Fowler 1
Holly Fowler
SJVWP ISI 2012
12 July 2012
Make a Place at the Table for Native American Literature
“If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man,
he would have made me so in the first place.
He put in your heart certain wishes and plans;
in my heart he put other and different desires.
Each man is good in the sight of the Great Spirit.
It is not necessary that eagles should be crows.
– Sitting Bull (Teton Sioux)
It was my second year of teaching, and I was reading The Education of Little Tree by Forrest
Carter (Asa Earl Carter) with my sixth grade class. During a class discussion, I used the sarcastic “airquote” to make a tongue-in-cheek comment on how the Sierra foothill community we lived in had
become “white man’s land” just as the Cherokee had been subjugated and pushed aside in their native
mountains in Georgia. That day could have aptly been titled The Education of Mrs. Fowler, as it was the
beginning of my education on teaching and speaking about Native American literature. Lesson one: DO
NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO PLAY WITH IMPORTANT IDEAS LIKE LAND OWNERSHIP BY USING SARCASM OR
ANY OTHER SUPERIOR, DEMEANING TONE. One of my favorite students was the granddaughter of a
very influential member of the Chukchansi tribe that populates our little foothill community. She was
stopped in her learning by my insensitive comment, and did not even hear any of the ensuing discussion
of the book or the point I was trying to make…the sarcasm and air quotes were lost on her, and she
went home that afternoon to tell her grandmother that I had said that the foothills are white man’s
land. As you might predict, the next day I found myself in the principal’s office explaining my intentions
to both my principal and the girl’s grandmother, a tribal elder and influential community member. I
explained my intentions and was summarily educated in the pride that this tribe has in their land, the
proud history of the tribe, and the fact that the foothills are now shared, not owned! I was forgiven, and
I left the office chagrined but smarter. The lesson remains with me today: when teaching children about
other cultures, it is imperative to avoid sarcasm, stereotypical statements, and any language that smacks
of us versus them.
Fowler 2
So how does one include rich Native American literature while avoiding stereotypes, derogatory
figures of speech, ethnocentrism, and the “noble savage, live close to the land” imagery that is present
in so many history books and literature? The first necessity is to do the research into the literature,
artwork, songs, and poetry selected for the classroom. According to Caldwell-Wood, “We are nearly all
products of the public school systems in this country. As most Native Americans can remind you, Indians
are not even mentioned in American history classes much after the middle grades. .. Add to this lack of
education the very pervasive and subtle dehumanizing stereotypes that are ingrained as part of
American popular culture, and you've got a lot to overcome before you can identify these things in
children's books. It should also be pointed out that these stereotypes and misperceptions are commonly
held by all Americans of all races, often, tragically, by Indian children themselves.” It is important to
read and research all the books that present the Native American culture, because although a book may
be a well-written piece of literature, it may present a stereotypical picture of the Indian. For example,
The Indian in the Cupboard , while loved by teachers and children for its engaging plot and characters
presents blatant stereotypes. “For Indian people, these are some of the worst perpetrators of the most
base stereotypes. The miniature toy Indian (Indians portrayed as objects or things) is described as an
Iroquois warrior, but is dressed as a movie western version of a generic plains Indian "chief", complete
with eagle feather headdress. The warrior is described in the most stereotypical terms and speaks in
subhuman grunts and partial sentences. He is manipulated by a more powerful white child, fostering the
image of the simple and naive Indian whose contact with the white man can only benefit him and his
people.” (Caldwell-Wood and Mitten) It is important that when a teacher selects reading material for a
study of Native American culture (or any culture, for that matter) through literature, that the selections
are contemporary, relevant, engaging and rich in content and do not present Indians in stereotypical or
degrading ways. Referring to sites such as Oyate and The American Indian Library Association can give
excellent advice and counsel in selection of literature.
There is a wealth of excellent literature out there once the research has been done. In my
eighth grade, we read selections from a comprehensive anthology published by Perfection Learning, A
Multicultural Reader that includes a wide variety of poetry, short story and essays from a wide cross
section of ethnicities. Just a few of my favorites from this volume include: Indian Education by Sherman
Alexie, a story that challenges the stereotypes that Native American children face in school; Reading
Poems in Public by Maurice Kenny, a poem that juxtaposes the read poems of the Native American
author with the stereotypical remarks from the white audience; and The Real Thing by Marilou Awiakta,
a narrative poem that deals with stereotypes and people’s blindness to the truth even when faced with
Fowler 3
fact. These relevant, contemporary pieces of writing include rich imagery, strong themes, and savory
food for thought and discussion. Sherman Alexie has written many books and short stories about
contemporary reservation life and the difficulties of riding the fence between the reservation and the
white world. Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, a book that has stirred
controversy - it is on the American Library Association’s banned book list and was ousted from Oprah
Winfrey’s Reading Club, but is also on Bill Moyer’s list of 15 books every American should read - was one
of the 2008 winners of the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award. The novel is
perfect for 8th grade students (although there is some language that should be disclosed to parents
ahead of time) as it combines excellent writing and relevant topics with “comic strip” illustrations. Even
my most reluctant reader has gobbled the book up.
Beyond researching the literature it is important to spend some time before beginning a unit of
study to “pop the myth bubbles,” the preconceived notions and biases that many of us have from
traditional history and story books. It is imperative that we stress to students that Indian cultures are
not an extinct piece of history, but continue to grow, change and thrive over time. According to the
2010 Census Bureau Report, there is an increase in population for the 5 – 17 year age groups for Native
American and Alaska Native; this indicates a young, growing population not an extinct culture that can
be examined as a piece of history. Floy C. Pepper suggests first teaching about “Indians, using real-life
issues on the local level. Then, instruction can expand to include the state, regional, and national
contexts. Controversial issues should definitely be discussed. These issues include, for example, fishing
rights, land claims, trust responsibility, education and health issues, and drug and alcohol abuse and
recovery.”
After students understand current Native American culture, they are ready to look back into
history. Some of the historical topics might include the “Common Schools”, such as Carlisle Indian
Industrial School, which operated in the United States from 1879 – 1918 with the philosophy, “the
common schools are the stomachs of the country in which all people that come to us are assimilated
within a generation. When a lion eats an ox, the lion does not become an ox but the ox becomes a lion.”
(Henry Ward Beecher qtd in Landis) Using stories such as “Blankets for the Dead” from Us and Them,
ed. by Jim Carnes, which includes primary documents, commentary, letters and interviews to chronicle
the removal of tribes from the eastern states to Oklahoma, The Cutting of My Long Hair, a firsthand
account of a Dakota Sioux who was taken from her family and forced to go to White’s Manual Institute
for three years, and independent research, students begin to explore the historical literature and
primary documents that litter the table of American history. Finally, I invite in speakers from the local
Fowler 4
Chukchansi tribe who demonstrate authentic cookery (grinding and preparing acorn bread) and
basketry. Building knowledge of the rich cultural traditions is tantamount to understanding any people.
It is not difficult to justify the study of Native American literature, even in today’s world of high
stakes tests, because students are thirsty for great literature that tells the truth and that bites into
meaty subjects. The literature offers relevant, quality subject matter with enough meat to spark grand
conversation and reflection, while still addressing the reading and writing standards. Controversial
issues such as alcoholism, drug abuse, and sexuality are not isolated in one culture, and by 8th grade,
students are able to form and express opinions, and long to give voice to relevant topics. Literature can
give students a way to read, respond, and write about these problems across cultures and chew on
them for a while in the safety of a classroom. The more diversity students are exposed to, the more
they can draw connections to their own lives and realize that all people share personal triumphs and
problems, and that these are an inherent part of humanity shared across cultures.
“Let us put our minds together and see what life we will make for our children.”
- Tatanka Iyotanka (Sitting Bull), 1877
Fowler 5
Works Cited
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. New York: Little Brown Books for
Young Readers, 2007. Print.
“American Indian Youth Literature Award.” American Indian Library Association, n.d. Web. 11 July 2012.
<http://www.ailanet.org/activities/youthlitaward.htm>.
Caldwell-Wood, Naomi, and Lisa A. Mitten. “Selective Bibliography and Guide for "I" Is Not for Indian:
The Portrayal of Native Americans in Books for Young People.” Native American Sites. Lisa A.
Mitten, 29 June 1991. Web. 12 July 2012. <http://www.nativeculturelinks.com/ailabib.htm>.
Carnes, Jim, ed. Us and Them: A History of Intolerance in America. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.
Carter, Forrest (Asa Earl).The Education of Little Tree. Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P, 1976. Print.
Christian, Rebecca and Lucy Anello, eds. A Multicultural Reader: Collection One. Logan, IA: Perfection
Learning Corp, 2002. Print.
Landis, Barbara. Introduction. Carlisle Indian Industrial School. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 July 2012.
<http://home.epix.net/~landis/>.
Pepper, Floy C. “Unbiased Teaching about American Indians and Alaska Natives in Elementary Schools.”
ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools Charleston WV (1990): n. pag.
ERICDigests.org. Web. 12 July 2012. <http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9217/indians.htm>.
Norris, Tina, Paula L. Vines and Elizabeth M. Hoeffel. “The American Indian and Alaska Native Population
2010.” 2010 Census Briefs. United States Census Bureau.
<http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-10.pdf>