German Indians

As an example of “cultural hybridization,” Walter Truett Anderson describes the residents of the German village of Roderau, where a number of Germans are fascinated with American Indian culture: “the chief Indian in Roderaui is Gerhard Fischer, who prefers to go by the name of Old Bull. Fischer is the spokesman and leader of a band of villagers . . . . who spend a good part of their time dressed in buckskin and moccasins, doing snake dances in front of their teepees. His wife, Heike, also known as Black Buffalo Woman, met her husband at one of teh summer powwows where Indian enthusiasts, members of the 100 or so such organizations, gather each year for a few days of celebration and sharing of their interest in Indian history and artifacts.”