Q2, Chapters 4 & 5
According to Chapter four, how has Native American Religion become a commodity? What does Sutler-Cohen mean when she says “You can own Grandmas songs”? Is there a cost to both native and non-native communities as a result of the practice of corporate Shamanism? Please be specific and cite examples from the reading.

Native American religion has become a commodity due to the fact that Neo-Shamans are more focused on giving a presentation and making a profit rather than the spiritual aspects of Native American religion. According to Cohen, “It is my belief that Westernized religion in general has become a commodity almost ad hoc in North America. It is a potential money making industry, and anyone can take part”. She
Nelson points out that “Stories span from the sacred to the profane, from before the worlds to today, from the individual to the tribal, from the human to the more-than-human. This ability to traverse such vast metaphorical territory in daily conversation is one of the most exciting aspects of verbal exchange within Native American communities”. According to Nelson the challenges with using the word “traditional” because it ties into the modern day issue a lot of natives have with identity. Nelson asks the question, “Is it accurate, appropriate, or ethical to define a “traditional American Indian Identity”? According to whose criteria? Which tribe or Era? Is describing an essential Indianness different from enforcing stereotypical notion of primitiveness?”
Chapters 8 & 9, Q4
According to chapter 8 how are Mexican Americans/Chicanos still challenged by being in the US but being descendants of ancestors from Mexico? Why do you think Alarcon used the term in the “Tracks of the Native Woman? Do you think Latinos should be counted as Native Americans on the US census? Why or why not?

The challenge that Mexican Americans in the United States is the mere displacement of not being seen as fully American in their own communities here at home. Due to their physical appearance they are seen and considered to be Latin. When they go to Mexico or are in a Mexican community they are not seen as fully Mexican and are treated similarly than they are in their own