Quiz 2: Cultural Identity: Issues of Belonging
"Identity is socially constructed and manifested through communication" Explanation: An Identity is socially constructed and manifests through communication. The very essence of "who we are?" is a process " bound and defined by communicative acts". Socially constructed allows the individuals to account for the fact that how individuals see his/her own identity and the identity of others through interaction with family, peers, and organizations. In other words, it is created against a social background that tries to make social interaction meaningful, reasonable and ordered by categorizing people in various way s. "The communication is intermediate through which identity is expressed." For example : X think back to the time when he was a child. He thinks about his relationship with people around him, the kinds of things he believed and the ways he behaved. But now he thinks how different person he was once.
Indian-ness is given below : Indian is a full-fledged authentic culturally competent member of the society. Being Indian is included of properly " enacting the communicative behaviors that represent Indian-ness". In other words, an Indian must comport himself /herself as an Indian, in performing appropriate behaviors, i.e., communicating in a way that is " truly Indian". However, these appropriate communication behaviors are not often identifiable. Just as culture cannot be taught by using a checklist, one cannot identify a " real Indian" by using hair color and skin color.
Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) is given below : A CDIB is a federal document that certifies that an individual holds a particular degree of blood of a federally recognized tribe, band, village and community. It is used to verify the parental linkages and, therefore blood quantum for " Bureau of Indian affairs" is issued to CBID. The purpose certificate is to " verify the ancestral bloodlines" through one or more native parents. The reasons behind the CDIB are given below : For Indian citizen, the identity problem is not limited to recognition for "federal social services and tribal" but for "purpose of establishing the cultural capability or Indian-ness of one who self identifies as an American Indian".