Thus he equates rituals, customs, and beliefs as being the very essence of Native American identity. Vine DeLoria mockingly blames this purgatory on Native American's supposed propensity to drink alcohol. As told, traditional identities can have problematic implications for modern Native Americans. Traditions can also signify, especially to non-Indians, the mythic past of feathers and tipis. Marie Mauze describes a present-day Native American community that is socially stratified in terms of economic status.
Some inhabitants own fancy, fishing boats pulled by brand new pickup trucks.
They watch sports on television, vacation in Hawaii, and eat out in fancy, white restaurants. When I visit The Interpretive Center at Cahokia Mounds, I see the lifeless diorama of Mississippian peoples who are preserved in time. One does not even know by what name they chose to call themselves because that aspect, like many aspects of their culture and identity, was not recorded. Many questions still remain unanswered about the identity of those people whose empire thrived hundreds of years ago, practically in our backyards. It causes one to question Native American existence and identity.