The experiences of invasion, domination, prejudice and the utterly overwhelming numbers of non-Indian Americans have made cultural differences obvious to most Indian Americans. Unfortunately, many Indians have been taught to devalue their culture, and therefore, to devalue themselves. The dominant culture has often either assumed that differences were weaknesses or has been blind to differences altogether. The melting pot , once a democratic ideal, has become a sort of cultural tyranny imposed on ethnic peoples by the mainstream majority. The most tragic aspect of this is that many ethnic people, Indian included, have come to fudge themselves by this narrow and biased yardstick.
Many Indian people experience an identity crisis.
Many old ways have been lost. Others have been threatened or at times even outlawed. Indian children are often given ambivalent messages by their own people as well as by mainstream society. They are told to follow the old ways, but also to learn the white ways. They may be told to get an education, but not be encouraged to study.