A review of U.S. Indian policy: A unique chapter in U.S. history

Abstract

American Indian policy is a complex subject that does not easily lend itself to a brief analysis yet is a manageable task if the focus is placed upon major policy decisions. This focus needs to be tempered by two set of considerations: the Harmony Ethos versus the Protestant Ethic and physical versus cultural genocide. The Harmony Ethos reflects the generic world view (epistemological methodology) of North American (U.S./Canadian) Indian and Native Alaskan traditionalism. Here, the traditional world view sees harmony between Father Sky, Mother Earth and all life and inert matter. Man is seen as but one element on earth and not necessarily the most significant one. Intragroup cooperation, a self-image rooted in a larger collectivity (dan, extended family ... ), and intergroup conflict (intertribal wars and raids) comprised the basis of aboriginal (pre-Columbian) traditionalism (French 1982; Gearing 1962; Mooney 1972; Reid 1970). This contrasts with the secular version of the Protestant Ethic, that which drives the Western enculturation and its focus on individual culpability, competition and sense of superiority over nature. The concept of Manifest Destiny became the rallying call and justification for exploitation of both natural resources and the American Indians who resided on these lands.