I find this subject interesting because it was never really taught to me growing up and I was fair in history class. There have been a string of recent documentaries talking about the assimilation of natives to "white" or American culture. I have a new outlook now I dare not hesitate to believe I have some Native American in the blood, as it was always a rumor which my grandmother perpetuated. I just wonder what tribe.
There were five tribes known as the "Five Civilized Tribes" because they assimilated well and willingly, these were the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw and Choctaw.
In Argentina, some militant groups specially among the Mapuche, has starting campaings on rebuild their original lifestyle. This include systematic teaching and encouraging everyday use of their original languages, as well as "re-conversion" of many people to their original beliefs, in many cases expelling catholic and other christian missionaries and preachers. While i find this possitive, some extremist positions rejects EVERYTHING that cames from Europe, including medicine and technology. However, many others has adapted to the circumstances, for example there is a lot of natives that has studied law to better defend the rights of their communites, or healers that had learned european medicine and combine it with their traditional practices.
My aunt recently advised me that on my grand mother's side of the family whose Irish father is "part Indian" (who as the story goes was refused from "white bars" because he looked "Indian") were involved in opening a school for Indian children. This was info my uncle acquired while investigating our Irish heritage. I'm hoping we'll learn more at some point in the future. I have seen his photographs, they're black and white they're so old. He has dark curly hair and eyes a long nose and mustache not entirely Native or Irish traits, but what is typically called "Black-Irish" which is basically anything that isn't "Red-Irish" (as in red hair/fair skin) heh.. and comes with plenty of its own myths, such as the Lost Spanish Armada.
