Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto

Definition

Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto is a seminal work of Native American literature and activism, written by Vine Deloria Jr. in 1969. The book serves as a critical examination of the relationship between Native American tribes and the anthropological field, challenging the objectification and misrepresentation of indigenous peoples by academic researchers. The term connects to the topics of 19.2 Colonization and Anthropology by exploring how the discipline of anthropology has historically been complicit in the colonization and subjugation of Native American communities, often through the appropriation and distortion of their cultures, traditions, and histories.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Vine Deloria Jr. was a prominent Native American scholar, author, and activist who played a key role in the American Indian Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
2. The book 'Custer Died for Your Sins' is a scathing critique of the anthropological establishment, accusing it of perpetuating harmful stereotypes and undermining the sovereignty of Native American tribes.
3. Deloria argued that anthropologists often treated Native Americans as objects of study, rather than as living, breathing people with their own cultures, beliefs, and political aspirations.
4. The book's title is a reference to the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn, where General George Custer and his troops were defeated by a coalition of Native American tribes, a victory that Deloria saw as a symbolic triumph for indigenous peoples.
5. Custer Died for Your Sins is widely regarded as a seminal work that helped to catalyze the Native American rights movement and the decolonization of the anthropological discipline.

Review Questions

• Explain how Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto challenged the relationship between Native American tribes and the field of anthropology.
  • In Custer Died for Your Sins, Vine Deloria Jr. argued that the anthropological establishment had long objectified and misrepresented Native American cultures, treating them as static, primitive societies rather than recognizing their dynamic, living traditions. Deloria accused anthropologists of being complicit in the colonization and subjugation of indigenous peoples, often through the appropriation and distortion of their histories and beliefs. The book served as a rallying cry for the decolonization of anthropology, calling for the inclusion of native voices and the recognition of indigenous sovereignty in the discipline.
• Describe the significance of the book's title and its connection to the broader themes of the work.
  • The title of Custer Died for Your Sins is a direct reference to the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn, where a coalition of Native American tribes, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, defeated General George Custer and his troops. Deloria saw this victory as a symbolic triumph for indigenous peoples, who had long been subjected to the colonization and subjugation of the United States government and the anthropological establishment. The title reflects Deloria's belief that the sacrifices and struggles of Native Americans had been exploited and misrepresented by outsiders, and that it was time for a new, more empowered narrative to emerge from within the Native American community.
• Analyze how Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto contributed to the broader Native American rights movement and the decolonization of anthropology.
  • Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto was a seminal work that helped to catalyze the Native American rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s. By challenging the objectification and misrepresentation of indigenous peoples by anthropologists, Deloria's book played a key role in the decolonization of the discipline, calling for the inclusion of native voices and the recognition of indigenous sovereignty. The book's critical examination of the relationship between Native Americans and the academic establishment resonated with a broader movement for self-determination and cultural preservation, empowering indigenous communities to assert their own narratives and resist the imposition of external, colonial frameworks. Custer Died for Your Sins thus became a touchstone for the broader struggle for Native American rights and the reclamation of indigenous identity and agency.

Related terms

Anthropological Objectification: The tendency of anthropologists to treat indigenous cultures as objects of study, rather than as living, dynamic societies with their own agency and perspectives.

Decolonization of Anthropology: The movement to reform anthropology and address its colonial legacies, including the recognition of indigenous knowledge and the inclusion of native voices in research and representation.

Native American Sovereignty: The inherent right of Native American tribes to self-govern and determine the course of their own communities, free from external interference or control.