Indigenous Community of America (Essay Sample)
We are all connected to Indigenous communities of the Americas, as residents of the lands inhabited by Native peoples, and for some, even as the descendants of people from the Americas. Your role will be to investigate an indigenous community of the Americas, explore its history and your connection to it, and to reflect on that community today.
Step 1: Decide on the Native Community that will be your living connection
If you have no clue, that's OK. Check on this website and review: https://native-land.ca (Links to an external site.)
Figure out what group might be your connection
If you have not already done this, you may have to ask your family questions about your heritage. If you come from several Native communities, you will have to decide on one of them so you may focus. If your family does not know your heritage, then do research on the region your family comes from to develop a theory about the likely Native peoples of that area
If you have no known Indigenous heritage to claim, then you can ask a friend, relative, or co-worker if they can help you will the assignment and share their history with you
Or you may explore the heritage of this region of Los Angeles, which is Tongva. Ideally, you will also speak to someone from that Native community as well
Step 2: Collecting Information for Context (minimum 2-3 pages)
You will have to find:
Geographic information
Information about the history of this community from a minimum of two legitimate sources (at least one should be a journal, scholarly journal, or other substantive article) for background information
This should include at least one article about the modern, current status of that Native community
Your sources should provide context:
What are the ancient, historical origins of this native community?
Where are they geographically? Find them on a map. What are the challenges and advantages of that location?
What is known about their early culture and history? For example, evidence of civilization, spiritual traditions, practices, architecture, art, food, language, technology, trade networks, livelihood, etc.
Step 3: Your connection (minimum 1-2 pages)
What is your connection to this community?
Were you aware of this community or this connection before this assignment? Why or why not?
What is the current status of that Native community today? Are they thriving? Are they struggling? Why?
Step 4: Visual, Cultural, Artistic, Musical Connections
Provide a modern reflection of this culture today. You may also create one that inspired you as you studied this community. You may provide photos, images, objects, poetry, art, music---whatever form inspires you about this culture.
Final completed Written Assignment is due on Canvas by midnight by Sunday December 19th. Should be minimum 5 pages long, with a Works Cited page listing your sources.
Student's Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Indigenous Community (Oaxaca)
Geographic Information
The state of Oaxaca is situated in southern Mexico, where the Eastern and Southern Sierra Madre mountain ranges meet. Veracruz (on the north and northeast), Guerrero (on the west), Chiapas (on the east), and Puebla (on the north) share shared boundaries with Oaxaca (on the east). On the south, Oaxaca shares an extensive coastline with the Pacific Ocean. Oaxaca is Mexico's fifth-largest state, covering 93,757 square kilometers (36,200 square miles), or 4.8 percent of the country's total land area. Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora, and Durango are the only states that are bigger than Oaxaca. The State of Oaxaca is organized into 570 municipios on a political level (Lemert, 289). The 570 municipios, on the other hand, are organized into 30 districts, while the state is grouped into eight geographical areas. Oaxaca, Mexico's fifth-largest state, is marked by sizeable geographic division. In reality, three mountain ranges span Oaxaca, accounting for 81.62 percent of the state's land area. Between the mountains are small canyons and muddy river valleys (Lemert, 290). Only approximately 9% of Oaxaca's surface area is exploitable, which indicates why the economy's Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting segment accounts for only 6.3 percent of the state's GDP.
Challenges And Advantages Of That Location
Challenges
Oaxaca is one of Mexico's poorest regions, with a complicated socio-economic climate. It is positioned in Mexico's southeast area and is the nation's third most economically marginalized region, barely ahead of Chiapas and Guerrero (Martin et al.). The state's GDP per capita is approximately $4,500, only 44% of the national average.
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