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A review by seethinglloron
Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians But Were Afraid to Ask by Anton Treuer
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
2.75
Pretty good as a basic overview. I can't speak to how clear the social-political-emotional information might be for beginners, as I feel confident and secure in my education on that front before entering. I'll say that the economic-political policy was an interesting primer, though of course I would love something more thorough.
I did feel some hesitancy on some of the ideas and points shared by Treuer. I absolutely disagree that there is little worth in Native fiction/film and that documentaries and nonfiction are king. I disagree on the blanket assertion that the important thing for non-natives to do when interested in cultural tourism is to simply ask an elder before seeking a "Native" name, rather than interrogating the urge to participate in that. I disagree on how Indigenous nations and bands from Central/South America are discussed and glossed over in this discussion and wish that we'd focused solely on North American Native issues rather than just vaguely allude to Central/South Americans as points of debate.
I won't be the first to say that this is barely scratching the surface in so many ways. I wish there was a more... multi-sided look in the conversation about mascots- I work for a college that has a "Native" mascot because there is a legal-financial agreement with the relevant Nation, and I'd love to hear a centrist perspective on that (regardless of my opinions and the opinions of the leftist Indigenous folks I follow). I wish there was more of a conversation about Nations that have engaged in controversial economic deals with the BIA and Congress around nuclear and fossil fuels, especially when thinking about land stewardship. I wish there were leftist and conservative Indigenous takes on these questions, though I appreciate Treuer's point that he does not speak for all Native Americans. I wish there was a conversation about tribes that are not federally recognized that was more thorough, especially in conjunction with blood quantum. I know this book is a little dated, but I wish there had been more of a conversation about the Landback movement and the "AIM" movement that didn't dance around their more pointed protests and ideas.
As I expected, this would have been better for me to read in high school, rather than now.
I did feel some hesitancy on some of the ideas and points shared by Treuer. I absolutely disagree that there is little worth in Native fiction/film and that documentaries and nonfiction are king. I disagree on the blanket assertion that the important thing for non-natives to do when interested in cultural tourism is to simply ask an elder before seeking a "Native" name, rather than interrogating the urge to participate in that. I disagree on how Indigenous nations and bands from Central/South America are discussed and glossed over in this discussion and wish that we'd focused solely on North American Native issues rather than just vaguely allude to Central/South Americans as points of debate.
I won't be the first to say that this is barely scratching the surface in so many ways. I wish there was a more... multi-sided look in the conversation about mascots- I work for a college that has a "Native" mascot because there is a legal-financial agreement with the relevant Nation, and I'd love to hear a centrist perspective on that (regardless of my opinions and the opinions of the leftist Indigenous folks I follow). I wish there was more of a conversation about Nations that have engaged in controversial economic deals with the BIA and Congress around nuclear and fossil fuels, especially when thinking about land stewardship. I wish there were leftist and conservative Indigenous takes on these questions, though I appreciate Treuer's point that he does not speak for all Native Americans. I wish there was a conversation about tribes that are not federally recognized that was more thorough, especially in conjunction with blood quantum. I know this book is a little dated, but I wish there had been more of a conversation about the Landback movement and the "AIM" movement that didn't dance around their more pointed protests and ideas.
As I expected, this would have been better for me to read in high school, rather than now.