When considering the relations between North American tribes and European colonizers, and later the U.S., there is a clear trend of cultural, societal and environmental destruction. The implications of European domination continue to present challenges for tribes today. While tribes, like the Quileute, continue to fight for their rights, their resilience does not remove the historical and modern realities of European colonization and the impacts the U.S. policies of domination and assimilation.
One notable impact was the the compulsion of the English language, particularly in boarding schools for Native children. While there are many noteworthy impacts, the loss of language is crucial as it is a key aspect of individual identity. Additionally, language solidifies the bonds between people and strengthens societal unity.
As discussed in previous posts, these schools forced Native children to forsake their languages and speak English instead. Boarding schools for Native children became prevalent in the U.S. between 1860-80s, according to the American Indian Relief Council. While this was certainly a long time ago, it wasn’t until 1978 when the U.S. government passed The Indian Child Welfare Act that the parental rights of Indigenous peoples were officially established and protected by the U.S. government. Consequently, the long history of U.S. control over Native lives has had a devastating impact, particularly the loss of traditional languages as generations of children were removed from their homes and mandated to adopt a foreign language. While cultural revitalization projects, including the resurrection of Native languages, present a positive outlook for the future, it’s important to address the cultural destruction resulting from U.S. domination. As noted by Quileute Nation, native languages have been on a drastic decline (“The Quileute Language”). As a response, in 2007 the tribe enacted a revitalization project to restore and preserve the Quileute language.
While the Quileute tribe has taken action to alleviate the effects of cultural destruction, environmental destruction is also an important issue for the tribe. According to “Environmental Programs” on the tribes website, from 1994 to present day, the tribe has engaged in several major projects dedicated to environmental protection and restoration. For example, the tribe has continually worked to protect the salmon population and other natural resources from environmental degradation. In many of these projects, the tribe worked with federal and state governments. In my view, this is significant because the Quileute tribe, like many other North American tribes, continue to work to alleviate the past and current impacts of European colonization, such as environmental degradation due to industrial development. Despite the historical reality that Native tribes were subject to U.S. domination, many tribes like the Quileute tribe are working to cooperate with the U.S., while maintaining their sovereignty, in order to protect the environment.
References
Quileute Tribe:
“Environmental Programs.” Quileute Nation, https://quileutenation.org/natural-resources/environmental-programs/
“The Quileute Language.” Quileute Nation, https://quileutenation.org/language/
External Sources:
“Indian Child Welfare Act.” Indian Child Welfare Act Resources, http://www.tribal-institute.org/lists/icwa.htm
“Native American History and Culture: Boarding Schools.” Native Partnership , American Indian Relief Council , http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=airc_hist_boardingschools.
CJ Research: The Quileute Tribe of NA 