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What To Do Now? (Parting Words)
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From: Eliza T. Dresang <edresang>
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 18:39:17 -0500
PARTING WORDS: PART THREE (AND FINAL)
This last section is to recap briefly "where do we go from here?" "How can we continue to improve our understanding of this topic, 'Evaluating Books By and About American Indians.'"
(1) "One way for a non-Native to gain this knowledge is by listening with care and respect to those who are within rather than those who view it from the outside." (Joseph Bruchac)
(2) Another way is to turn to resources evaluated by Native evaluators and evaluators steeped in Native culture (who we know do not always agree, nor have expertise about every nation, just as none of us always agrees).
Debbie Reese has directed us to the Eric document in which she recommends books by and about American Indians. (See her post Re: Accuracy and Authenticity Fri, 29 Oct 1999 11:47:57).
The oyate web site is another source to which we can turn. www.oyate.com. Oyate is not a comprehensive source for books by and about American Indians. (Note not all books carried are by native authors, but all books are evaluated for accuracy and authenticity). Each book is read and reviewed and only those "at the top of the recommended list" are offered for sale. Beverly Slapin offered to list several of her personal favorites
(available from oyate) for those who would like to read further for me to post:
Shirley Sterling. My Name Is Seepeetza (which effectively counters My Heart Is On the Ground), Francis LaFlesche. The Middle Five, Louise Erdrich. The Birchbark House (of course), Jan Bourdeau Waboose. Morning on the Lake, Joe Bruchac's book of short stories, Turtle Meat, and of course, Fox Song, LaVera Rose. Grandchildren of the Lakota, Sherman Alexie. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Delphine Red Shirt. Bead on an Anthill, anything by Linda Hogan, Bernelda Wheeler. Where Did You Get Your Moccasins?, all of Joe McClellan's Nanabosho stories, Marilou Awiakta. Rising Fawn and the Fire Mystery, Ella Deloria. Waterlily, Freda Ahenakew. Wisahkecahk Flies to the Moon, Tom King. A Coyote Columbus Story, Michael Kusugak. Northern Lights:The Soccer Trails, Kathleen and Michael Lacapa. Less Than Half, More Than Whole, Cheryl Savageau. Muskrat Will Be Swimming, anything by Beth Brant, and Lynn Bragg. A River Lost.
Remember also the source for Bowman's Store is www.nativeauthors.com which is operated by Joseph Bruchac's son and has as a goal a comprehensive collection of recommended native literature.
I'd like to pause here to thank all the persons of American Indian heritage for sharing their side of the road with us this month. It has helped to have your voices committed to this discussion, so that we were talking
"with" each other, not just "about" each other.
My apologies for not being able to refer by name to each and every person who has contributed, but there are many recommended titles in the last week of posts, and I'm sure we'll all refer to them with gratitude. Please just accept a generic thanks. And to all who thanked me, thanks for that, too!
(3) Do SOMETHING
We started this month with a story about Crayola, a company that for only the third time in its history changed the name of a color because of public protest. Last July, Indian Red became Chestnut. Surely this gives us all courage to know that positive action on our part can make a difference
(whether it is encouraging native authors, taking up some of that shelf space with native perspectives, integrating the native story into historical and contemporary lessons, advocate for exhibits of native peoples to be in contemporary museums or wherever other peoples are represented, etc.)
Recently I've noticed two items in the news that I will share before ending. One was Attorney General Janet Reno announcing grants to assist with deterring violent crime against Native peoples -- which is perpetrated, according to this article, at more than double the rate for any other racial group and more than for any other race, from people who are of this racial group. That statistic alone says that we need to do something.
The other was a full page newspaper story about the census bureau targeting those races that are traditionally undercounted. Native peoples are one. Pictured was a poster of the distinguished face of Geronimo (I hope!) with a contemporary native man in the foreground. It struck me that these census posters could speak (and be used) far beyond their primary purpose for they visually convey pride in the past, and a presence in the future -- but only if one stands up to be counted for the contemporary figure is small.
OK. Thanks again to everyone who participated and persisted.
Ginny, Katy, and Megan. It's all yours!
_________________________________________________________ Eliza T. Dresang, Associate Professor School of Information Studies/ Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida 32306!00 e-mail: edresang at mailer.fsu.edu Phone: 850 644 5877 (w) FAX: 850 644 9763 (w)
Received on Sun 31 Oct 1999 05:39:17 PM CST
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 18:39:17 -0500
PARTING WORDS: PART THREE (AND FINAL)
This last section is to recap briefly "where do we go from here?" "How can we continue to improve our understanding of this topic, 'Evaluating Books By and About American Indians.'"
(1) "One way for a non-Native to gain this knowledge is by listening with care and respect to those who are within rather than those who view it from the outside." (Joseph Bruchac)
(2) Another way is to turn to resources evaluated by Native evaluators and evaluators steeped in Native culture (who we know do not always agree, nor have expertise about every nation, just as none of us always agrees).
Debbie Reese has directed us to the Eric document in which she recommends books by and about American Indians. (See her post Re: Accuracy and Authenticity Fri, 29 Oct 1999 11:47:57).
The oyate web site is another source to which we can turn. www.oyate.com. Oyate is not a comprehensive source for books by and about American Indians. (Note not all books carried are by native authors, but all books are evaluated for accuracy and authenticity). Each book is read and reviewed and only those "at the top of the recommended list" are offered for sale. Beverly Slapin offered to list several of her personal favorites
(available from oyate) for those who would like to read further for me to post:
Shirley Sterling. My Name Is Seepeetza (which effectively counters My Heart Is On the Ground), Francis LaFlesche. The Middle Five, Louise Erdrich. The Birchbark House (of course), Jan Bourdeau Waboose. Morning on the Lake, Joe Bruchac's book of short stories, Turtle Meat, and of course, Fox Song, LaVera Rose. Grandchildren of the Lakota, Sherman Alexie. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Delphine Red Shirt. Bead on an Anthill, anything by Linda Hogan, Bernelda Wheeler. Where Did You Get Your Moccasins?, all of Joe McClellan's Nanabosho stories, Marilou Awiakta. Rising Fawn and the Fire Mystery, Ella Deloria. Waterlily, Freda Ahenakew. Wisahkecahk Flies to the Moon, Tom King. A Coyote Columbus Story, Michael Kusugak. Northern Lights:The Soccer Trails, Kathleen and Michael Lacapa. Less Than Half, More Than Whole, Cheryl Savageau. Muskrat Will Be Swimming, anything by Beth Brant, and Lynn Bragg. A River Lost.
Remember also the source for Bowman's Store is www.nativeauthors.com which is operated by Joseph Bruchac's son and has as a goal a comprehensive collection of recommended native literature.
I'd like to pause here to thank all the persons of American Indian heritage for sharing their side of the road with us this month. It has helped to have your voices committed to this discussion, so that we were talking
"with" each other, not just "about" each other.
My apologies for not being able to refer by name to each and every person who has contributed, but there are many recommended titles in the last week of posts, and I'm sure we'll all refer to them with gratitude. Please just accept a generic thanks. And to all who thanked me, thanks for that, too!
(3) Do SOMETHING
We started this month with a story about Crayola, a company that for only the third time in its history changed the name of a color because of public protest. Last July, Indian Red became Chestnut. Surely this gives us all courage to know that positive action on our part can make a difference
(whether it is encouraging native authors, taking up some of that shelf space with native perspectives, integrating the native story into historical and contemporary lessons, advocate for exhibits of native peoples to be in contemporary museums or wherever other peoples are represented, etc.)
Recently I've noticed two items in the news that I will share before ending. One was Attorney General Janet Reno announcing grants to assist with deterring violent crime against Native peoples -- which is perpetrated, according to this article, at more than double the rate for any other racial group and more than for any other race, from people who are of this racial group. That statistic alone says that we need to do something.
The other was a full page newspaper story about the census bureau targeting those races that are traditionally undercounted. Native peoples are one. Pictured was a poster of the distinguished face of Geronimo (I hope!) with a contemporary native man in the foreground. It struck me that these census posters could speak (and be used) far beyond their primary purpose for they visually convey pride in the past, and a presence in the future -- but only if one stands up to be counted for the contemporary figure is small.
OK. Thanks again to everyone who participated and persisted.
Ginny, Katy, and Megan. It's all yours!
_________________________________________________________ Eliza T. Dresang, Associate Professor School of Information Studies/ Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida 32306!00 e-mail: edresang at mailer.fsu.edu Phone: 850 644 5877 (w) FAX: 850 644 9763 (w)
Received on Sun 31 Oct 1999 05:39:17 PM CST
