In the narrative "Story of the Pigeon's Egg Head", Wi-jun-jon (Pigeon's Egg Head), a proud Assinneboin warrior, has undergone a drastic change ever since he took a trip down to Washington. He leaves as a proud, dignified warrior and returns as a reformed "civilized" person, influenced by Western culture. The new Wi-jun-jon, however, is looked at as a disgrace by his own people and his return is met with untrustworthiness, which ultimately leads to his demise. The story of the deterioration of Wi-jun-jon's relationship with his people, after returning from Washington, represents the culture clash between Native Americans and whites that will escalate to conflict.
Wi-jun-jon's drastic change is notable by his two paintings, by George Catlin. The left painting shows Wi-jun-jon in his Assinneboin warrior dress complete with quiver, bow and shield. He is adorned by locks of scalps from his fallen enemies and war eagle's plumes. The right painting shows Wi-jun-jon dressed "in a full suit of regimentals,"[1] complete with a broad sword, bottles of wine, and a high-crowned beaver hat harboring a two foot high red feather. The left painting represents the Native American way of life; simple, bound by honor, consisting of religious as well as spiritual events, while the right painting shows how the Native American culture and way of life has vanished after contact with the whites, replaced with western culture.
In response to the gradual eradication of their culture, Native Americans have tried to halt it. For example, when Wi-jun-jon tells his people about Washington, the Assinneboins disgrace Wi-jun-jon by stating that "he has been among the whites, who are great liars, and all he has learned is to come here and tell lies."[1] It is obvious from this quote that the Assinneboins haven't seen or experienced western culture, and it could also mean that they want no part of that culture. What the Assinneboins see in Wi-jun-jon is a man who has given up his way of life, his culture, thus he can no longer be viewed as one of the Assinneboins.
The clash of Native American and western culture will eventually lead to conflict. This can be seen when Wi-jun-jon is killed by one of his own people. Another example is the pan-Indian resistance movement. The message of this movement was that "white encroachment had to be stopped and tribal and clan divisions submerged in a return to native rituals and belief systems."[2] Initially intended to be a peace movement, it turned bloody after Harrison, governor of the Indiana territories, sent an army to "quell" the movement. The "Story of the Pigeon's Egg Head" as well as events such as the pan-Indian resistance movement, foreshadow the future treatment of Native Americans by the whites as they continue to take over Native American land.
Works Cited:
1: The narrative "Story of the Pigeon's Egg Head."
2: Abbott, C., Anderson, V., Argersinger, J., Argersinger, P., Barney, W., Goldfield, D., Weir, R. The American Journey: A History of the United States. Page. 246-247. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.
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