Culturally Sensitive Display Materials

Since I'm creating a project poster and working on a book display, how to visually portray American Indian culture has been on my mind.

To the left there is a set of Thanksgiving puppets from an *unnamed* party supply catalog. I think we can do better. (For example, what in the heck is that brown blob in the upper left hand corner supposed to be? The facial similarity between the Mayflower and American Indian puppets is just a little bizarre, to say the least.) Here is some amateur advice on visual displays based on some of the issues that have been brought to my attention:

• Look beyond stock photos and clip art to find materials that actually reflect the Nations in your area. Don't just plop a tipi on the poster board and hope no one will notice.
  
• Try to seek out contemporary rather than historical photographs.
  
• DPI (WI) replicated some authentic beadwork patterns in one of their reference guides. Such patterns are better than the ambiguous "Indian blanket" borders.
• Avoid the phrase "celebrating" the culture. One bulletin board does not a celebration make. That's recognition. Which, I will admit, doesn't work into a title nearly as well.
  
• Respect the intense cultural significance of certain images, in particular ceremonial masks and eagle feathers.
  
• If you're trying to challenge your viewer with the inclusion of offensive images (which I wouldn't recommend to begin with), try to make this as visually clear as possible. A passerby may not take the time to read the text and may jump to conclusions about the nature of the display.

The Spirit of Act 31, or, "scio me nihil scire"

When I attended the American Indian Studies Summer Institute, the main topic of conversation was how to enforce Act 31 (see http://www.mpm.edu/wirp/ICW-23.html for a brief summary of the statute) within our workplaces. The wording is maddeningly vague to some, especially the phrase "adequate instructional materials, texts, and library services." I think some of us entered the workshop in search of answers only to find that we were expected to create our own.

One of the (few) stock phrases used was carrying out the "spirit of Act 31," or considering its true intent. The statute was never intended to resemble the Minnesota Graduation Standards I suffered through as a child, where every desired educational objective was laid out point-by-point for the districts. Those of us in attendance were given a strong background on tribal sovereignty and wisdom from those who have lived through the struggles to have it recognized. About four days into the workshop, it finally started to make sense to me. For me, the spirit of Act 31 meant that this project could not necessarily end as a passive bibliographic project.

Although I am far from an expert in this area, I can at least choose to begin the work for the work for others to carry forward. As a library student, time is the one thing I have to offer others. Somehow, I need to find a way to help others make resources more available. There is a wealth of great materials that are not being widely accessed and there is a lack of encouragement for people to make this area of education a priority (for several reasons). So, instead of finding answers at the end of this project, I find a wealth of questions to ask myself. I don't expect to find the answers based on my own understanding, but instead my hope is to start seeking them out with the knowledge and sense of purpose I have gained.

Site of the Day: MERIT resource guide
http://cimc.education.wisc.edu/help/Guides/wiscnative.html

For those starting an academic project on Wisconsin Native Americans, this site is a map of sorts through Madison's resources. I would recommend starting with the "websites" section and then moving into the e-resources and MadCat once you have a particular area of interest in mind.

Brief Thoughts on Little House on the Prairie

Personally, I feel a great deal of reluctance to approach this issue. When this book came up in my multicultural literature class, I was not among those saying that it should be removed from collections. It's too widely circulated to make such a quiet disappearance possible. Still, I think the arguments made on the pages below have changed my perspective on the series:

http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2006_09_13_americanindiansinchildrensliterature_archive.html

http://oyate.org/books-to-avoid/littlehouse.html

The language used regarding the Osage is not merely antiquated; it is actively racist and harmful. How can I reconcile that with the fact this series continues to be viewed as the epitome of American and family values in children's literature? This series will continue to be widely read and used in schools for years to come, and I will leave the fight against that to others. I choose to instead promote alternatives such as The Birchbark House that show American Indian culture in a truer light. I also encourage those who are choosing childen's materials to not simply pick books out of nostalgia but to take the time to reread them with a careful eye and seek out current reviews of the work.

Site of the day:
Birchbark Books http://birchbarkbooks.com/Home

Louise Erdrich runs an independent bookstore in Minneapolis that provides a selection of thoughtfully chosen books on American Indian culture. For those looking for language or children's materials, I would highly recommend this site. As an added treat, any Erdrich books ordered from Birchbark Books are autographed!

The First Step

Finding quality American Indian children's literature is a genuine challenge for several reasons. Obviously, the amount of choices are lacking. The oft-quoted statistic from CCBC Choices is that 40 of the 3,000 titles they received had substantial American Indian content and only 9 of those were from American Indian authors and illustrators. The real concern is that when cultural authenticity is considered, an even smaller portion remains to recommend. There is no magical seal of cultural authenticity, as many opinions form that idea.

I've struggled with how to approach that evaluation process. Some of the most popular and widely-held works are some of the most problematic. It takes a good deal of chutzpah to tell libraries that their holdings are insufficient and then tell them to reorder without the aid of their traditional reviewing resources.

To those who, like me, are just starting out on the process of learning to evaluate American Indian children's litearture, there are a few resources I would recommend:

A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children and the Oyate website:
http://oyate.org/catalog/oyatePubs.html, see also oyate.org

http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/

http://www.nativeculturelinks.com/nations.html

The Wisconsin Department of Education has an extensive bibliography on their site specific to Wisconsin Nations:
http://dpi.wi.gov/amind/aisbib.html

For Minnesotans and those studying Ojibwe resources, I would recommend The Minnesota Humanities Center. (Search "american indians" under the "Search our Resources" section and then click "search" rather than hit enter):
http://minnesotahumanities.org/


Book of the Day:
Mama's Little One by Kristina Heath

This picture book echoes traditional Mohican cultural principles to tell the story of a young child being instructed by his or her mother. The reader follows the child through the daily activities, with the importance of good behavior driving each action. Never does the narrative feel like a set of rules as the narration carries an obvious affection for both the young child and their traditional values.

So it begins...

I'm joining (quite late) the legions of library students creating blogs. I don't have any grand ambitions although I certainly hope it will help others looking for great children's literature.

Book of the Day:
Boozhoo: Come Play With Us/ Fond du Lac Headstart

This bilingual (Ojibwa/English) board book provides a lively, contemporary series of pictures. The text provides just enough vocabulary to entice curious students to learn more. Highly recommended for preschool collections and public libraries.