Fast Facts Inquiry Research over Native American Fashion Controversies

Native American's have always been known for their intricate beading and weaving. They use many different types of colors and fabrics to make their work look as detailed as possible. Recently, there have been many controversies over designers "using and making fun" of the Native American style of clothing. For example, a designer named Bethany Yellowtail recently created a tribal printed dress and another designer copied her. Bethany states “The dress as stated on my website embodies a Crow design from my great great grandmother.” Bethany's grandmother was a part of a Native American tribe so she feels as if she has a connection to Native American tribes. Therefore, she likes to use their "style" into her work. She claims that she is honoring and preserving the work of Native Americans by using it in her work. The other designer who made a similar dress to Bethany's claims that she has always used Native American designs in her work. Bethany claims this statement to be false. Below are pictures from a BBC News Article:

On the left is Bethany Yellowtail's Dress and on the right is KTZ's "copied" dress

This is a beaded bag from Bethany's Grandmother. This is what the tribal printed dress was based off of.

Another example of a recent fashion controversy dealing with Native Americans is with the designer, Ralph Lauren. He recently created an ad which was of a darker skinned man with braids in his hair. The man in the ad was wearing a "western shirt" and a bandana. Ralph Lauren posted this ad to his website and was using it in magazines. This ad caused a lot of commotion amongst Native American tribe members. Ruth Hopkins, a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe in North Dakota states, “Ralph Lauren has been doing this my whole life. He is a repeat offender. Cultural appropriation is apparently his thing.” Ralph Lauren was embarrassed because so many Native Americans had complained about the offensiveness of this ad. He was so embarrassed that he removed the ad off of the website. Below is a picture of the ad from a Huffington Post News Article:

This is a picture of the Ralph Lauren ad. In it you can see the "stereotypical portrayal" of a Native American Indian. 

Today, I learned so many new things about the different types of fashion from Native Americans. It was really interesting to see how many people really care about their culture and want to preserve it. I think that the many fashion controversies that are happening today are a result of Native Americans wanting to preserve their culture. 

Film Essay

In United States history class, I believe it is absolutely essential to watch movies in order to gain a different perspective on each topic. When watching a movie you have to be looking for the different types of attitudes, critical details, and of course the historical accuracy that is displayed in the film. After watching Glory and Twelve Years a Slave I have acquired the necessary skills to really gain something from watching a movie. Since watching these movies, I now really understand the harshness of slavery.

In the film, Glory, the main character, Robert Shaw, is an abolitionist from Boston. He leads a group of African Americans into battle otherwise known as the 54^th Regiment. A film critic describes it as, “glory, the new, beautifully acted, pageant like movie that tells the story of the Massachusetts 54^th.” The most important thing about this movie is that it shows a different kind of slavery to me. Slavery has always been that a slave owner owns slaves and orders them around. But, in this case, slavery is the cruelty of not being able to be held to the same standard as the white soldiers. This movie has given me a new sense of the different types of slavery. Most parts in Glory are historically accurate. For example, the attack of Fort Wagner, according to a film critic, “comes as close to anything [he has] ever seen on screen to capturing the chaos and brutality that were particular to the Civil War battles.” In other words, the director does such a good job of showing how harsh the siege of Fort Wagner was that it makes the viewer feel like they are actually in the movie. Now, I know it is difficult for a director to put many years of events into less than two hours but this director has done a great job depicting the truth of the Massachusetts 54^th in that small amount of time. Edward Zwick, the director, did such a good job with this movie that it made $63,661 in only the first weekend in just three locations. The movie's total gross was $26,828,365, which is great considering the movie's budget was only $18 million. This movie was nominated for an Oscar four times but won many other awards including, best cinematography, best sounds, and best supporting role actor. Overall, this movie has provided me with a new attitude towards slavery and a different perspective on the many types of slavery.

 Twelve Years a Slave is an “old-fashioned, Hollywood-style engagement” that has shown me a different perspective on slavery. In full honesty, I did not think slavery was as bad as it was displayed in this movie. This movie showed me that slavery was harsh, brutal, and rude. But, slavery was only bad for African Americans therefore the “owners” were living a great life ordering these people around. And, as bad as this sounds this is the image that Twelve Years a Slave has given me. It really has shown me the true colors of slavery. This movie is rated R but if you do not focus on the “bad” parts of slavery then you do not really understand the true concept of slavery. And, I will admit at times it was hard to watch this movie, it was hard to know that people have been torturing others like this, but it was the truth. The truth is why movies are so important. In a textbook, it is all facts, but in a movie it is facts mixed with the truth of how something really was. This movie, according to a New York Times critic is, “a desperate path and a story that seizes you almost immediately with a visceral force.” In other words, this movie shows how brutal slavery was to the point where you do not want to stop watching. Another film critic describes this movie as, “a harrowing, unforgettable drama.” This film has received so many awards you could not count them on one hand. Awards such as, best motion picture of the year, best writing, best leading actor, best performance by an actress in a supporting role, etc. The point of showing you the different types of awards is so that you realize how well crafted the movie is as a whole. It is not just the script that is well written, it is the actors who play the parts, it is the cameramen who capture the beautiful shots, and it is the director who plans each scene out to each and every last minuscule detail. This movie has done so well it made $187,733,702 in showings worldwide. This movie is also historically accurate. For example, when a slave is leaving the plantation they need a note to leave. So in the movie when Solomon is running an errand for the slave owner, he is wearing a “necklace” with a “pass” on it. It also shows how when slave owners needed money they would “rent” out their slaves to other plantation owners for a fee. The last thing the movie shows extremely well is when buying a slave, the owners would have to feel them and test their physical abilities. Overall, this movie is so sad and devastating that is has given me a new perspective on slavery.

 By watching Glory and Twelve Years a Slave I have understood honestly and truthfully how harsh slavery was for African Americans.  I think that by watching movies in history class you can gain more knowledge and become more aware of the topics you are learning about. In conclusion, I think that if you can watch a movie critically and be able to break it down piece-by-piece you will get something out of watching it.

This is a picture of one of the main characters in the movie, Glory.

Website Title: New York Times

Article Title: Glory (1989) Review/Film; Black Combat Bravery in the Civil War

Website Title: New York Times

Article Title: Glory (1989) Cast, Credits, and Awards

Website Title: Box Office Mojo

Article Title: Glory

Website Title: Wikipedia

Article Title: Glory (1989 Film)

Website Title: Rolling Stones

Article Title: Glory

Website Title: IMDb

Article Title: Glory (1989) Goofs

Website Title: New York Times

Article Title: The Blood and Tears, Not the Magnolias

Website Title: New York Daily News

Article Title: ‘12 Years a Slave’ Movie Review

Website Title: Box Office Mojo

Article Title: 12 Years a Slave

Website Title: Huffington Post

Article Title: Historical Accuracy of ‘12 Years a Slave’ Already Being Discussed

Website Title: History Extra

Article Title: Historian at the Movies: 12 Years a Slave Reviewed

Picture Source

Practicing Incorporating a Quotation

The following quote is from a Glory movie review found on the New York Times.

"The attack on Fort Wagner, which is the climax of the movie, comes as close to anything I've ever seen on screen to capturing the chaos and brutality that were particular to the Civil War battles."

In the movie review the author, Vincent Canby says that the strike of Fort Wagner "comes as close to anything I've ever seen on screen to capturing the chaos and brutality that were particular to the Civil War battles."

Today, I learned how difficult it is to paraphrase a select quotation from someone else. It's hard because I am so tempted to include my own ideas in the paraphrase. I also learned how to use a "pithy" quote in my writing. I think I would be more likely to use a "pithy" quote in my writing rather than a paraphrase because I would need to be able to incorporate my own ideas while using some of the author's main thoughts. Lastly, I learned how to hyperlink to different sources in my writing. Overall, it was nice to see how different and unique a paraphrase is from a direct quotation. 

This is what Mrs. Lawson wanted me to learn,

• Only use a quote when it adds power and style to my writing.
• Always make it clear, from context, that I understand the full meaning of the quote.
• Whether I quote or paraphrase, always be transparent about the source and how I'm using it.
• If I use another author's exact words or phrases, to any extent, I have to use quotation marks and give credit.
• If I use another author's presentation of facts or ideas, but put their ideas in my own words, I better have a good reason for doing that, and I MUST give credit.
• Hyperlinking is so easy, there is no excuse for not being transparent about my sources.

I really understand all of these things. 

Paraphrase Practice

The following passage is a Glory movie review that was published on the New York Times.

"The attack on Fort Wagner, which is the climax of the movie, comes as close to anything I've ever seen on screen to capturing the chaos and brutality that were particular to the Civil War battles. Weapons maimed as often as they killed. Soldiers were so disciplined that they marched in firm lines into the sights of guns fired at point-blank range." 

In other words, the strike of Fort Wagner (the peak of the movie) is one of the best film representations of a battle during the Civil War. It shows how fatal and crazy the event, as a whole was. The weapons that were used injured as many people as they killed. The soldiers were well mannered and had excellent battle form. They marched in straight lines towards the other side, who were already firing into a plain field at them. 

Sympathy and Empathy

There is a key difference between empathy and sympathy. Empathy is an intellectual concept whereas sympathy is more of a feeling concept. Empathy is defined as the intellectual identification or vicarious experience of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another. It can also be defined as the experience of understanding another person's condition from their perspective. On the other hand, sympathy is the feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune. For example, if my friend's mother has just been diagnosed with cancer I can feel empathetic and sympathetic towards her. I can feel empathetic for her even if I have never been in that position. Therefore, I can say "I'm sorry" and "If you need anything I'm here for you." Feeling empathetic can make me expand my knowledge because it causes you to think about if you were in that person's shoes. So, I my mom was diagnosed with cancer I would be cranky and mad. So if the next time I see her and she is rude I can understand that she is going through a lot and she is not being "rude" to me. Along with feeling empathetic, I can also feel sympathetic towards her because I am feeling sorry for her misfortune.

In history, you have to be able to empathize with the people from the past to help better understand the concepts. If you can mentally put yourself into another person's shoes than you can really think through and understand what their problems are. Therefore, I think it is very important to be able to empathize in history just to help yourself get a better understanding of the past.

Empathy and Sympathy