AMERICAN INDIAN AUTHORS

       In conclusion, the stories in each of the units explored, discussed, and examined in the American Indian Authors course perpetuate a culture of understanding and acceptance of minority ideals, aspects of culture, heritage, traditions, and goals. The themes of morality, spirituality, and racism served as a unifyign force between units, and together create a deeper understanding of the Native American experience through both a modern lens and a historically significant lens. Each author shared an informed, knowledgable, and enlightened perspective on a facet of the Native American experience. Woven throughout each story in American Indian Authors is the thread that binds readers and authors, general and specific, Native American peoples and non-Native American peoples, and that is the thread of the human experience.

 

       The authors mentioned in this mutlimedia analysis presented a new and fascinating perspective on the mutlifaceted complexity of the human experience, as well as the added benefit of their artistic and creative fortes, which leads readers and authors alike to consider the impact of these themes in the modern world. The authors in each unit pull these themes to the surface so that their readers will consider the following: racism and ethnocentric ideals are still themes to consider and present issues to combat; unique concepts of morality, such as those mentioned in Unit Two, deserve the same respect as socionormative concepts of morality; and finally, spirituality and religiosity mean something different to every person, and each of those individual ideals have a place in this world.

 

       Whether the authors chose a stance of power, like Winona LaDuke chose in her incredible short story "Ogitchida Ikewewag: The Women's Warrior Society, Fall 1993" or whether the authors chose to further the reader's understanding of the Native American experience through wit, humor, nuance, and subtlety, as Joseph Bruchac does in his short story, "Peter Schuyler and the Mohican: A Story of Old Albany," each story provides a unique look at themes important to humanity as a whole. Overall, the authors and stories explored in this project draw the reader to one conclusion, which is to revere all aspects of the human experience and to unite in commonality instead of bickering over differences, whether they be racial, moral, or spiritual.