Good morning! Picking up on yesterday's #SCOTUS ruling on #McGirt...
In my analyses of children's and YA books, I look for ones that in some way include sovereignty. I tweeted about HEARTS UNBROKEN, yesterday. As time permits, I'll add additional titles to this thread.
BURY MY HEART AT CHUCK E. CHEESE'S is by Tiffany Midge. It isn't a children or YA bk, but is one that teens may enjoy and that adults who work w/ children's literature should read. Sarah Vowell said "Midge is a wry, astute charmer..." Devon Mihesuah said she's a comedic genius."
The book includes riffs on mascots, stereotypes, and.... well, look at the apostrophe in Cheese's on the cover:
Inside, there's "Tweets as Assigned Texts for a Native American Studies Course." The first one is about sovereignty:
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1) People hold stereotypical (romantic or derogatory) views of Native people. Those with the romantic stereotype think they are "honoring" us with their mascots.
Case in point is the Port Neches-Groves, who are in the news for their performance at Disney World.
There are letters from Native organizations, asking schools to stop. In some states, Native ppl have tried to get state legislatures to pass laws abt mascots.
3) And yet, mascot-love persists. It may be due to the pervasive imagery in beloved children's books that people hold dear and can't let go of.... like these:
1) If you follow me, I assume you want to revisit what you were taught about Native peoples. That includes taking a critical look at ways we're depicted in children's books. It may include rejecting favorites and reaching for ones that actually help your child know who we are!
2) It is terrific when corporations with high visibility (and therefore power) do right by Native and non-Native children. One example: @nickjr. Take a look at this!
Great books that I hope you'll buy and ask for at the library.
3) All the books they recommend are ones I've recommended at American Indians in Children's Literature. If you want more books (at various grade levels) you can start here: …ansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/p/best-books.h…
Started to watch Professor Junko Yokota's "Interpretive and Hidden Controversies in Literature for Children." She begins with "Why are there controversies?" Two of 3 items on that slide are about changes (in perceptions and in norms).
Ah! Second slide is about LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE!
Dr. Yokota walks us through sites where controversy takes place: in the words of a book, in the illustration, in the translation (choices a translator makes) of a bk from one language to another... and next slide is about bk creators. Her example is Sherman Alexie and...
1) Are you going to a bookstore today? Take a look at children/young adult bk covers -- of bks by Native writers! pinterest.com/dreesenambe/am…
When you tell someone abt one of the bks, say something like "Louise Erdrich is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians."
2) When you use a sentence like that, your use of the word "is" places us in the present, which is good!
Too many ppl don't realize we're still here. As first ppls of this continent, that mistaken idea that we don't exist is especially troubling. We weren't "wiped out."
3) And when you use a sentence that names an author's citizenship (see tweet 1), you are sharing information that tells others that we have governments.
We've got unique cultures specific to our nations but we are nations, first and foremost! That's why there are treaties.