A300, American History I, Spring 2008 (Prof. Konstantin Dierks)

Silverblatt, Irene, Modern Inquisitions: Peru and the Colonial Origins of the Civilized World (Durham: Duke University Press, 2004), pp. 187-213 (“Becoming Indian”).

Richter, Daniel K., Facing East from Indian Country: A Native History of Early America (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001), pp. 69-109 (Ch. 4).

In this chapter Irene Silverblatt examines how indigenous peoples in Peru began to think of themselves as "Indian" -- in other words, to think of themselves using the social categories of their oppressors, rather than their traditional categories for themselves (e.g,. ayllus).  She roots this pan-Andean identity in imperial Incan history prior to imperial Spanish history, but she argues that the process of becoming "Indian" intensified with the experience of colonial rule.  In other words, some of the notion of "Indian" identity came from the Spanish, but some of it also came from Incas and other indigenous groups.  You'll want to sort out the difference between imperial motivations and indigenous motivations -- why did the "Indians" use the category of "Indian"?

Like Silverblatt, Daniel Richter faces serious obstacles of a shortage of evidence from which to reconstruct and analyze the Native American perspective on early modern history.  Like Silverblatt, too, Richter tells a complicated story about three Native American case studies (Pocahontas in Virginia, Tekakwitha in New York, and Metacom in New England), none of whom was ever some kind of pure "Indian" whose life was not already predicated on encounters and accommodation with "other" people, including Europeans.  Richter is trying to correct our usual historical narratives; he insists that Native Americans had already experienced processes of cultural accommodation before they encountered Europeans.  In other words, such accommodation was a longstanding cultural practice and survival strategy, and it was NOT some kind of self-erasing assimilation into European culture because European culture was so fabulous.  Moreover, there is no such thing in Richter's account of some kind of pure, pre-existing "Indian."  He demonstrates a longstanding practice of cultural accommodation, as well as strategic choices on the part of Native Americans -- like Europeans, they were always becoming something.

What I want you to do is to mix some of Silverblatt's analysis into Richter's case study, because Silverblatt adds to the sense of strategic choices available -- i.e., one could become "Indian" by striving towards either purity or impurity.  It is precisely because this may be counterintuitive that it is important to grapple with -- especially as it helps us not fall into the trap of inaccurately simplifying our modern world.

So, the central question for you to address is:  What cultural strategies did Native Americans in 17th-century North America (Virginia, New York, and New England) use to become "Indian" by choice?  (Remember, the category of "Indian" was never pure.)

You will want to organize your idea to lay out the various cultural strategies identified by Silverblatt and Richter, and then assess how each one contributes to the process of becoming -- of fortifying "Indian" identity.  I think you'll find that Silverblatt's analysis will help you understand the stakes better for Richter's three case studies.

There is no single right or wrong answer to this question.  Rather, you will be evaluated on your ability to develop a forceful yet nuanced argument in response to the question, to select main themes to organize your analysis, and to provide specific evidence from Silverblatt and Richter, and your lecture notes, to substantiate your argument and analysis throughout the paper.

Be sure to footnote the precise source of any quotations, derivative ideas, or uncommon facts.  See the course website for other guidelines and resources about writing papers.

Sample endnotes/footnotes:
1. Silverblatt, p. 194.
2.  Richter, p. 76.