CCBC-Net Archives
Evaluating Books By and About American Indians
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Beverly Slapin <oyate>
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 13:13:52 +0000
Eliza asked these questions: How do we evaluate historical fiction by and about American Indians? What general things are important to look for? What specific things? What can we draw from our discussion of <The Birchbark House> that will help us to evaluate other historical fiction by and about Native peoples? How can we know what is authentic or accurate? Why is this important? This is the last question Eliza asked: What do you as a teacher, librarian or parent do when you see a book about American Indians to determine how valid the picture painted is? Here are some criteria that I have drawn from our past work. We welcome questions, comments, arguments, anything....
LOOK FOR STEREOTYPES
Are Native peoples portrayed as savages, or primitive craftspeople, or simple tribal people, now extinct? OR are Native peoples shown as human beings, members of highly defined and complex societies?
Are Native societies oversimplified and generalized? Are Native people all one color, one style? OR are Native societies presented as separate from each other, with each nation, language, religion, dress, unique?
LOOK AT THE ILLUSTRATIONS
Are Native people depicted as stereotypically alike, or do they look just like whites with brown faces? OR are Native people depicted as genuine individuals?
Are the illustrations contrived? Is there a visual emphasis on regalia, sacred sites, ceremony? Are characters dressed in regalia while doing ordinary things? OR do the illustrations reflect real people living real lives?
Is the art a mishmash of "generic Indian" designs to lure the potential customer to an "ethnic" or "multicultural" book? OR is attention paid to accurate, appropriate, tribally specific design and color? Are clothes, dress, houses drawn with careful attention to detail?
LOOK FOR LOADED WORDS
Are there insulting overtones to the language in the book? Is racist imagery used to refer to Indian peoples? Are the derogatory terms
"braves," "squaws," "papooses" used to refer to men, women, and children? Are derogatory terms like "wagon burners" or "blanket Indians" used? OR is the language respectful?
LOOK FOR DISTORTION OF HISTORY
Is history distorted to de-emphasize the depredation of Native lands or desecration of sacred sites? Is there manipulation of words like
"victory," "conquest," or "massacre" to justify Euro-American conquest of the Native homelands? Is colonialism described as "exploration"? Are reservations described as land "given" to Indian people "in exchange for" land surrendered? Are Native nations presented as being responsible for their own "disappearance"? Is the U.S. government, including the boarding schools, only trying to "help"? OR is history put in the proper perspective: the Native struggle for self?termination and sovereignty against the Euro-American drive for conquest? Are the issues of land theft, treaty abrogation, boarding schools, discussed honestly?
Does the story encourage children to believe that Native peoples accepted defeats passively? In boarding school stories, are the Native children quickly and easily acculturated? OR does the story show the ways in which Native peoples actively resisted the invaders? In boarding school stories, are acts of both open and secret rebellion shown?
Are Native heroes only the people who, in some way or another, are believed to have aided Europeans in the conquest of their own people? OR are Native heroes those who are admired because of what they have done for their own people?
LOOK AT THE LIFEWAYS
Are Native nations presented in a condescending manner? Are there paternalistic distinctions between "them" and "us"? OR is the focus on respect for Native peoples and understanding of the sophistication and complexity of their societies?
Is a society portrayed in a distorted or limited way? Are sacred traditions and ways of seeing the world described as a flat, simple set of "beliefs," out of context and without background? Are religions trivialized or made to appear exotic? OR are sacred traditions described accurately in the context of their civilizations, as part of a sophisticated cosmology, rich in symbolism?
Are Native peoples shown as "relentlessly ecological"?"children of nature," instinctively hugging trees and talking to rocks? OR are Native societies described as coexisting with nature in a delicate balance? Are characters seen as having been taught the sacred responsibility we all have toward all forms of life?
Are Native adults portrayed as childlike and helpless? OR are Native adults seen as mature individuals who work hard and make sacrifices, in order to take care of their families, and for the well?ing of the people?
Are the characters seen as functioning in a cultural vacuum? Do they participate in ceremony that is somehow "there," but without cultural roots or context? OR do the characters have a real cultural connection with their community?
Are the characters seen only with their nuclear families? OR are they seen as belonging to large extended families, clans, communities?
Is the emphasis on men and boys, while elders, women and girls are relegated to the background? OR are all family members, especially elders, shown as living and working together in culturally appropriate roles?
Are the characters exoticized? Is what is seen to be "exotic" about their lives emphasized, while their day-to?y lives are de-emphasized? OR are the characters seen as living their lives in delicate balance of old and new?
Is material poverty over-emphasized? OR is material poverty placed in an honest cultural and historical context?
LOOK AT THE TEXT AND DIALOGUE
Is the text contrived? Is there an overemphasis on "bravery," "honor,"
"wisdom," "nobleness"? Is there an emphasis on romantic-sounding metaphors? Is this a "first-person" account written by an outsider, pretending to be the Native protagonist? Does the Native protagonist
"explain" sacred belief and ritual to the reader?
Is the vocabulary judgmental? Are there blatant or subtle overtones in the language? Are regalia called "costumes"? Are sacred sites called
"ruins"? Are prayers called "chants"? Are the words "primitive" or
"prehistoric" used anywhere in the book? OR is the language respectful? Are appropriate terms used in naming and describing people, places, events and objects?
Is the dialogue contrived? Do Native people speak in a sort of "early jawbreaker" or in the oratorical style of the "noble savage"? OR do Native people use language with the consummate and articulate skill of those who come from an oral tradition?
LOOK AT THE PORTRAYAL OF GIRLS AND WOMEN
Are women portrayed as completely subservient to men? Do they do all the work, while the men loll around, waiting for the next hunt? Are there derogatory references to girls and women? OR are women portrayed as the integral and respected part of Native societies that they really were and are?
LOOK AT THE ROLE OF ELDERS
Are elders treated as a dispensable burden upon their people to be abandoned in times of trouble or famine; querulous, petulant, demanding, nagging, irritating, and boring? OR are elders treated as the loved and valued custodians of a people's history, culture, and lifeways? Are they cherished in the words of the writer as they were and are in the reality of the lives of the people?
LOOK AT THE EFFECTS ON A CHILD'S SELF-IMAGE
Is there anything in the story that would embarrass or hurt a Native child? OR are there one or more positive role models with which a Native child can identify?
LOOK AT THE AUTHOR'S PERSPECTIVE
Is the perspective from outside the culture? OR is the perspective from inside the culture? Is the author of the nation being portrayed? If not, is the author intimately familiar with the nation being portrayed?
If the author is from outside the culture, is the author?s own worldview superimposed upon that of the Native characters? Are the author?s own judgments apparent? OR does the author have the capacity to look at a culture without making textual judgments?
______________ Beverly Slapin Oyate 2702 Mathews St. Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 848g00
(510) 848H15 fax oyate at oyate.org www.oyate.org
Received on Thu 14 Oct 1999 08:13:52 AM CDT
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 13:13:52 +0000
Eliza asked these questions: How do we evaluate historical fiction by and about American Indians? What general things are important to look for? What specific things? What can we draw from our discussion of <The Birchbark House> that will help us to evaluate other historical fiction by and about Native peoples? How can we know what is authentic or accurate? Why is this important? This is the last question Eliza asked: What do you as a teacher, librarian or parent do when you see a book about American Indians to determine how valid the picture painted is? Here are some criteria that I have drawn from our past work. We welcome questions, comments, arguments, anything....
LOOK FOR STEREOTYPES
Are Native peoples portrayed as savages, or primitive craftspeople, or simple tribal people, now extinct? OR are Native peoples shown as human beings, members of highly defined and complex societies?
Are Native societies oversimplified and generalized? Are Native people all one color, one style? OR are Native societies presented as separate from each other, with each nation, language, religion, dress, unique?
LOOK AT THE ILLUSTRATIONS
Are Native people depicted as stereotypically alike, or do they look just like whites with brown faces? OR are Native people depicted as genuine individuals?
Are the illustrations contrived? Is there a visual emphasis on regalia, sacred sites, ceremony? Are characters dressed in regalia while doing ordinary things? OR do the illustrations reflect real people living real lives?
Is the art a mishmash of "generic Indian" designs to lure the potential customer to an "ethnic" or "multicultural" book? OR is attention paid to accurate, appropriate, tribally specific design and color? Are clothes, dress, houses drawn with careful attention to detail?
LOOK FOR LOADED WORDS
Are there insulting overtones to the language in the book? Is racist imagery used to refer to Indian peoples? Are the derogatory terms
"braves," "squaws," "papooses" used to refer to men, women, and children? Are derogatory terms like "wagon burners" or "blanket Indians" used? OR is the language respectful?
LOOK FOR DISTORTION OF HISTORY
Is history distorted to de-emphasize the depredation of Native lands or desecration of sacred sites? Is there manipulation of words like
"victory," "conquest," or "massacre" to justify Euro-American conquest of the Native homelands? Is colonialism described as "exploration"? Are reservations described as land "given" to Indian people "in exchange for" land surrendered? Are Native nations presented as being responsible for their own "disappearance"? Is the U.S. government, including the boarding schools, only trying to "help"? OR is history put in the proper perspective: the Native struggle for self?termination and sovereignty against the Euro-American drive for conquest? Are the issues of land theft, treaty abrogation, boarding schools, discussed honestly?
Does the story encourage children to believe that Native peoples accepted defeats passively? In boarding school stories, are the Native children quickly and easily acculturated? OR does the story show the ways in which Native peoples actively resisted the invaders? In boarding school stories, are acts of both open and secret rebellion shown?
Are Native heroes only the people who, in some way or another, are believed to have aided Europeans in the conquest of their own people? OR are Native heroes those who are admired because of what they have done for their own people?
LOOK AT THE LIFEWAYS
Are Native nations presented in a condescending manner? Are there paternalistic distinctions between "them" and "us"? OR is the focus on respect for Native peoples and understanding of the sophistication and complexity of their societies?
Is a society portrayed in a distorted or limited way? Are sacred traditions and ways of seeing the world described as a flat, simple set of "beliefs," out of context and without background? Are religions trivialized or made to appear exotic? OR are sacred traditions described accurately in the context of their civilizations, as part of a sophisticated cosmology, rich in symbolism?
Are Native peoples shown as "relentlessly ecological"?"children of nature," instinctively hugging trees and talking to rocks? OR are Native societies described as coexisting with nature in a delicate balance? Are characters seen as having been taught the sacred responsibility we all have toward all forms of life?
Are Native adults portrayed as childlike and helpless? OR are Native adults seen as mature individuals who work hard and make sacrifices, in order to take care of their families, and for the well?ing of the people?
Are the characters seen as functioning in a cultural vacuum? Do they participate in ceremony that is somehow "there," but without cultural roots or context? OR do the characters have a real cultural connection with their community?
Are the characters seen only with their nuclear families? OR are they seen as belonging to large extended families, clans, communities?
Is the emphasis on men and boys, while elders, women and girls are relegated to the background? OR are all family members, especially elders, shown as living and working together in culturally appropriate roles?
Are the characters exoticized? Is what is seen to be "exotic" about their lives emphasized, while their day-to?y lives are de-emphasized? OR are the characters seen as living their lives in delicate balance of old and new?
Is material poverty over-emphasized? OR is material poverty placed in an honest cultural and historical context?
LOOK AT THE TEXT AND DIALOGUE
Is the text contrived? Is there an overemphasis on "bravery," "honor,"
"wisdom," "nobleness"? Is there an emphasis on romantic-sounding metaphors? Is this a "first-person" account written by an outsider, pretending to be the Native protagonist? Does the Native protagonist
"explain" sacred belief and ritual to the reader?
Is the vocabulary judgmental? Are there blatant or subtle overtones in the language? Are regalia called "costumes"? Are sacred sites called
"ruins"? Are prayers called "chants"? Are the words "primitive" or
"prehistoric" used anywhere in the book? OR is the language respectful? Are appropriate terms used in naming and describing people, places, events and objects?
Is the dialogue contrived? Do Native people speak in a sort of "early jawbreaker" or in the oratorical style of the "noble savage"? OR do Native people use language with the consummate and articulate skill of those who come from an oral tradition?
LOOK AT THE PORTRAYAL OF GIRLS AND WOMEN
Are women portrayed as completely subservient to men? Do they do all the work, while the men loll around, waiting for the next hunt? Are there derogatory references to girls and women? OR are women portrayed as the integral and respected part of Native societies that they really were and are?
LOOK AT THE ROLE OF ELDERS
Are elders treated as a dispensable burden upon their people to be abandoned in times of trouble or famine; querulous, petulant, demanding, nagging, irritating, and boring? OR are elders treated as the loved and valued custodians of a people's history, culture, and lifeways? Are they cherished in the words of the writer as they were and are in the reality of the lives of the people?
LOOK AT THE EFFECTS ON A CHILD'S SELF-IMAGE
Is there anything in the story that would embarrass or hurt a Native child? OR are there one or more positive role models with which a Native child can identify?
LOOK AT THE AUTHOR'S PERSPECTIVE
Is the perspective from outside the culture? OR is the perspective from inside the culture? Is the author of the nation being portrayed? If not, is the author intimately familiar with the nation being portrayed?
If the author is from outside the culture, is the author?s own worldview superimposed upon that of the Native characters? Are the author?s own judgments apparent? OR does the author have the capacity to look at a culture without making textual judgments?
______________ Beverly Slapin Oyate 2702 Mathews St. Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 848g00
(510) 848H15 fax oyate at oyate.org www.oyate.org
Received on Thu 14 Oct 1999 08:13:52 AM CDT
