Cultural Confusion

There sat 13. yr old Shawnnessy on her plane from Ireland to Oklahoma U.S. She wanted so badly for her parents to work out their business troubles so she didn't have to stay at her aunt's farm. The pain she was feeling felt like a knife through her heart. A sharp sting and hint of fear. Not knowing what was to come next, she took a deep breath to relieve the stress, but only to smell the scent oof the swetty fat guy next to her. His odor was that of old gym socks and wet dog. As her plane landed, she banged her head against the cool glass window. Nothing, nothing but open fields for scenery. Oh, how she missed the city of Dublin.

AS she stepped off the plane, Shawnnessy was greeted by friends of her aunt's. Her aunt was busy with harvesting crops on the farm and sent the family to pick her up. She was shocked by their rather dark skin and straight black hair. Shawnnessy figured they were Cherokee since the Cherokee reservation was one of the largest in the U.S. and just so happened to be in Oklahoma. She had read books about Indians, but didn't think they still existed.

The Cherokee family had a daughter around Shawnnessy's age. Right from the start they didn't get along. Lakota, the young girl, was fascinated by Shawnnessy, and had begun to touch her copper red hair. Red hair was a rarity where she was from. Shawnnessy quickly slapped her tiny hand away. "I don't want savage trash like you touching me!", she hollered. Lakota was appalled. "Savage? You're the savage!" Whites just like you were the ones who killed my people and took our land! How dare you call me a savage!!" Though Lakota was young, she was quick to defend her self. However Shawnnessy wasn't going to let it end there. She was far too stubborn. "Oh you stupid little squaw!!" she hissed, "how could you attack me for being white! I am not even an American! My culture is of much more knowledge and class than yours could ever dream of becoming!" Tears began tos well in Lakota's dark brown eyes.

What made this stranger think she could come and insult her in scuh a manor? What kind of welcome was that? When she called her a squaw that was going too far. So she stepped up to the plate to defend herself again. "HOw dare you call me a squaw?! You are nothing more than a stuck up, rich redhead from a foreign land. Everything you have such as your money, your class, and your knowledge has all been handed to you. You could never understand what it is like to work for everything you got!" Shawnnessy knew it was the truth, and her eyes began to water and tears ran down her freckled spotted cheeks.

Both girls apologized for attacking eachother's cultures in which they knew nothing about. They vowed after that to never let such prjudices come between them again. The girls decided to keep their differences to themselves instead of using harsh words to hurt one another and let the wars of discrimination of the past between the natives and whe whites say just that, in the past.