Indigenous Resistance Response

            In English and History classes the culture of Native Americans is always told through a semi-true story.  Their land is usually invaded and leaves few or no original survivors.  The remaining Native Americans are forced into a lifestyle to which they are unaccustomed and influenced to forget their customs.  When they chose to remember, they are looked down upon as uneducated or less fortunate.  The act of flushing out a certain culture is assimilation.

            In the article, assimilation of the Salish people of the coast of British Columbia and Washington State is targeted in regards to education.  The previous generations of the Salish people dealt with even harder attempts of assimilation in public schools in hopes to make it easy for the following generations to keep the culture alive.  Assimilation in Public schools was a supposed mean to civilize the Salish children from a savage past.  Legislatures were established to separate the assimilated form the “true” indigenous Salish people. 

            The assimilation theory in my opinion is an excuse for the majority to retain power and influence above all.  Time and time again diversity, race, gender, sexual preference, and culture have proven to be great contributors to cognitive development and other skills and attributes that one is supposed to have to be successful.  With the treatment of these indigenous people came their want for their own communities, schools and sole ownership to their culture.  The majority rule in America understands the impact of diversity to personal growth so it is given to those who are chosen to be successful.  The indigenous people have their own communities and schools such as UNC Pembroke and are satisfied with living in their culture.  That being said they are satisfied with routine and unaccepting to new experiences.  New people are looked at as intruders because of the past invasions.  Even though we live in the same country the indigenous are still secluded to a world of their own where they are still regulated by the majority.