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call for presenters
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From: Hastings, Waller <hastingw>
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 97 15:21:00 CST
The first Oz festival in Aberdeen, the site from which Baum wrote the editorials in question, included significant discussion of this issue, which had become a hot political potato here. I personally delivered a 45-minute talk on the editorials, and a Native American scholar had been scheduled to follow that with a talk on Native American perspectives on Baum's time; she unfortunately was persuaded not to take part by someone who was opposed to the festival, thereby ironically eliminating an opportunity to discuss concerns about racism, etc. Part of the festival education project has been to call attention to the full range of Baum's legacy, good and bad.
I agree that critical discourse on Baum has tended to ignore the editorials. I believe, and said so in my presentation (which I do plan to get ready for publication), that the editorials shed critical light on some aspects of Baum's children's books which are often overlooked.
I would caution, however, that the circumstances described in the
"Wounded Knee" website may be somewhat more involved than that website states. For one thing, I discovered when I looked up the actual editorials that the website has omitted a paragraph from its transcription; while that paragraph hardly reverses Baum's call for the eradication of the Sioux nation, it does present a more positive view of the Indians than the parts which are excerpted suggest.
wally hastings hastingw at wolf.northern.edu
---------From: Tuller Jan Merrifield To: Hastings, Waller Cc: 'smtp:ccbc-net at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu'; 'child_lit'; cmcacl1;
'smtp:PUBYAC at nysernet.org'; STORYTELL Subject: Re: call for presenters Date: Sunday, November 23, 1997 10:33AM
I am a graduate student embarking on research about gender construction in the works of four Native American women authors. Although my population of interest is secondary and post-secondary students, I find many of the discussions on this list helpful and thought-provoking. I would like to add to this discourse something I found on the Web while searching for Native American literary criticism of Native American literature.
On the "Wounded Knee Website are some troubling excerpts from editorials written by L. Frank Baum calling for
"extermination of the Indians." There is also a chronicle of the discourse surrounding this festival. I am pleased to see that issues surrounding Baum's stance against Native Americans will be part of the festival.
Are others as troubled as I am about divorcing the contributions of Baum to the genre of children's lit from his anti-Indian sentiment?
Hastings, Waller wrote:
any Indians,
Received on Sun 23 Nov 1997 03:21:00 PM CST
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 97 15:21:00 CST
The first Oz festival in Aberdeen, the site from which Baum wrote the editorials in question, included significant discussion of this issue, which had become a hot political potato here. I personally delivered a 45-minute talk on the editorials, and a Native American scholar had been scheduled to follow that with a talk on Native American perspectives on Baum's time; she unfortunately was persuaded not to take part by someone who was opposed to the festival, thereby ironically eliminating an opportunity to discuss concerns about racism, etc. Part of the festival education project has been to call attention to the full range of Baum's legacy, good and bad.
I agree that critical discourse on Baum has tended to ignore the editorials. I believe, and said so in my presentation (which I do plan to get ready for publication), that the editorials shed critical light on some aspects of Baum's children's books which are often overlooked.
I would caution, however, that the circumstances described in the
"Wounded Knee" website may be somewhat more involved than that website states. For one thing, I discovered when I looked up the actual editorials that the website has omitted a paragraph from its transcription; while that paragraph hardly reverses Baum's call for the eradication of the Sioux nation, it does present a more positive view of the Indians than the parts which are excerpted suggest.
wally hastings hastingw at wolf.northern.edu
---------From: Tuller Jan Merrifield To: Hastings, Waller Cc: 'smtp:ccbc-net at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu'; 'child_lit'; cmcacl1;
'smtp:PUBYAC at nysernet.org'; STORYTELL Subject: Re: call for presenters Date: Sunday, November 23, 1997 10:33AM
I am a graduate student embarking on research about gender construction in the works of four Native American women authors. Although my population of interest is secondary and post-secondary students, I find many of the discussions on this list helpful and thought-provoking. I would like to add to this discourse something I found on the Web while searching for Native American literary criticism of Native American literature.
On the "Wounded Knee Website are some troubling excerpts from editorials written by L. Frank Baum calling for
"extermination of the Indians." There is also a chronicle of the discourse surrounding this festival. I am pleased to see that issues surrounding Baum's stance against Native Americans will be part of the festival.
Are others as troubled as I am about divorcing the contributions of Baum to the genre of children's lit from his anti-Indian sentiment?
Hastings, Waller wrote:
any Indians,
Received on Sun 23 Nov 1997 03:21:00 PM CST
