Sociologists often use the term reference group to mean any cohort of people who possess certain reference traits. For example, if any study examines the effects of alcohol on a person’s behavioral patterns, the people to whom the intervention is compared are used as a reference group: those who do not drink alcohol. It is not difficult to understand that concerning racial history in the United States, the reference group has always been the local white population, which has been the reference, the “quality. Black slaves were compared to them, whose socioeconomic status was assigned based on apparent differences between classes. In addition, Native Americans were compared to the reference white European colonizers, and this comparison also revealed differences. Recognizing such differences and the reference group’s desire for racial superiority resulted in one of the most significant ethnic genocides in history. Thus, the reference group is understood as a benchmark, a standard, or a reference point for which emissions are studied.
The very definition of race involves many interpretations and weighty opinions, ranging from attempts at a biological description of the category to globalization-philosophical scholarship on race. Omi and Winant’s theory of racial formation views race as a distinct, distinct social structure with its own cultural, political, and economic forces. In this context, America can be viewed as a collection of racial formations, whether black, white, Native American, Hawaiian, or native Asian ethnic diversity. Implicit in this view is that each of the races has its resources, as manifested in the formation of its own racial identities and the political decisions of the authorities. This is particularly true of the multitude of ethnic laws designed to protect racial minorities. The very fact that such laws exist is determined by the logic that each racial formation is unique and requires special governance.
At the end of the nineteenth century, the cult of the dancing spirits, essentially a messianic movement, became popular among the Native American Indian population. This particular religion preached a utopia in which the ascension of Indian believers would bring about a great flood that would take the lives of all aggressors and create a paradise for Native Americans. In this dance religion, it is not difficult to see the main focus related to ethnic genocide in the United States, when the invasive white population oppressed and exterminated the Indians. This theme was perfectly illustrated in Kevin Costner’s film, Dances With Wolves, in which the white population was not exterminated but instead lived in peace and harmony with the native Indians (Costner, 1990). In general, the term can be seen as a desperate attempt to record traces of ethnic discrimination in the cultural year.
Finally, another term important to the discussion is Wakan. It is not a valid English word, which in the Lakota dialect means masculinity and majesty (EEB, 2020). In reality, it is something supernatural that endows material objects with power and energy. Wakan is how American Indians felt and saw the world, and it is about how they prioritized nature. A prominent association is the Marvel feature film Black Panther, set in the fictional country of Wakanda: like the Indians, Wakanda is characterized by a strong respect for nature. The very existence of Wakanda among Native Americans signifies a deep commitment of these people to supernatural forces and is reflected in the cultural code of the ethnic group. Whereas the visiting white Europeans prized material goods, the indigenous peoples were in great harmony with nature. Neihardt (1996) wrote of this unity when he pointed to the paternal origin of the sky, the maternal origin of the earth, and all living things as the fruit of their union. Thus, Wakan is something abstract, intangible, and metaphysical that shapes the cultural values of the American aboriginal people.
References
Costner, K. (1990). Dances with wolves [Film]. Orion Pictures.
EEB. (2020). Wakan. Britannica. Web.
Neihardt, J. G. (1996). Black elk speaks. Dramatic Publishing.