User:Kennethshyle/sandbox

History
The Native American historical experience is marked by forcible and sometimes cooperative attempts at assimilation into mainstream European-American culture (Americanization). Beginning with missionaries and leading up to federally controlled schools, the aim was to educate American Indians so that they could return to their communities and facilitate cultural assimilation. As described by David Beck in his article "American Indian Higher Education before 1974: From Colonization to Self-Determination", the schools were a tool for assimilation. Their focus was not academic, but training for industrial or domestic jobs.

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s-1960s contested mainstream methods of assimilationist indoctrination and the curriculum in K-12 schools and universities throughout the United States. American Indian students, coupled with sympathetic professors, assisted in creating programs with new goals. Rather than being focused on education for community assimilation there was a move to educate for empowerment. Programs that practiced community outreach and focused on student retention on campus arose from that movement. The school programs fostered a new interpretation of American Indian history, sociology, and politics.

During the First Convocation of American Indian Scholars in March 1970 at Princeton University, indigenous scholars drafted a plan to develop "Native American Studies as an Academic Discipline", which would defend indigenous control of land and indigenous rights and would ultimately reform US Indian Policy. This discipline would be informed by traditional knowledge, especially oral history, and would "defend indigenous nationhood in America".

In contrast to Western anthropology, the knowledge base of Native American studies is endogenous, emerging from indigenous communities. Developers of Native American studies widely dismissed scientific objectivity, since Western cultural biases have historically informed anthropology and other disciplines.

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'''As the world continues its rapid digital transformation, the platform through which activists and Native American intellectuals engage and disseminate their perspectives has likewise shifted to the digital realm. '''

'''One noteworthy instance highlighting this issue took place in 2014, when the critically acclaimed film "The Lone Ranger" received an Oscar nomination for its exceptional makeup work in depicting the character Tonto, who is based on a Native American figure. However, the portrayal of Tonto sparked considerable criticism and vocal opposition from both critics and intellectuals, particularly concerning the mischaracterization of the Comanche tribe upon which the character was founded. Dr. Adrienne Keene, an authoritative voice on the matter and the author of "Native Appropriations," expressed her dismay, stating, "This movie has a budget of like $215 million. With such substantial resources, couldn't they have hired a Native consultant or, at the very least, consulted a Native person from the community they claim to represent" Consequently, a movement known as #NotYourTonto emerged, serving as a platform for expressing outrage over the perpetuation of Native stereotypes in Hollywood's film industry. '''

'''This campaign stands as just one example of several online movements that have arisen to challenge misrepresentations of Native peoples. Among them, another prominent movement that gained widespread attention was #NotYourMascot, which went viral and trended during the 2014 Super Bowl. This hashtag aimed to protest the use of the term "Redskins" as the former mascot of the Washington Football Team, asserting that it perpetuated offensive stereotypes and derogatory imagery associated with Native Americans. The online campaign served as a platform for individuals to voice their opposition to the continued use of such racially insensitive and demeaning mascots.'''