FREE ESSAY ON DANCES WITH WOLVES

DANCES WITH WOLVES

Dance With Wolves
In reality, Native American Life doesn't differ from our life as much as people believe.
When compared the beliefs and customs are somewhat similar. Native Americans have tribes
in which determine their place in life, we have social classes which determine the people
whom we interact. Many thought the Native Americans were different because they had
different customs or rituals, but we actually take after the Native Americans in our own
different freedoms of religion and beliefs. When the two different groups are actually
compared in detail the results are fascinatingly similar. 
GOVERNMENT
In the Native American ruling system there is a leader which everyone acknowledges as the
chief and commander in charge. The people of the tribe confer with him on important
decisions, which involve the tribes well being, and they propose ideas to him, which he
in turn grants. The tribe refers to him as the wise man and put their lives in his hands.
Ten-bear in Dances With Wolves was the governing body of the Sioux. The people of the
tribe put all of their faith in him and always looked to him for the answers. This idea
is similar to that of a president in our society. The people of the United States look to
the president for the permission to pass new ideas and laws for the people. They also
trust him to protect them from other groups or "tribes." In many ways the two systems of
government were improved with the knowledge from each other.
RELIGION 
Native Americans believe in many different spirits. The people of the Sioux participated
in special ceremonies, which included dances in request for rain, food, and wisdom. The
people believed if they participated in this the spirits would hear their cry and praise
them with the object requested. Many different tribes danced for many different reasons.
This resembles a normal church service, in which we go and pray for wisdom and strength
or even miracles. In our society we also people praying for things in many different
places of worship just like the different tribes.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
In a typical Native American family the men were in charge of the hunting, building, and
the involvement in tribal meetings and the head of the family. In Dances With Wolves, the
men are the only ones present at the meetings with the leader, Ten-bear. The women were
in charge of the gathering and preparation of the meals, taking care of the children, and
satisfying the husbands needs. The children just listened to their parents requests but
were required to help do work and mature at an early age. In our society men are still
considered the head of the household, but women also compete for job roles with the same
prestige of the males. The women traditionally still do the cooking, cleaning. And take
care of the children. Children are not required to mature as quickly, but are expected to
take on a considerable amount of responsibility.
CULTURE-CUSTOMS 
The members of the tribe all live in identical teepees, dresses in uniform hides and all
had the same place in life except for the leaders of the tribes. They used horses as
transportation and ate fish, buffalo, and plants. They used berries and plants to paint
their skin and feathers for special headdresses for rituals. They used arrows made form
stone for hunting and bows made from wood. When the buffalo became scarce, in the area
which they were living, the tribe would pack up and move on to a new area where they
could live once again off the fat of the land like in Dances With Wolves. In our society
we all live in different houses none identical. We all look different from the vast
amount of clothes present. We have many different forms of transportation and eat a
variety of different foods. Our culture is much more advanced than that of the Native
Americans. We use computers for everything and rely on technology for our everyday needs.