Stereotypes and Native Americans

Our thinking about stereotypes has continued the past two weeks as we apply our understandings to Native Americans.

Consider the following:

"In 1963 President John F. Kennedy said, "for a subject worked and reworked so often in novels, motion pictures, and television, American Indians are the least understood and the most misunderstood of us all." Regrettably, this statement is as true today as it was more than forty years ago. Many negative stereotypes persist."
Wilma Mankiller (Cherokee) writes in "Do All Native Americans Live in Tipis?"

Check out this link for more:
http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2007/10/do-all-indians-live-in-tipis.html

What was true in 1963 continues to be true today. Our society is filled with stereotypical images of Native Americans. There are so many sports teams, movies, and cartoons that keep people misinformed. At the beginning of our lesson Wednesday morning, I asked children to draw a picture of a Native American. Sure enough, just about every child drew a person with feathers in their hair. Although the children were certainly not trying to be mean or disrespectful, they were recreating the stereotype that they have learned throughout their lives.

Some third graders were shocked to hear that Native Americans still live today. It was also shocking for many to hear that Native Americans today don't wear feathers in their hair, (although some wear special costumes for pow-wows and special celebrations) and don't live in tipis. As a matter of fact, historically, Native Americans did not all live in tipis and didn't all wear feathers. Each Native American tribe was (and is) unique with it's own customs and culture.

Continue this conversation at home. Talk about the images of Native Americans that you see. Ask children to talk about if they are stereotypical. You can even do a google search. Just type in Native Americans and click images. There are many rich conversations to be had!