American Indian Ethnicity::

American Indian Ethnic Identity

Let me write a few words about the nature of 'American Indian ethnicity'. As we all know, there is no such thing as a single 'American Indian ethnicity'. American Indians are an ethnically plural population. They are geographically dispersed, linguistically diverse and culturally varied. Moreover, Native America is comprised of hundreds of politically distinct and separately recognised communities as well as a large intertribal urban population which often operates within its own matrix of social, cultural and political concerns and institutions. So in what ways can we, in this article, define a collective American Indian identity in order to explore American Indian activism?

Within the context of political activism, there is amongst American Indian activists, an overarching sense of 'we' as opposed to 'they' - the 'we' being Indian and the 'they' being non-Indians, particularly federal government or - in non-reservation settings especially - racists. Shared historical experiences of physical, cultural and social suppression at the hands of non-Indians has enabled Indians to transcend linguistic, cultural, regional and even class differences and identify themselves not only with a particular tribal affiliation but as 'American Indian'. Such a situation characterises all ethnic groups and nations, of course: for example, blacks, whites, Latinos, Serbs, Croats... And away from ethnicity: gays, women, feminists, environmentalists, Marxists etc.

Different Indian groups can also identify themselves as a collective group on the grounds of their indigenous status - that is, their common historical claim to the American land. Quite simply, the numerous Indian groups were together "the first of this land" or indigenous.

Finally, numerous Indian nations are bounded together into the single category 'American Indian' because they have been defined and dealt as such by European and American colonists and federal and state governments. Examples include treaty negotiations, acts and laws, and federally-determined blood quantum policies.

Thus, to summarise, vis-à-vis non-Indians, American Indian ethnicity may be characterised by pan-Indianism or supratribal consciousness, whereby commonality and solidarity amongst Indians is stressed, especially on a political level.

American Indian Ethnic Renewal

Along with ethnicity, ethnic renewal is also part of American Indian political activism. Though both are intertwined aspects of each other, we must differentiate between individual ethnic renewal and collective ethnic renewal. An example of individual ethnic renewal is when an individual decides to follow traditional spiritual practices. An individual might, for example, decide to participate in the Sun Dance each year. She or he might make the decision to learn the indigenous language of her or his grandparents. An individual might connect, for the first time, with his or her ethnic roots - explore the culture's traditions and participate more actively in its ongoing history, perhaps at a social or political level. Collective processes of ethnic renewal involves the reconstruction of community. This might include a community reviving traditional warrior or religious societies, establishing a tribal museum or lobbying to resolve land rights claims. All these activities serve to renew, revive and strengthen individual and collective notions of American Indianism.