MaLinda DiTonno
Liberty University
Cultural Immersion Project: Part 3
Montana is home to six Indian Reservations and their tribes: The Blackfeet Reservation, home for the Blackfeet tribe; Crow Reservation for the Crow tribe; Flathead Reservation, home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes; Fort Belknap Reservation, home for the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre tribes; Fort Peck Reservation, which is home for the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes; Little-Shell, which is not a Reservation, is home to a state recognized tribe of a band of Chippewa that has no designated reservation; Northern Cheyenne Reservation, home the Northern Cheyenne tribe; and the Rocky Boy Reservation, which is home for the Chippewa-Cree …show more content…
His memory of his time there appears to be unhappy as he describes learning to fight as needed without thought. He believes that because his father was a Chief of Police, fighting was necessary. Additionally, he stated that the school was a bad environment. Memories of racism and discrimination range from the age of 16 to currently. At sixteen he moved to Chicago for three months to live with an uncle. He felt at that time he fit in best with the Hispanic population, but others were either afraid of him or hated him because of his Native American background. Currently, he states he has substantial knowledge of the Child Welfare Services and Cultural Life Ways. However because he lacks a Master or Doctorate degree, he does not have credibility. He has also experienced racism and prejudice when renting and cashing checks. Finally, because Bill is fair skinned and blue eyed in a family of others with dark skin and dark eyes, he has experienced some racism and prejudice from Indians as well, but he did not elaborate on these …show more content…
The Native American traditional culture did the same. Scriptural truths can be seen in Native American culture as evidenced by the belief that “honor and respect are gained by sharing and giving” (Sue and Sue, 2013, pg. 382). Additionally, the sacredness of human life can be seen through the belief that “all life forces are valuable and interdependent” (McGodrick, Giordano, and Garcia-Preto, 2005, pg. 46) as a result the mind, spirit, and body are all interconnected.
Spirituality is evident throughout the Native American culture as they believe in the Creator. Bill stated that “all Indians honor the Creator regardless of their spiritual walk or religious preference” (B. Snell, personal communication, February 20, 2015). The Bible says that before the world there was the Word. Similarly, a common theme among the Native American culture is that the “spirit existed in the spirit world before it came into a physical body and will exist after the body dies” (Hays and Erford, 2014, pg. 358). Just like Jesus Christ, who existed in spirit, came to Earth in the form of a man, and returned to Heaven in