Part 1 Summary and Analysis

"Indians Today, the Real and the Unreal"

In the first section of this essay, the author comments ironically on white people's contemporary (to 1969) perceptions of Indians - for example, how many white people claim the glamor of a female Indian ancestor and how easily whites come to know Indians (see "Quotes," Part 1, p. 5). He also points out some interesting facts about Indian history (i.e., scalping was invented by whites - see "Quotes," p. 7), and how whites came to regard Indians as people (rather than savages) once it was realized that Indians were in control of much valuable land. Finally, for the first of several times in the book, he contrasts the experiences of Blacks and Indians in America (see Themes - Parallels and Differences between Indians and Blacks" and "Quotes," p. 8).

The author then defines the nature of the political...