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Kaitlin B Curtice

May 21, 2020 • 11 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X

I was very intentional about filling #NativeBook with Indigenous authors so that after you read it you can support other Native authors and learn more.

If my book is the first by a Native author you read, *PLEASE* don't stop there. Here are some of the authors from my book:

First and obviously, Robin Wall Kimmerer and her book Braiding Sweetgrass, which has taught me so much as a Potawatomi woman.

EVERYONE needs to read this book.

birchbarkbooks.com/all-online-tit…

My dear friend @nick_w_estes has an incredible book that points to the resilience of Native peoples that you should also read.

Nick & I think differently on some things, which is why I appreciate his friendship and ideas so much.

penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600136/o…

I'll also add here, before I go on, that I don't just quote books by "Native theologians," and it bothers me when people ask for just those.
To understand the Indigenous experience, you need to read books from all of us, whether we are Christians or not.

That's how we learn.

Next, Vine Deloria Jr.'s book GOD IS RED. For those of you who are Christians, this book is an important read.

barnesandnoble.com/w/god-is-red-v…

I write in the book about how I am coming to understand my kwe identity, what it means to be an Indigenous woman.

Leanne Simpson's book has helped me so much with language for this. Feminism isn't just white--feminism of BIWOC needs to be understood.

upress.umn.edu/book-division/…

@justicedanielh

My dear friend @justicedanielh has a book that I grabbed right away when I knew I needed to write #NativeBook. He introduced me to the language of kinship and belonging in a new way, and I am so grateful for his kind leadership and personal friendship.

barnesandnoble.com/w/why-indigeno…

Oh and this book, which is just a gorgeous collection of essays that speaks to me all the time, Richard Wagamese's One Story, One song:

douglas-mcintyre.com/book/one-story…

And there are more in the book, so you'll have to order it to find out!

indiebound.org/book/978158743…

Here's what I want the reader to understand:

Indigenous peoples are still creating. We are creating from our trauma AND our resilience.

I want our words to reach people so that un-learning and re-learning can happen. There is so much work to do, and I want to be part of it.

If I'm the only Indigenous author you've heard of or read from, you can fix it right now. Order these books and start the journey of understanding America and colonization.

You can do this.

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More from @KaitlinCurtice

Kaitlin B Curtice

@KaitlinCurtice

Nov 13

RESISTANCE COMMITMENT:
How do we resist?
We resist by breathing,
by gardening,
by telling the truth,
by reading banned books,
by singing love songs,
by grieving,
by trying again,
by not giving up on ourselves,
by challenging what we think we know...

...by knowing that love is always there,
by trusting future generations,
by drawing pictures,
by fighting ableism,
by petting dogs,
by telling your body they matter,
by sending flowers to a tired friend,
by reaching out when you might need flowers...

...by dreaming of an anti-racist world,
by meditating when things get hard,
by being patient with yourself,
by setting healthy boundaries,
by believing in solidarity,
by refusing to "other" your kin,
by writing in that journal,
by saying hello to Mother Earth every day...

Read 5 tweets

Kaitlin B Curtice

@KaitlinCurtice

Feb 20, 2022

“We tried to talk to them about the Religious Freedom Act,” Bear-Schneider said. “We tried to talk to them about our sovereignty. They didn’t want to hear anything.”

An officer can be heard in the video saying, “Sovereign stuff is not valid."

freep.com/story/news/loc…

So, here's where we're at. A group of Anishinaabe/Potawatomi leaders gathering a group of people to teach them traditional ways of tapping trees, and police show up because they shouldn't "be in the park after dark," and threaten arrest if they don't leave.

In 1978, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed by President Jimmy Carter so that Indigenous peoples would have protections for religious ceremonies in the US--where are we today? It's clear that Indigenous peoples are a threat to what is "normal" in this nation.

Read 7 tweets

Kaitlin B Curtice

@KaitlinCurtice

Oct 31, 2021

It's that time again, when I get questions from parents about how to approach teachers/schools about problematic teaching regarding Indigenous peoples.

Here's a 5-step plan:
1. Name the problem
2. Share Indigenous resources
3. State your ask
4. Infuse with books
5. Stay invovled

So, step number 1: NAME THE PROBLEM

Tell teachers/administrators what's going on and why you're worried about it. Make it clear and name exactly why you're concerned. Don't shy away from the truth about America's history toward Indigenous people. Do research ahead of time.

Step 2: SHARE INDIGENOUS RESOURCES

What books have you read that shaped this discussion? Who are you learning from? Come with a list of names and organizations that the teachers/admin can use in the future.

Read 7 tweets

Kaitlin B Curtice

@KaitlinCurtice

Jan 4, 2021

So, the title of this article is super problematic, because it once again insinuates that we are nothing but those "merciless Indian savages" unless we learn how to cooperate with or embed ourselves into the settler-colonial government of America.

nytimes.com/2021/01/01/opi…

Will Haaland have some serious power in this position? Absolutely. But let's not perpetuate the stereotype that we are nothing without this government. It's been my personal struggle with voting and participation in democracy--how do we truly exist in this nation?

But the ending to this article also rings true: we want to be seen as people who exist today, and not characters in a western or people who somehow died-off like the dinosaurs.

We are very much here, and we need visibility and representation.

Read 4 tweets

Kaitlin B Curtice

@KaitlinCurtice

Sep 17, 2020

This morning I woke up just pissed at white American Christianity, at all the trauma and hate and death it's caused & the toxic individualism that continues to wreak havoc on our most vulnerable and our society's well-being.

That's it.
Today, I'm just angry, and I get to be.

All the shit we do in the name of God, in the name of Jesus, that is simply a tool to steal one another's humanity and sacredness. So much suffering, throughout history, at the hands of people who are sure they're doing God's bidding.

It's a damn shame.

I dreamt last night I went to a worship service-- singing the songs, kids dancing on stage with adults, a baptism following. I left the church, said, "This isn't for me anymore."

When I woke up, all these memories of trauma/horrific indoctrination just rushed in.

Read 5 tweets

Kaitlin B Curtice

@KaitlinCurtice

Sep 10, 2020

Using Schitts Creek GIFs, here are the things I *wanted* to say when asked or told inappropriate things by Christians- a thread.

At my wedding shower, told that for the rest of my married life, lingerie is always for my husband to feel happy.