Native American Presentations

I really enjoyed doing the presentations. I thought that it tied everything that we learned from reaing Alexie and Loewen together. Its one thing to read about how history textbooks are wrong and spend time with Alexie's petry, but then to do research and see how thins are being affected today in society was very reinforcing. I enjoyed learning about the artists and musicians. I found that very interesting. However, I thought that it was sad that in order for Native Americans to be successful and make a change in their lives they feel like they have to leave their people on the reservation and try to conform to a way of life in white society that is against their nature and that most of them are not comfortable in. I also found the presentation on healthcare in the reservations very interesting. I knew that there was alcoholism on the reservations, but I had know idea that alcoholism, suicide, and diabetes rates were so high. Those are the type of things that you do not see on the news or read in the paper. I think that doctors who are trying to help them while respecting their culture, and beliefs they have about medicine are doing a great thing.