Blog Post 5

In the article “Body Painting,” published in PSA Journal, the author Ayman Lofty discusses the body art and how it's represented in photos. He also states how tattoos became "an expression of people's loves, a symbol or even an image of what they really liked, recorded on their own bodies," (Pg. 1). Body art started a long time ago when ancient people started painting on their bodies and faces as apart of their culture. Body art became a big interest of photographers. They used it for creative shooting because the way the paint looked on the body exposed and represented all of the different cultures and live styles of people. Artists who specialize in body painting found different techniques that could be used on the human body to represent creative ideas. That is how body painting changed from celebrative art to creative art. A major issue is that photography is thought of as more of a way to document memories than as an artistic tool. Modern body painting has reduced the gap between photography and body painting which caused people to understand photography's used of the art line. One photographer merged both arts together. He used his model's body as a canvas to achieve the ideal image. A small spotlight is used to capture the emotion in the body paintings. The Egyptian Minister of Culture and the head of the Fine Art Sector in Egypt has shown extreme admiration body art and requested an exhibition for the photographs to represent the different nations around the world.

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I think body art is really cool, mostly if it involves one's culture. Us Americans mostly get a tattoo because it looks cool or actually has a meaning to us. People around the world mark their bodies in different ways to represent how they are as a person or to represent their culture. All of the different types of body arts around the world fascinates me. It's really cool how certain designs represent a certain culture or expresses how a person feels. A lot of people use body painting instead of tattooing to show their culture. It's really cool how the photographers use body painting as symbols for their photos. They design the body paintings to express certain emotions in the pictures. It makes everything very dramatic, especially with the way they use their lighting.

Blog Post 4

In the article, "DESTROYING A Culture," published in Cobblestone, the author Pauline Bickford-Duane explains how then U.S. government destroyed the Native American culture. They spent nearly 100 years trying to develop a policy that worked and crafted more than 400 agreements with the natives. In 1871, most natives were restricted to life on one, large reservation. Senator Henry L. Dawes suggested breaking up reservation land into smaller sections. That was an effort hoping to make native people accustomed to living more like American families. The Dawes Act forced Native Americans to adopt American customs, language, and clothing. Congress claimed that The Dawes Act protected native property rights, but cut native acreage by 56%. After being forced into boarding schools, many Native American children died after being exposed to diseases they weren't immunized for. They were assigned American names, and given western-styled clothing to wear. Their cultural long hair was forbidden in the schools. The children were punished for speaking their native language or practicing native traditions. Administrators were hoping Native American children would forget their native culture and adopt the America culture. The Meriam Report exposed terrible conditions that were happening at the boarding schools. The Indian Reorganization Act grants rights to the Native Americans, including control of their land. The first 20 years the act was passed, the Native Americans reclaimed more than 2 million acres. Many people are still having seconds thoughts about the effectiveness of The Indian Reorganization Act.

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Indian boarding schools are cruel. How would Americans like to be forced into Indian schools and forced to learn Indian cultures. Every one should be able to live with their own culture. They should be able to believe in what they do and live how they  want. No one should be punished for what their family has taught them to believe. Americans are very cruel to any culture except their own. Not every one knows the American culture; especially the people that migrate to the U.S.

Blog Post 3

In the article, "Rule of the Headhunters," published in Newsweek, the author Maggie Ford explains the savage return to tribal warfare in Borneo. In Borneo, mobs of young men set out with machetes and spears brutally killed many immigrants. The mobs swarmed through the streets with Madurese heads on sticks. Mothers protected their children by stuffing rags in their mouths to prevent the attraction of the headhunters. "Indonesia has been rocked by bloody ethnic clashes in the recent weeks, and many people blame former president Suharto and his policy of 'transmigration,'" (Pg. 1). The reason was the policy was to help the poor from crowded islands and moving them to Borneo, where there was more space for them. The largest tribe in Borneo was the Dayaks; they declared war and killed 1,000 Madurese. There was a disagreement between a bus driver and a migrant that had escalated, leaving 165 dead before it settled down. They received a new president that wanted to ease the tension by ridding of Suharto's rule.

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We have tons of immigrants in the United States. I couldn't imagine murdering them! They came here for a better living and a chance. They deserve that just as much as we do. Just cause they're poor, doesn't mean they are any different than us. Everyone is equal in my eyes. We all deserve to be somebody, someday.