The Miseducation of Native American Students
Commentary By Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Autumn, the beginning of the school
year, is the cruelest season for Native American students in the United States.
Between sports games where entire crowds chant about "redskins" and
other school mascots and the federal holiday of the Indian-killing mercenary
Christopher Columbus, there is the misguided national celebration of
"Thanksgiving" to mark the arrival of the religious Europeans, who
set the stage for Native American genocide.
These rituals dominate the first
months of school, putting Native children in their place, holding up the
traditions of white children, and championing the ideals of white supremacy and
imperialism. As November's recognition of Native American Heritage Month ends,
educators should resist the urge to regurgitate the usual narrative and instead
discuss the reality of life, historical and current, for the more than 600,000 Native American students in our nation's
K-12 public schools.
In researching and writing "All
the Real Indians Died Off," our book about Native American myths and
misconceptions, my co-author Dina Gilio-Whitaker and I were aware of how these
Native American stereotypes affect all children in schools today. Internalizing
harmful images most acutely damages Native children, but absorbing racist and
dehumanizing ideas about fellow classmates also diminishes the understanding
and compassion of non-Native children, warping their conception of a history
that often erases Native Americans altogether.
Posts
