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A review by cassandrat
Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians But Were Afraid to Ask by Anton Treuer
5.0
"Teachers too afraid to teach about Indians are likely perpetuating stereotypes of Indians" My education in current reservation life started with a negative stereotype perpetuated by white people in everyday discourse. Luckily, I knew enough about stereotypes and systemic racism to look further.
It is important to seek out information, listen and learn about the current lives and history of indigenous peoples and their nations and bring these more fully into discourse and mainstream knowledge. Also, to support reparations.
This book is impressive. The author is so earnest and patient and shared much of himself in an effort to get readers to understand issues relevant to Native Americans. It was hard to read through some of the most racist questions... but I'm glad he kept them. The most fascinating parts are those about cultural identity and preservation - something close to the author who worked to learn the Ojibwe language as an adult (I saw he has another book about that) and he is part of a grassroots dual language movement and translates signage to be dual language.
My favorite parts were the politics, economics, education and conclusion. I learned about the various laws and repercussions affecting tribes and nations. I understood more about membership and the complications. I wanted to understand more about poverty, and how it has been eliminated or not and what we know and don't know. This book peaked my interest, mostly centered on the questions about taxes and casinos and the section on education. So, I will look for further reading on it. The effects of No Child Left Behind and other policies are so important to know and heartbreaking.
While I knew about the boarding schools, and see the same things being proposed and applied to refugees, I blithely had little appreciation for some of the full lasting impacts of that horrible practice on people. I hope we avoid repeating these and other mistakes and can provide more than sufficient reparations.
It is important to seek out information, listen and learn about the current lives and history of indigenous peoples and their nations and bring these more fully into discourse and mainstream knowledge. Also, to support reparations.
This book is impressive. The author is so earnest and patient and shared much of himself in an effort to get readers to understand issues relevant to Native Americans. It was hard to read through some of the most racist questions... but I'm glad he kept them. The most fascinating parts are those about cultural identity and preservation - something close to the author who worked to learn the Ojibwe language as an adult (I saw he has another book about that) and he is part of a grassroots dual language movement and translates signage to be dual language.
My favorite parts were the politics, economics, education and conclusion. I learned about the various laws and repercussions affecting tribes and nations. I understood more about membership and the complications. I wanted to understand more about poverty, and how it has been eliminated or not and what we know and don't know. This book peaked my interest, mostly centered on the questions about taxes and casinos and the section on education. So, I will look for further reading on it. The effects of No Child Left Behind and other policies are so important to know and heartbreaking.
While I knew about the boarding schools, and see the same things being proposed and applied to refugees, I blithely had little appreciation for some of the full lasting impacts of that horrible practice on people. I hope we avoid repeating these and other mistakes and can provide more than sufficient reparations.