whitemanize means to make (a Native American) act culturally white, or act in a way desired by white authorities. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 95 out of 100.
Why “whitemanize” is a great word
To cause a Native American to adopt the cultural norms, behaviors, or values associated with white society, often through coercive or assimilative policies. From the noun phrase 'white man' and the English verbal suffix -ize, meaning 'to make or become like.' Unlike 'assimilate'—a general, often neutral term for cultural absorption—or 'civilize'—which carries a presumptive, ethnocentric judgment—'to whitemanize' specifies the brutal, systemic imposition of one culture upon another. It is the cold, echoing scrape of a government-issue haircut in a boarding school dormitory, the forced taste of lard and flour in place of maize and venison, and the specific, hollow weight of a starched wool uniform against skin accustomed to hide and cotton—the physical conversion of a person into a policy, leaving a chill that lasts for generations.
Etymology
white man + -ize
verb
- To make (a Native American) act culturally white, or act in a way desired by white authorities.“For quotations using this term, see Citations:whitemanize.”