Everything you wanted to know about Indians but were afraid to ask
Book - 2012
What have you always wanted to know about Indians? Do you think you should already know the answers -- or suspect that your questions may be offensive? In matter-of-fact responses to over 120 questions, both thoughtful and outrageous, modern and historical, Ojibwe scholar and cultural preservationist Anton Treuer gives a frank, funny, and sometimes personal tour of what's up with Indians, anyway.
- Subjects
- Published
-
Saint Paul, MN :
Borealis Books
[2012]
- Language
- English
- Main Author
- Physical Description
- 190 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 22 cm
- Audience
- 1250L
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- ISBN
- 9780873518611
- Introduction: Ambassador
- Terminology
- What terms are most appropriate for talking about North America's first people?
- What terms are not appropriate for talking about North America's first people?
- What terms are most appropriate for talking about each tribe?
- How do I know how to spell all these complicated terms?
- What term is most appropriate-nation, band, tribe, or reservation?
- What does the word powwow mean?
- How can I find out the meaning of the place names around me that come from indigenous languages?
- History
- How many Indians were in North and South America before contact?
- When did Indians really get to North America?
- Why does it matter when Indians got here?
- What do Indians say about their origins?
- Who else made it here before Columbus?
- Did Native Americans scalp?
- Did Indians practice polygamy? Do they now?
- What are native views about homosexuality?
- How was gender configured in native communities?
- Do indigenous people in Canada get treated more fairly by their government than those in the United States?
- What is the real story of Columbus?
- Why does getting the Columbus story right matter?
- What is the real story of Thanksgiving?
- What is the real story of Pocahontas?
- When did the U.S. government stop making treaties with Indians and why?
- Why do some people use the word genocide in discussing the treatment of Indians?
- Religion, Culture & Identity
- Why do Indians have long hair?
- Do Indians live in teepees?
- What is fasting and why do Indians do it?
- What are clans and do all Indians have them?
- Where are the real Indians?
- What does traditional mean?
- Aren't all Indians traditional?
- Why is it called a "traditional Indian fry bread taco"?
- What is Indian time?
- What are Indian cars?
- I thought that Indians have a strong sense of ecological stewardship, so why do I also see a lot of trash in some yards?
- Do Indians have a stronger sense of community than non-Indians?
- What is Indian religion?
- Why do Indians use tobacco for ceremonies?
- It seems like Indians have a deeper spiritual connection than in many religious traditions. Is that true?
- What are some of the customs around pregnancy and childbirth?
- What are naming ceremonies?
- Can a normative person get an Indian name?
- What are coming-of-age ceremonies?
- How come everyone's laughing at a traditional Indian funeral?
- Do they charge for participation in native ceremonies?
- What is a sweat lodge?
- Do Indians still get persecuted for their religious beliefs?
- Powwow
- What is a powwow?
- What do the different styles of dance mean?
- Why are "49" songs sung in English?
- How come they have a prize purse at powwows?
- Can white people dance at powwows?
- Do women sing at powwows?
- What is the protocol for gifts at powwows?
- Tribal Languages
- How many tribal languages are spoken in North America?
- Which ones have a chance to be here a hundred years from now?
- Why are fluency rates higher in Canada?
- It seems like tribal languages won't give native people a leg up in the modern world. Why are tribal languages important to Indians?
- Why should tribal languages be important to everyone else?
- What are the challenges to successfully revitalizing tribal languages?
- When were tribal languages first written down?
- Many tribal languages were never written. Why do they write them now?
- Why is it funnier in Indian?
- How do tribal languages encapsulate a different world view?
- Politics
- What is sovereignty?
- Why do Indians have reservations?
- Why isn't being American enough? Why do Indians need reservations today?
- Why do Indians have treaty rights? What other rights do they have that differ from most people?
- What is allotment?
- Why does my land have clouded title?
- Is something being done about clouded title?
- If tribes had hereditary chiefs, how come there is a democratic process in place for selecting tribal leaders in most places today?
- What's the Indian Reorganization Act?
- What are the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council?
- Why do so many Indians live in urban areas today? What is relocation?
- What is termination?
- Why do Indians have their own police and courts in some places?
- Why does the FBI investigate murders on some reservations?
- Why do state law enforcement agencies investigate murders on some other reservations? What is Public Law 280?
- Don't tribes ever investigate murders on Indian land themselves?
- Do Indians face racial profiling from law enforcement?
- Should Leonard Peltier be freed?
- Is AIM good or bad?
- What is the Indian Child Welfare Act?
- What is blood quantum, what is tribal enrollment, and how are they related?
- How has tribal enrollment affected you personally?
- How come some tribes ban the use and sale of alcohol?
- Is there a solution to substance abuse in Indian country?
- Do all Indians have drinking problems?
- Why is there so much concern about mascots?
- Why don't tribes do more to support language and culture?
- Why are Indian politics often such a viper's pit?
- Are tribes getting better?
- Why do Indians have so many kids?
- I heard that a lot of Indians serve in the U.S. military. How do they reconcile their service with the fact that the U.S. Army killed so many of their people?
- How do Indians feel about the use of Geronimo as the code name for Osama Bin Laden?
- Economics
- Do Indians get a break on taxes, and if so, why?
- Do Indians get a break on license plates?
- Why should Indians be eligible for welfare if they are not taxed the same way as everyone else?
- Are all Indians living in extreme poverty?
- Are all Indians rich from casinos?
- How has casino gambling affected Indian communities?
- How have per capita payments affected Indian communities?
- What is the future of Indian gaming?
- What should tribes be doing to improve the economic condition of their citizens?
- Education
- What were federal residential boarding schools?
- How come 50 percent of-Indians are flunking their state-mandated tests in English and math?
- Is there anything that works in the effort to bridge the achievement gap?
- How does No Child Left Behind affect Indian country?
- Do all Indians have a free ride to college?
- Perspectives: Coming to Terms and Future Directions
- Why are Indians so often imagined rather than understood?
- As a white person, I don't feel privileged. So what do Indians mean by that term?
- Why don't tribes solve their own problems?
- All these problems are not my fault. Why should I be asked to atone for the sins of my ancestors?
- Is there anything wrong with saying that some of my best friends are Indians?
- Is there something wrong with saying that my great-grandmother was a Cherokee princess?
- I might have some Indian ancestry. How do I find out?
- Why is that picture End of the Trail so popular in Indian country?
- Regarding casinos and treaty rights, I'm not racist, but it doesn't seem fair to me. What's wrong with that line of thinking?
- I'm not racist, but it all happened in the past. Why can't Indians just move on?
- Why do Indian people often seem angry?
- Do Indians ever work together?
- What are some good books to read about Indians?
- Are there any good Indian movies?
- Have you ever been the object of direct racial discrimination?
- You're a testament to your race. How did you turn out so good?
- How can I learn more?
- Conclusion: Finding Ways to Make a Difference
- How can I help?
- Acknowledgments
- Recommended Reading
- Notes
- Index
- Illustration Credits
Review by Library Journal Review
Review by School Library Journal Review