Choctaw Indians

The tribe of Choctaw Indians was originally located in the southeastern part of the Mississippi, southwestern Alabama, Louisiana and Georgia. This name for this tribe of Indians is attributed to various sources, some of these are the Spanish word chato which means flat because the Choctaw used to flatten the foreheads of their male infants and Haccha, a name of the Pearl River with which these people were associated . These people believe that they originated from â€Å"Ninah Waya†, which is a sacred hill located near Nozapter, Mississippi.The name â€Å"Ninah Waya† means â€Å"Productive Mountain† and is often referred to as â€Å"The Mother Mound†. The â€Å"emergence myth† is a part of Choctaw history. These Indians are supposed to have belonged to the Muskhogean linguistic family. Initially they existed as very large groups, but were significantly reduced in numbers due to infected foreigners who spread a number of epidemic diseases amongst thes e hapless Indians. The other tribes in this linguistic family are Creeks, Chickasaws, Seminoles and Apalachi .In comparison to the Chickasaw and the Creek who were their age old enemies, the Choctaws were more democratic and less warlike. The Choctaws lived in wattle-and-daub homes. These homes had walls consisting of pole frames covered with mud and bark and a thatched roof. They were agrarian in general and in this aspect were unsurpassed in the entire Southeastern part of the U. S, and used simple tools to cultivate corn, beans, sweet potatoes, and tobacco.They were so proficient in this activity that they were in the enviable position of possessing surplus food which they bartered in order to obtain goods that they did not have. Moreover, they utilized blowguns, bows and arrows, spears and traps to hunt animals for food and pelts. Their trading capacity was so great that they traded on a very large scale with other tribes and in order to communicate with their customers they dev eloped a simple trade language. In order to transport merchandise and animals hunted by them they used dugout canoes.The Choctaws were fond of sport and it occupied an important part of their culture. Their variety of lacrosse, which was very popular amongst the eastern tribes was a very rough game played with a stick. This game was used to promote social gatherings, bring about settlement of disputes and to train the participants for warfare. The number of participants in this game would be in the hundreds and all sorts of violence like biting, belabouring and kicking were permitted. Not surprisingly, the participants would suffer serious and sometimes fatal injuries.The outcome of this game had so much importance attached to it that Choctaw priests used to offer prayers in order to have an effect on the result of the game . The Choctaws took to riding horses and using them as pack animals with the advent of the Europeans in the 16th century. They developed their own specialized ho rse breeds and raised cattle. The 18th and 19th centuries were witness to the forced migration of the Choctaws farther and farther west in order to circumvent clashes with the European settlers.Initially they allied with the French later on they worked as spies for the Americans in the American Revolution, which lasted from 1775 to 1783, and reported the activities of the British. In the War of 1812 they allied with the U. S and fought under General Andrew Jackson and they also fought against the Creek in the Creek War that lasted from 1813 to 1814. The universal belief was that the land occupied by the Indians had gold in it, accordingly President Jackson brought about legislation that required relocation of the Southeast Indian tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River.The first victims of this inhuman deed were the loyal Choctaws, who were made to shift their location to the Indian Territory, which is in Oklahoma under the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Accordingly, as per the p rovisions of the 1830, Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek the Choctaw nations was forcibly relocated to South-eastern Oklahoma. The years from 1831 to 1834 saw these hapless Choctaws being subjected to a series of forced marches westward, which proved fatal for many of their numbers who succumbed to disease, hunger, exposure and attacks by bandits.Around twenty thousand Choctaws were shifted and only seven thousand survived this arduous journey notorious as the â€Å"The Trail of Tears†. The greed of the settlers was gratified to some extent by the year 1842 as most of the Choctaw lands had become the property of the settlers. Oklahoma, was chosen by the Choctaws as their promised land, because it was for the most part empty and was considered to be useless for any other purpose. However, this place proved to be very fertile and was utilized by them as an agricultural haven. The surviving Choctaws built a new city based on their agricultural genius.In the Indian Territory the Cho ctaw, the Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Seminole were collectively known as the Five Civilized Tribes, because they had organized governments with written constitutions and due to the fact that they had established public schools and newspapers. The Choctaw joined forces with the Confederacy during the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. Due to the ever increasing influx of non-Indian settlers, the Choctaws were unable to retain their lands, even in Oklahoma, where they had been ruthlessly relocated.Ironically, Oklahoma is a term invented by the Choctaw leader Allen Wright to connote red people and was initially used to denote the western half of the Indian Territory. The number of persons who identified themselves as Choctaw in the U. S. census of 2000 was approximately 87,000 and a further 71,000 identified themselves as having Choctaw blood. Federal trust lands are held by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma in the vicinity of Durant. Furthermore, the Mississippi Ban d of Choctaw Indians’ reservation is located near the Pearl River.Some Choctaw groups reside in Louisiana and what should be of encouragement to these hapless people, there has been a revival of traditional customs and unity between these groups since the 1950s . Women have traditionally been objects of veneration in the Choctaw culture. This honour has been accorded to them due their being the head of every family household and due to their being the caretakers of children and elders in the family. In legends these tribes are considered to be vegetarians and one of the Cherokee legends describes this epoch as the beginning of equality and mutual helpfulness between humans, plants and animals.Initially all three lived in harmony, however, with the passage of time, man became destructive and started to kill and eat some of the animals and in retaliation some of the animals invented diseases to limit the human population. True generosity was exhibited by only the plants, which provided not only food to man, but also medicine to cure these diseases . The historical evolution of the Choctaw makes one aware of their efforts in respect of economic development and the strong Tribal government which has resulted from such development.In the past, the Choctaw people had undergone several hardships like health problems and reliance upon the federal government for the bare necessities of life. However, subsequent to the year 1945, the situation has improved drastically and the strong tribal governmental leadership and appropriate planning have made the Choctaw people self reliant. With the improvement in employment and educational opportunities, availability of better housing and healthcare facilities a resurgence of the Choctaw community and their cultural arts has transpired and this has brought about betterment in their standard of living.The language of the Choctaws and their native culture are no longer threatened with extinction as they had been saved and st rengthened due to their efforts. At present Choctaw community can be considered to be a successful community. This is due to the fact that they not only preserved their culture but did so in the face of great adversity. The Choctaw Indian Reservation is spread across 35,000 acres of Tribal lands, which are located in ten counties of the Mississippi. The federal government is responsible for safeguarding these lands.These sites are Pearl River, Red Water, Bogue Chitto, Standing Pine, Tucker, Conehatta and Bogue Homa. The Tribal government is headquartered in Pearl River and is the largest of these lands. The Choctaws enjoy several traditional cultural activities in addition to those provided by modern society. Their artistic output comprises of hand woven baskets made from Mississippi swamp cane, beadwork, etc. They are also famous for their dances, cooking and sewing traditional apparel. In the modern world they are active in almost all fields of scientific and commercial endeavour. In contrast to the past, when they had been relegated to the background, these people can be assumed to have become a part of the fast paced and exciting American way of life. These people are highly creative and gifted and some of their special events, which enable them to congregate as a Choctaw community in order to commemorate their tribal traditions, are the annual Choctaw Indian Fair held in the month of July in the Choctaw Indian Reservation and the spring festivals of the Choctaw communities . Works Cited Page Ferguson, Bob.Choctaw Chronology. Retrieved from http://www. choctaw. org/history/chronology. htm on October 6, 2006 Rita Laws, WAS THE AMERICAN ABORIGINAL DIET VEGETARIAN? , retrieved from www. animalvoices. org/aboriginal. htm. on 06. 10. 2006. Retrieved from http://www. choctaw. org/culture/welcome. htm on 06. 10. 2006. Team Sports. Choctaw. Retrieved from http://www. cradleboard. org/cnat/resource/choctaw. htm on October 8, 2006 Waldman, Carl. â€Å"Choctaw. † Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005.

American Education vs Asian Education Essay

In the past twenty years the United States school system has been accumulating a bit of criticism. Studies have shown that the United States has been lagging exponentially compared to almost all the industrialized countries. This specifically refers to Asian countries that are statistically blowing the U.S. out of the water. In his article â€Å"New Math-Science Study Rates U.S. Students Mediorce At Best† William S. Robinson decusses survey results after students from around the world have taken a science and math test.The survey results in the universal subject of math show us that the U.S. eighth graders have fallen behind, while the twelfth grade level showed only slight improvement.We would potentially look at these education systems as extremes of each other. Each education system being on the different side of the spectrum. Both systems having faults and advantages. Taking the positive aspects from both sides and merging them together, a harmonious education system could be established . In the article â€Å" Strengths, Weaknesses, and Lessons of Japanese Education† James Fallows tells us that in an Asian classroom students will feel an incredible amount of pressure starting from grade school and up, while U.S. teachers are too afraid to raise the bar because of potential discouragement of the student(201). In Japan, University admissions as opposed to grades earned in university, determines what kind of career you can have in Japan. Japanese students will spend most of their time studying in cram schools, unlike American students who spend most of their time socializing. A negative of the Asian school system, is the conformity that must be upheld. This achieves better education because it becomes the â€Å"thing to do†. When everybody is on the same curriculum there is no other choice but to follow the herd. While conformity creates better math students, it demises the aspect of creativity and individuality. The U.S. places a much bigger emphasis on creativity and choice. Thus providing students with opportunities that help them learn about them selves, and develop original ideas. An important characteristic that the U.S. education system lacks, is the idea of effort being directly correlated to success. In her article â€Å" Why Are U.S. Kids Poor In Math† Barbara Vobejda says that the American and  Asian mothers have a diffrent view on what determines their child’s success in school. An American mother thinks that her child’s academic achievement comes from innate ability, while an Asian mother thinks that her childs academic achievement comes from hard work and effort. An Asian mother would demand her child spends hours after school doing homework and studying. An American mother would just say that her child is not good in their subject.Vobeja says that a study has shown that Asian students spend more time in their seats than American students do. American students were out of their seats 21 percent of time, compared to Chinese and Japanese students who were out of their seats 2 percent of the time. Though the American student may think that they work hard, we find that the Asian student is at a much greater level of pressure. As we saw in the previous passage, serious pressure is put on the Asian student. In further examination of the article â€Å"Japan’s School System†, a supporter of the catalytic pressure theme, we find many contrasts to the U.S. views of putting pressure on students . Japanese students attend school six days a week. The school year consists of 220 days compared to the 180 days in the U.S. A third grade Japanese school week consists of eight hours of Japanese, five of arithmetic, three of science, social studies and physical education, two hours of music and art. For an U.S. student this might seem like hell. Yet the only reason this might seem like to much pressure, is because we are judging their system with an ethnocentric point of view. Japanese students think it’s quite OK. Humans are a very dynamic and adept species. We always look at things from our conditioned point of view. Thus, if pressure is increased on the U.S. students, the only ones who would have any complaints are current students. Being dynamic and adept, they too would be able to fulfill the new requirements asked of them. The eastern ideas of pressure could be used as a catalyst for results in the U.S. While as much as we are in need of more pressure on the students, we must retain the creative individual factor at all costs. We are not machines that have identical downloaded brains. In the article â€Å"We Should Cherish our Children’s Freedom To Think†, Kie Ho provides a critical question. He asks, â€Å"If American education is so tragically inferior, why is it that this is  still the country of innovation?† Looking back at the regular Japanese school week, we find that not much attention is brought to music or art. Creativity forms individuality, expression of ideas, and self-fulfillment. This could ruin all the conformity and control of ideas in the Asian student. Our Asian friends could never have that happen now could they. Ho provides an example of an U.S. student taking a role of Lyndon Johnson and debating a student in the role of Ho Chi Minh. An Asian student would never be given a chance to look at things from a different point of view. In all their mathematical glory they have missed the essential human need to express individuality. Most likely that is done with intent. While many Americans yell and scream about their children’s math abilities, they have overlooked the fact why most immigrants come here. This fact is freedom. Which would not be possible without all the creative outlets provided by our school system. In merging these two fundamental ideas of both of the education systems, many new positive effects are felt by the students. An increase of pressure to motivate and accelerate education. The development of ideas and creative outlets, which lead to self-discovery and formation of original and innovative ideas which, fuel our nation. This guarantees freedom and a mind to use it. Americans complain about the core subject of education. That will change with a harder curriculum and more emphasis being placed on effort. We will also continue providing our students with individuality. Asian education can also see positive effects from the development of choice and move away from conformity. The students who do cannot or will not participate in the hard curriculum will now have a choice to develop their creative side. These changes will be hard to make. U.S. students adjusting to a faster harder education. Asians might start to loose control of the masses. In the end it will be beneficial fo r both.

Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Economic - Essay Example 3 2.0 Economic Rationale behind Oligopolistic Behaviour in Banking Sector 4 3.0 Implications of an Oligopolistic Banking Sector on Consumers 7 4.0 Situation with the Australian Banking Sector 9 5.0 Conclusion 9 References 10 1.0 Introduction An oligopolistic market structure is characterised by a few sellers in the market but a large number of buyers. These contending firms are highly interdependent upon each other to strengthen their market status and hence, frame schemes to facilitate the same. Some of the commonest strategies include competition on prices and quantities being marketed by the firms1. In addition to competing with their peers, the firms also assume the role of creating artificial barriers, in the form of hefty license fees, to prevent the entry of potential competitors within the industry to restrict the number of market players. Such artificial regulations might be beneficial for the existing firms in the business though the purchasers always end up at the worse si de of things as lack of ample competition reduces the degree of consumer surplus that they could have enjoyed. The present paper takes up the case of the banking sector and attempts to emphasise the implications of oligopolistic market structure on bank customers. ... king sector to build an oligopolistic market framework; there are special references to empirical evidences from different nations in this regard as well. The third section is an illustration of the implication that an oligopolistic banking sector is likely to have over the residents of a nation. The fourth section depicts the situation in Australia where nationals have been immensely protesting against the oligopolistic banking sector and finally the last section summarises the contents of the entire paper. 2.0 Economic Rationale behind Oligopolistic Behaviour in Banking Sector A few advantages based on the economics of business are the reasons why firms tend to operate as an oligopolistic market. Those very factors could be applied to the banking sector as the reasons why the industry chooses to operate under such environment. Firstly, oligopolistic market structure makes room for economies of scale which associates huge amount of profit with each operating unit, owing to reduced a verage cost of production as the diagram alongside depicts. As the diagram shows, the average cost of production falls with rise in the quantity produced, though this reduction does not continue for very high quantities. The point where the combination of cost and quantity to be produced is found to be the optimal, i.e., highest production at the lowest cost, is the chosen one by the sellers. In the above diagram, this point coincides with E1 where the quantity to be produced is Q1 and the associated average cost is the lowest at AC1. This is one of the reasons why the larger existing firms restrict new entrants from moving into the industry. The smaller firms in the industry are often acquired by the larger to clear their path towards experiencing economies of scale. This in fact had been

University of Washington Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

University of Washington - Personal Statement Example I did enjoy UCLA at first, but after a while I realized that I was not progressing as I had hoped for. The architectural program at UCLA is limited somewhat due to the fact that the university focuses on other areas of study. In order to grow and expand, I need to study at an institution where the focus will be on improving the knowledge of the students and equipping them with the tools required to succeed. 2. The University of Washington will assist me by providing me with a strong foundation from which to expand my knowledge in the area of architecture. I have always been an artistic person, and I have held a love of architecture from since I was very young. The University of Washington will provide me with a learning environment that is conducive to my well-being and academic pursuits. Creativity is an important part of architecture, and I feel that this institution will not stifle my ambition and instead assist me to achieve all of my professional goals that I have set out for myself. Additionally, I hope that the University of Washington will help me to develop on a personal level as well. Most education institutions are focused on the academic abilities of students, but the reality is that the personal well-being of students should be just as important. This is the reason why I am looking for something a little bit more than just a solid education. It is my hope that the Universi ty of Washington will be a place where I can flourish and fulfill the potential that I have had in the field of architecture since I was a young child. 3. As I have mentioned previously, my first experience of architecture was in Indonesia when I was younger. Although I had an intense passion for architecture, I could not progress within this field while still at an Indonesian school. I was still very young when my parents made the bold move to send me to an international school. The benefits to this

Optional Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

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Information Searches Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Information Searches - Research Paper Example Some of the purchases that entail low involvement decisions are made without any previous though or planning and involve impulse buying. Medium involvement involves limited problem solving where the consumers already have some information about a good or a service and the continue searching for more information.Most of high involvementpurchases are not often purchased but are very vital to the consumer. Marketers should provide enough information concerning the attributes of the product. The marketers should also consider pricing their products in a manner that will entice the consumers into making a purchase decision. Medium involvement is the kind of involvement that falls between high involvement and low involvement purchasing decisions. This kind of medium involvement involves limited problem solving where the consumers already have some information about a good or a service and the continue searching for more information. High involvement purchases involve a lot of risks to the buyers if at all they fail and they are complex in nature and have high price tags. Some of the examples of high involvement purchases include a house, a car and insurance policy. Most of these purchases are not often purchased but are very vital to the consumer. While making a purchase decision, a buyer engages in an extended problem solving where they take a lot of time comparing different features, i.e. the feature of the prices, products and warranties. Every marketer has to analyze and consider the buying behavior of the customers therefore before making any decision; one has to consider the consumer’s level of involvement so as to come up with the sales strategy. As in the case of low involvement purchases, the marketers should use sales and promotion as a strategy since this will spur them into making purchase decisions. As discussed earlier, low involvement purchasers always make impulse buying therefore appealing sales promotions motivates them to buy more of the com pany’s products and services. Furthermore, the use of sales promotions like use of coupons can reach may customers at the same time therefore spurring into making a purchase decision. On the other hand, the marketers should also consider pricing their products in a manner that will entice the consumers into making a purchase decision. The company should also ensure that are low involving are available in most outlets as much as possible For, the case of medium involvement purchasers, most of them are considering the alternatives of the products. Understanding the choices made by this group assists the marketers in coming up with a sales strategy. Medium involvement consumers are in the third stage of evaluation of the alternatives before a purchase decision. The marketers should provide enough information about the product and its attributes. They should provide more of the advantages of the product or a service so as to entice the consumer into making a purchase decision. Th e customers who fall into the category of high involvement should be handled with a lot of care since they tend to make more and lengthy decisions before making a purchase. Since any purchase made by consumer requires extensive information, marketers should develop a strategy that is tailor made for this group. For example, when it comes into buying a car, the marketer must employ in broad problem solving techniques and also be willing to consider different types of brands. Since buying a car involve high involvement, brand name is very important for them. This is the reason as to why most of the manufacturers of those goods that require high involvement decisions cannot become satisfied about the value of their brands and

Global HRM (BUS 303) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Global HRM (BUS 303) - Essay Example This impacts the HR planning in the domain of cultural diversity and cross cultural dimensions because the workforce in today’s world is highly consist of culturally diverse employees (Brewster and Harris). The implications of HRM in the context of Hoftede’s model of cultural dimensions become vast in the domain of humanistic and cultural diversity. The HRM managers are required to have knowledge regarding to every culture which exist in the workforce of organization including individualism and collectivism, power distance, orientation and gender dominance (Brewster and Harris). In Trompenaars’ model, several differences are illuminated in order to create a balance in the workforce which is the responsibility of HRM (Youssef). These differences include universalism and particularism, individualism and collectivism, specific and diffused, and inner directed and outer directed which varies from culture to culture. HRM managers in the international context must acknowledge these differences on certain circumstances in concordance with the culturally diverse workforce (Brewster and Harris). The GLOBE model proposes several cultural aspects which must be understood by international HRM managers and HR planning. These aspects include diversity in humane orientation, assertiveness, avoidance of uncertainty and performance orientation (Brewster and Harris). International HRM is the contemporary issue which mainly deals with the cultural aspects because of the incorporation of cross cultural workforce. Cultural studies and models must be implied by each HRM manager in conformity with the culture of its workforce by which the deliverance of successful HRM can be