To the Tammany Society:

I wish that I could have attended your Tammany day celebrations. The may-pole, the dances, the customs are fascinating traditions, honoring your Old Chief Tammany. I am interested in, more than anything, your burning of the Chief. Your celebration of the past and future of our glorious country is much like my Inindianation ritual created for my literary society. We respect and pay homage to our Indian ancestors and respect our role as their successor. We are reborn as Indian children, so we can take our rightful spot in America.
We, as new Americans, had the unique opportunities to shape our identities and create societies and rituals. In this unique opportunity of creation we came to rely on a fictional past -- that of the Indians. We embraced and created fictionally selves and worlds, and they legitimized us as owners of the land.

With great respect,
Lewis Henry Morgan

Questions:
1) These identities created by Americans homogenize Indian culture and people, seeing them as one whole, and not separate groups. What effect has that had on playing Indian and on American identity? How does Deloria's narrative enforce and fight this idea?

2)Does D.H Lawrence's idea, discussed by Deloria in his introduction, of an American identity created in a long and half-secret process hold true today? How has it ended or continued?