How integrated are Native Americans

[StevenK]

On TV, native americans are generally depicted as completely outside of normal american life. They crop up in casinos and as drunks and that's about it. Does this reflect the reality?

Are they your neighbours? Do you work together in offices, factories? Do you drink together?

I ask because I suspect they are not the complete outsiders I'm led to believe, but I also could believe they are, as the traveller community here generally are.

P.s. I'm not looking to find out who is 1/64th cherokee because their great great great grandad was a bit hands on, intentional integration only thanks.

 

[basic]

On TV, native americans are generally depicted as completely outside of normal american life. They crop up in casinos and as drunks and that's about it. Does this reflect the reality?

Are they your neighbours? Do you work together in offices, factories? Do you drink together?

I ask because I suspect they are not the complete outsiders I'm led to believe, but I also could believe they are, as the traveller community here generally are.

P.s. I'm not looking to find out who is 1/64th cherokee because their great great great grandad was a bit hands on, intentional integration only thanks.

sightings of native americans in the wild for me have been the 1/128th cherokee demographics or white people that claimed to be some part native american to join either side of the "Washington Redskins" rebranding debate.

 

[famicommander]

It depends on where you live. In some places they live almost exclusively on reservations which have a fair degree of autonomy but are generally isolated and poor. In other places, like where I live, they're just mixed in with the rest of society.

I think my high school was like ~3% native when I was going there. So you'd see them and interact with them but not nearly as much as the other groups.

EDIT:
demographics of my high school the year after I graduated:
28.4% White
24.1% African American
33.9% Latino
1.2% Native American
12.4% Asian

So I overestimated the number of them.

 

[sirlynxalot]

On the east coast the people saying they are native American and part of whatever ancestral tribe used to exist around Boston or whatever all seem to physically look like other ethnic groups (white European, or black) and the native American claim seems like it's often somewhat diluted, like having a native American grandparent or great grandparents. I spent time in Arizona and the experience there was the complete opposite. Was not uncommon to see native Americans who... Well... Looked native American and perhaps lived on a nearby reservation. Nothing unusual about them, they drove cars and pickup trucks, spoke perfect English and went to restaurants and stores like everyone else. No one was going around wearing feather headdresses and animal skins in day to day life.

 

[StevenK]

Aren't a lot of latino people white

 

[mjmjr25]

It's a mish-mash of everything you might imagine. I grew up with majority of my friends being Native, growing up in a small town between 3 reservations where many moved off res for employment / school reasons.

Some stay on the Res and completely mistrust the white devil.
Some stay on the Res but live indigenous lifestyle from clothing to medicine to education.
Some live on the Res but are assimilated to the community outside the Res, working in hospitals, jails, law offices.
Some live in cities and you might only know they are Native outside of a guess based on appearance and an occasional Native Pride or an Ojibwe Craft Fair tee-shirt.
Some are drunks, some work in casinos, some are cops who arrest drunks in casinos.
Some marry within the tribe, they are from. Some marry other Natives from other tribes. Some marry white / brown / yellow folks, etc.

How are Brits? Arrogant pricks living in seaside cottages with bad teeth, bad fashion, smoking cigs, enjoying a cuppa, and answering questions about the local pedo by DCI Davies?

That's what American television tells us.

 

[HellioN]

My mother says we have some native American in the line.
I look in the mirror and think it more like native to America.
I mean I was born here and know no other place so in that regard I would consider myself a "native American", but not in the sense most would think.
At the same time I don't hold any serious stock in things like being 24% German, 47% Irish, 18% French toast, and 11% Kaiju.
I'm just 100% North American.
Anyway, American native Indians have a pretty raw deal far as I understand.
The government just kinda stomps right along and pretends they aren't there.
They are supposed to have jurisdiction over their reservations, right up until uncle Sam says they don't.
They might be the only ones who could possibly claim a worse deal than black folks.

 

[StevenK]

How are Brits? Arrogant pricks living in seaside cottages with bad teeth, bad fashion, smoking cigs, enjoying a cuppa, and answering questions about the local pedo by DCI Davies?

Yeah

 

[famicommander]

Aren't a lot of latino people white

Technically yes, we tend to lump them all into one category regardless. Most latinos in this country are mixed white (Spanish descent) and native (Maya, Nahua, Zapotec, etc) with a significant minority also mixed black.

It's partially because of the Mexican government(s) throughout history pushing a national identity based on a shared language and culture over a racial or ethnic identity. They were pretty successful at it.

 

[basic]

Aren't a lot of latino people white

latinx

 

[madmanjox]

How are Brits? Arrogant pricks living in seaside cottages with bad teeth, bad fashion, smoking cigs, enjoying a cuppa, and answering questions about the local pedo by DCI Davies?

That's what American television tells us.

That’s bullshit. I live in a flat by the sea.

 

[wataru330]

No Brit smokes cigs.
Subjects of the King, smoke fags.

In Southern California (where I graduated High School) there are reservations nearby, and Native folks that had moved to town too. I saw more Aboriginal folks on the field during Aussie Rules Football games on ESPN, than I ever saw Native Americans irl.

Seen even fewer since subsequently living in other parts of the USA.

 

[Syn]

I know a blonde haired, blue eyed guy whose great grandfather was native American. It helped him get a job at Ford.

 

[smokey]

I know only of one Native American

 

[Dr Shroom]

is steven segal native or is he just polynesian?

 

[@M]

There are a fair number of Native Americans living in my area (and we have a reservation nearby--I've never been there, but many people frequent it, solely because of the casino) and my youngest sister married one. He's pretty involved with his heritage, always going to pow wows and stuff, as is my sister, whom he's actually accused of "playing Indian" (said sibling claims highly dubious Native American ancestry, which no one else in my family does) during spats.

Anyway, I'd say the majority of them are fully integrated, or nearly so, at least the ones I've interacted with (but, again, I've never gone to the reservation). They generally just live ordinary lives other than occasionally participating in tribal events/celebrations and some don't bother with those either.

 

[famicommander]

is steven segal native or is he just polynesian?

His dad was Jewish and his mom was Irish.

 

[smokey]

His dad was Jewish and his mom was Irish.

And now he is a Russian!

 

[SouthtownKid]

 

[Xavier]

 

[Tarma]

Round here it's a bit of a mish mash, but most live out on the res where it's pretty much the wild west.

Many are fucked on drugs, won't get any help or refuse it. Many are incredibly lazy, they don't get out of bed until gone Noon, and want to work a normal day about as much as you want to die a horrible painful death.

They get shit loads of money from the government but then waste it, and then complain they're not getting enough help. The amount of tax payer money they squander is eye watering. Corruption is rife amongst the Chiefs and their families - who is in charge gets to control the money coming in from the government.

I totally understand their hostility to the "white man", but they need to start putting that shit behind them and helping themselves a bit more. They do very little to illicit any real sympathy.

And if they hate us so much, why are they driving our cars, watching big ass flat screen TVs, and walking around in Nikees?

On the flip side, our family have made friends with a number of people off of our nearest res and they're really nice people, do anything for you.

 

[max 330 mega]

So when i was working in Alaska, this is exactly what we were doing. The only company doing it. We were pushing barges of dry goods, vehicles (full of moonshine,) and heavy construction equipment to Inuit and Native American villages along the Yukon river. What Tarma describes is absolutely on point. They live in hell (most leave and go elsewhere when they’re young and move back once life gets hard) because it is fully government subsidized.
There were and are horror stories from each village (also a village is anywhere from 25 to about 800 people at the largest along the yukon) of incest, rape, exploitation, molestation, you name it.

The guy who owns the company i worked for would literally give anything to have Native American workers crew the tug boats that move the goods from village to village but they Will. Not. Fucking. Work.

He was so proud when we finally got a young dude out of a village to come work with us. In one season he became addicted to alcohol, went home and choked his newly-wed wife out during an alcohol fueled argument and then was stripped of his merchant marine’s license before the next season started.

In other news one of my best friends is Native American and hes a hella drugged out son of a bitch but he pays his bills and is a fucking champion to party with.
Hope this sheds no light on this pointless thread!

 

[theMot]

Round here it's a bit of a mish mash, but most live out on the res where it's pretty much the wild west.

Many are fucked on drugs, won't get any help or refuse it. Many are incredibly lazy, they don't get out of bed until gone Noon, and want to work a normal day about as much as you want to die a horrible painful death.

They get shit loads of money from the government but then waste it, and then complain they're not getting enough help. The amount of tax payer money they squander is eye watering. Corruption is rife amongst the Chiefs and their families - who is in charge gets to control the money coming in from the government.

I totally understand their hostility to the "white man", but they need to start putting that shit behind them and helping themselves a bit more. They do very little to illicit any real sympathy.

And if they hate us so much, why are they driving our cars, watching big ass flat screen TVs, and walking around in Nikees?

On the flip side, our family have made friends with a number of people off of our nearest res and they're really nice people, do anything for you.

Sounds like the Aborigines here. Still hating on white people for what happened hundreds of years ago. It’s like me hating on the Roman Empire or something. Half of them don’t know if they want Tasmania or a carton off beer.

 

[StevenK]

Sounds like the Aborigines here. Still hating on white people for what happened hundreds of years ago. It’s like me hating on the Roman Empire or something. Half of them don’t know if they want Tasmania or a carton off beer.

That's not as easy a decision as you're making out

 

[theMot]

That's not as easy a decision as you're making out

Beer is the only choice.