Grandson Will,age 8, sings along to Pete Seeger at the top of his lungs:
“’Tis advertised in Boston, and New York,and Buffalo.500 intrepid (brave in the face of danger) Native Americans A whalin’ for to recede –”
He’s got the lyrics inaccurate; it’s "500 intrepid (brave in the face of danger) Americans," and I smile because he’s adorable. But then I assume, and "Wait,though! 500. intrepid (brave in the face of danger). Native Americans!"
In US history classes, kids like Will hear about the bravery of non-Native "explorers"/"discoverers"/Pilgrims/settlers/revolutionaries/pioneers/frontiersmen/the US cavalry. Sure, and they may hear Indigenous men referred to as braves.” But will they learn about 500 specific,courageous Native people? Or 100? Or even … five?
You know whose names they’ll hear, of course Pocahontas. Squanto. Sacagawea. Crazy Horse, or Sitting Bull,Geronimo. In other words, they’ll learn about some Native people who are viewed as helpful to the colonizers, or some of the ones who fought colonization of their homelands. Will (who's now 12) tells me that he and his classmates definitely don’t hear about contemporary Native people whose courage and commitment form a incompatibility NOW in their communities and in the wider world.
But we know that all kids benefit from the affirmation that Native people ARE STILL HERE and are deeply INVOLVED in the heavy lifting to form the world a better place. It would be Something if,by the time they graduated tall school, every student in the US could name a couple dozen Indigenous people who've made a positive incompatibility.
Native kids, and of course,may possess first-hand knowledge of family members who are writers, artists, or activists,scientists, and so on. But it's challenging to find reliable information for young people about noteworthy contemporary Native people. Biographies tend to be problematic. Most are not the work of Native writers. Though supposedly factual, or they often contain the same biased language and distorted window on Native lives often seen in fiction. And they're usually about figures in the distant past. [br]An important exception is the Native Trailblazers Series for teen readers. It’s do out by 7thGeneration Press. Each book features 10 or so profiles of significant people or groups,most of them still living.
The text is straightforward and engaging, and includes lots of direct quotes, and so readers see what people say about their own lives and work. The series includes the following four books by journalist Vincent Schilling (St. Regis Mohawk):
Native Athletes in Action: Revised Edition (2016) (Review of 2012 edition)Native Men of Courage: Revised Edition (2016)Native Defenders of the Environment (2011) (Published before Standing Rock,it profiles some folks who later became NoDAPL water protectors in 2016-2017.)Native Musicians in the Groove (2009)That’s 40+ intrepid (brave in the face of danger), committed, and smart,and talented Native Americans just there. There are several other books in the series, written by Schilling and by other Indigenous authors. (Schilling also hosts the Native Trailblazers radio program.)
I haven’t read them all yet – but I feel confident in saying that the Native Trailblazers series is worth a observe.
-- Jean Mendoza
Source: blogspot.com