Although I understand some of the reasons it's taken so long, it's a little disconcerting to be this far into Act Three and still closing the gap in my education about Native American history. Anyone share my dismay?
While reading A Council of Dolls, I began reflecting on how often since 2010 my reading journey has led me to the neglected history of the people who inhabited this land before Columbus "discovered" it. Although the ending of Mona Susan Power's 2023 novel disappointed me, her multi-generational story packed enough punch to remind me of the inadequacy of my formal schooling, not to mention the pervasiveness of stereotypes I've had to exorcise. Tonto or other "noble savages", anyone?
"My father later said that Lala's death (the Native American leader we know as Sitting Bull) was the end of more than a sacred life, significant as it was; he said that waiscus (i.e., white folks) had pushed us so out of balance we were now capable of turning against each other, capable of betrayal within the oyate (i.e., the community)."
Context for that powerful sentence: The purposeful method the United States government employed for years to forcibly remove Native American children from their families on reservations and send them far away to be "re-educated". That re-education involved the total obliteration of the culture, history, language, and customs of native people. Wouldn't you feel "...out of balance ..." if you had been removed from your family as a child, forced to speak a different language, punished severely if you tried to retain any vestige of your upbringing?
Soon after finishing A Council of Dolls, I began writing an entry in a section of my book journal I call "free associative threads". I began doing this several years back to help me retain a little of what I've learned from books that share some connective tissue = subject matter, point of view, time in history, etc. I started this particular entry by connecting the themes in Power's book to two incredible novels I've finished since 2010 - Louise Erdrich's Round House and Tommy Orange's There There. But the harder I yanked the thread, the more tangled it got. I recalled lessons James Loewens helped me un-learn in Lies My Teacher Told Me, the horror Dee Brown described in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, the shame I felt reading David Grann's breathtaking expose Killers of the Flower Moon. I paused after filling over eight pages in my book journal as the seed for this post began taking root. Which brings me back to my original question: Anyone share any of my dismay about how long it has taken to begin closing this educational gap?
Should read about Canada doing the same thing. Sickening and not long ago
ReplyDeleteAnonymous; Although I'm vaguely aware of Canada's similar history, your comment reminds me I've got lots more reading to do. Given Canada was part of the British Empire until the mid-19th century, no one should be real surprised learning of the subjugation of native people up there. Sadly, this was the case all over the world during the imperial age. Given that we here in the U.S. were supposed to be a "new" paradigm, aka the "city on the hill", our treatment of native peoples and subsequent rush to our "manifest destiny" represent a significant historical disconnect. Couple that with the way many of us were taught about our own history and it's understandable that I'm seventy-four and still closing this gap. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteI am there with you on closing the gap and coming to grips with the horror of what was perpetrated upon Native Americans both in the USA and Canada. I remember learning about the Lenape Indians in grade school but it was I am sure sanitized. This makes me realize how important facts are - now and then!
ReplyDeleteInes; Thanks for the comment and the simpatico. I too remember learning a bit about the Lenape nation in school but it was mostly about keeping the names of some places they'd once inhabited (e.g., Manasquan). What we didn't learn is the way we abrogated every treaty we'd ever had with them and then took those very same places away from them as we moved them around like chess pieces.
DeleteExcellent post, Pat, and a good reminder of the benefit of continually learning and keeping an open mind. Definitely a serious educational gap for our age group...hopefully kids today are getting more information than we did.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the affirming feedback, sweetheart. I know I've hit the mark when you - my ideal reader - are moved by what I write.
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