One of the most exciting aspects of the United States is the cultural diversity. Here, the individual is exposed to multiple cultures which have coexisted over the years despite the various challenges faced. Therefore, I often find myself in a situation where I observe, learn, and adapt to other people’s cultures. I have come to understand why I think that the United States is a cultural melting pot.
In the United States, an individual does not have to travel abroad to experience culture shock (CNN, 2002). The Native American cultures are some of the most interesting of all cultures in the country. Over the past few years, I attended the powwow festival that facilitates the celebration of the cultural diversity of the Native American people. This is the celebration of different tradition that involves activities such as singing and dancing. One of the most important lessons learned in these festivals is that the Native American culture is not a monolith composed of the various nations that have coexisted over the centuries in the land. Therefore, there are multiple Native American Cultures.
I learned that the mainstream American cultures tend to assume there is only one consolidated Native American culture. Unless I am aware of my ignorance of the Native American cultures, experiencing culture shock is inevitable whenever they intend to interact with the Native American culture.
I think that attending cultural festivals is one of the most effective ways to learn about the Native American people’s various cultural festivals, for an individual to be culturally competent and be aware of the Native American culture and thus their ability to interact competitively with the Native Americans (CNN, 2002). This is not only important for cultural competence but also to understand the history of the United States.
Reference
CNN. (2002). CNN.com – Coping with culture shock – Nov. 27, 2002. Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 19 November 2021, from .
