

7. The primary social unit for most Arctic cultural area groups was the:

8. Wife-sharing was practiced by

9. Although dogs served a number of functions for many nomadic Plains groups, one of the most important was as

10. The religious beliefs of Arctic groups were primarily concerned with

11. The intention of the Dawes Act of 1887 was to

12. Traditional Navajo religion focused largely on

13. Most U.S. treaties with Indians primarily involved

14. In Canada, individuals of white and Indian heritage are termed

15. Initially, which U.S. department had jurisdiction over Indians?

th
16. Tribes with members that were removed from their homeland during the first part of the 19 century and relocated
to “Indian” country included the

17. For casinos to operate on federal Indian reservations, an Indian group must gain the approval of the

th th
18. For much of the 19 and 20 centuries, the most powerful force in the destruction of Native American cultures has
been

19. With respect to the Inuit of Canada the word “tribe” is

20. In the 1830s the Supreme Court ruled that

21. In the 1870s American Indian policy

22. While France and Russia primarily wanted to take land in the New World for ____, the British wanted the land for
_____.

23. The Arctic is sometimes called a “desert” because

24. The two major divisions of Arctic people are

25. The most important domesticated animals for Arctic people were the

26. In the Plains culture area horses

27. In the Arctic infanticide might be practiced if

28. The cultures of the Northwest are distinct in many ways, including

29. What must an Arctic hunter be sure to do?

30. The word “Hopi” means

31. Aleuts differ from Eskimos in

32. Which of the following represents the concept of the “myth present” among the Mescalero Apache?

33. Men in the Arctic fought mainly over _____ and resolved disputes with ______.

34. According to Eskimo belief, humans were required to be respectful and thoughtful to the animals they killed
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35. The religious beliefs of Arctic people were primarily concerned with

36. In the early 1700s a catastrophic mudslide buried and preserved the ancient village of Ozette. Then over a period of
11 years, beginning in 1970, archaeologists excavated the site recovering over 55,000 artifacts and today the site is
recognized as one of the richest archaeological resources in the world and has inspired a cultural renaissance for the
______ of the ____ culture area.
37. During most of the year the vast majority of Subarctic peoples were organized into

38. Because summer were warm, cold storage of meat was not possible for the Subarctic people. To overcome this the
people made pemmican
39. The two most important terrestrial animals in Subarctic economies were
40. The religious beliefs of the Subarctic peoples
41. According to your instructor, the California culture area supported ____ people on the eve of Spanish colonization.
42. Like many other native groups of North America the Subarctic groups had shamans who
43. Organizing by culture area has some drawbacks, including

44. Southwestern cultures are usually divided into

45. Although the Puebloan groups of the Southwest culture area are the best know fully settled farmers of that region,
there were other settled, but non-Puebloan, farmers who lived in the Southwest culture area

46. One of the most important defining criterion for the Southwest is

47. Dogs were essential to Eskimo life in that they

48. The primary crops grown in the Southwest culture area were __ and the principal domestic animals were ___.

49. Probably the best known pre-Puebloan farming cultures of the Southwestern culture area are the

50. The first outsiders to contact the Greenland Eskimos were the:

51. The Hohokam are best know for their

52. In a very general sense, the Aleut are people of the _____ and the Eskimo are people of the _____.

53. Before the coming of the Europeans, the Hopi raised

54. Katchinas

55. Subarctic groups spoke languages of ___ major families: ___ languages spoken in the ___ and ___ in the ___.

56. Among Puebloan societies religion

57. White Painted Woman, or Changing Woman as she is sometimes called, is a

58. Mescalero Apaches

59. For most Eskimo groups, the primary social unit was the

60. Before the coming of the Europeans,

61. Wife sharing among the Arctic peoples

62. Which of the following statements is true with respect to Subarctic people?

63. The Navajo

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64. The structure of political organization in a Navajo band consisted of

65. The basic social units among the Navajo

66. The defining characteristic of the Plains culture area was

67. Which of the following does NOT describe the typical Arctic family?

68. Which of the following statements is true with regards to Plains groups?

69. Which of the following characterizes Eskimo social organization?

70. With regard to death and the dead, the Navajo

71. With regard to the political organization of Plains groups, which of the following statements is/are true?

72. The single most important economic task of the Plains people was

73. With regard to buffalo hunting on the Plains, which of the following statements is/are true?

74. Many Eskimo believed that humans had

75. All Plains groups viewed the ___ as sacred and the ___ as the most sacred animal.

76. Many Plains groups practiced a world renewal ceremony known as the

77. Which of the following is NOT true about the Sun Dance

78. In general, Arctic groups were politically organized at the _____ level.

79. A material culture based on woodworking, distinctive art style, and economies based on marine resources
characterize the _____ culture area.

80. The Makah were residents of the ___ culture area.

81. The first recorded contact between Northwest Coast people and Europeans was by

82. The primary subsistence resource for the Greenland Eskimo was

83. Eulachon, or candlefish, was an important resource for the peoples of the _____ culture area because _____.

84. _____ technology centered on complex and intricate processes of woodworking

85. _____ technology centered on complex and intricate processes of basket making

86. Among aboriginal Arctic groups, women played critical economic roles because they

87. World War II had a direct impact on the American Indians because

88. The most obvious impact of European contact with Subarctic peoples

89. Subarctic groups made their primary living by

90. Of all the Indian groups now living in the U.S., which one(s) have managed to retain much of their traditional
culture?

91. With reference to the European conquest and colonization of North America, it was the ____ who first colonized
what is now Arizona and New Mexico

92. The coastal peoples of California were subjugated and subsequently went through a tremendous population loss due
to
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93. Which of the following statements with regard to Indian gaming is incorrect?

94. The conquest of native North America involved many different European nations, each entering from a different
direction. Which of the following “nations – directions” is correct?

95. The Lubicon Lake Cree story exemplifies many of the difficulties Indian groups have faced concerning

96. The greatest health problem facing Native Americans today is probably

97. Which of the following groups watered crops by means of check dams to capture flash-flood water and soil, as well
as planting adjacent to springs and seeps

98. In which culture area would you expect to find archaeological evidence of hogans

99. The book WaterLily is about

100.Which of the following statements is true?

IN CLASS ESSAYS PLUS MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

This format would consist of 50 questions from the foregoing multiple choice section PLUS three questions (I would
select) from the Take Home Essay Option One