The very first thing to catch my attention was Norma Wolfcheek’s outfit. I was pleased to see that she had to decided to wear traditional Native American clothing, as I know that outfit is obviously not something she wears every day. I enjoyed hearing her talk about all the different aspects of the outfit. I was shocked by the otter skins hanging around her neck and that the dress was made of processed elk. I had kind of expected those items to be fuax or made of synthetic materials, but it makes sense that they are made from authentic materials that Norma’s ancestors had once used. I was also impressed and shocked to hear that all of her outfit was handmade and nearly 34 pounds. It was almost hard to believe that all of the hand beading on her outfit was done by a 60-year-old woman in her tribe.
I really appreciated how Norma spoke to the audience. She was a good speaker. She was steady and concise. Her personal stories about her mother and other tribe members mixed in well with her message that she was…show more content… Our society does such an excellent job of keeping history hidden that I was completely oblivious. Obviously I was aware there was brutality against Native Americans, but nothing to extent of Sand Creek Massacre. It is crazy how the majority of American students could probably go in to detail about the Holocaust, but if you asked those same students about the Sand Creek Massacre they would give you blank stares. I’m surprised by the willingness of the United States to cover a massacre of Native Americans up. I’m surprised that it has taken so long and so much effort just to get a simple monument in place that has the correct wording of “Sand Creek Massacre” and not “Battle of Sand Creek.” I’m surprised that anyone would ever call a sneak attack ambush a “battle.” I’m really surprised and let down by my high school AP US History teacher for not covering Native American brutality in the