Book of the day

Alego by Ningeokuluk Teevee (Groundwood Press)

http://www.groundwoodbooks.com/gw_titles.cfm?pub_id=1374

This book came across the cataloging desk yesterday, so I will preface by saying I haven't had time to do a close reading or investigate the author. I have to admit that I had never seen a book in Inuktitut before and I'm definitely more curious about the language after reading Alego. Although the pictures aren't a style that I personally enjoy, the text captures a child's sense of curiosity about the natural world without being sentimental.

Speaking as a gringa...

I was reading about yet another white author posing as a Native writer today, and my frustration level has increased on this whole matter. The selfishness that goes into such a set of lies is so against the values they are pretending to espouse. It's the worst sort of cultural appropriation, to make up facts about another culture from the position of experience or authority. I personally get upset at the multimillion dollar publishing industry surrounding the near-annihilation of my own culture, so I can't imagine what it feels like to have one's entire culture in literature exploited.

It makes me careful with my work, certainly. I am a white person working on this project from the Eurocentric perspective of my profession, hoping to integrate American Indian worldviews into the thoughts and practices of both myself and others. We are too content to categorize, simplify, and homogenize American Indian cultures at the expense of taking the time to truly listen. We also have to be discerning in those that we choose to listen to in that process. I don't mean to be preachy as I say these things, because I am only just beginning to learn more myself.

Someone asked me the other day if this project means I will become a Native American expert. Ha! I actually worry about that....but at least in my department there's no danger of such a mistake. I am just hoping to train those from my culture about how to do better than we have done before. No one is perfect...but let's be honest with ourselves and each other so that we might gain from experience...

Another "On a Lighter Note" to balance out a quasi-rant...
Quote from The Office ("Diversity Day" episode):

Michael: I am Michael and I am part English, Irish, German and Scottish. Sort of a virtual United Nations. But what some of you might not know is that I am also part Native American Indian.
Oscar: What part Native American?
Michael: Two fifteenths.
Oscar: Two fifteenths, that fraction doesn't make any sense.
Michael: Well, you know what, it's kind of hard for me to talk about it. Their suffering. So who else? Let's get this popping. Come on. Who's going? Who's going? Let's go here!

End of Summer

Although my practicum ended, somehow the project has turned into an independent study. I'm excited that it will be more real-life work than my practicum and hopefully I'll get to visit a few reservations. It's definitely a summary of my studies in that I'm combining best practice and harsh reality. So, this blog will serve as a way to give updates about how that progresses and to post any useful links or information I find along the way. I can't imagine that the entries will be as long or insightful as I'd like since I'm taking five courses this semester, but anything is more coherent than the ten second summary I keep giving.

Happy beginning of school!

On a lighter note...

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/189691/october-28-2008/sherman-alexie

Colbert: "I don't think I can get away with that..."
Alexie: "No, you can't."

The Perks of Being Accessible

I intended to spend my summer doing an independent study project. For me, one of the challenges of this project that I have been working on is to appreciate the difference between study and librarianship. Unlike my previous work, this project hopefully isn't going to sit on a shelf. Somehow, I have to make this information accessible to others.

My first thought was to make a bibliography in Ref Works, but doing so would sharply limit access to people with a knowledge of Ref Works and those who were given the account information. So, in reality, it would be mostly for myself. Much of the information I have is in print only as well, and I want to keep all of the information together while respecting the original creators of those bibliographies. So, the solution that works for this particular project is to twofold: to set up links on this site and maintain a bibliography binder for the reference desk.

The binder is a thing of beauty. I started it for myself, but then I realized it would be a great thing for other people to use as well. The different sets of evaluation criteria paired with the bibliographies would definitely help someone who only has a short time to look over the books. Although there is plenty of overlap on the bibliographies I have gathered, by no means is there a consensus. Each one has a different perspective and agenda for including and excluding certain works. Some emphasize materials most suitable for classroom use while others focus on the background of the author and illustrator. It's a starting point rather than a comprehensive resource.

To be honest, I'm not sure what comes next. I can count on one hand the holdings of many of the works on these bibliographies, and my little librarian heart breaks because they are good books. They should be in public libraries where children can get their sticky crayon marks all over them (and read them, of course). Again, that's not my project or within my training. There are a lot of reasons this isn't happening, and every single one of them is bigger than me. I'm just trying to develop a tangible way to connect librarians and teachers with materials that would help them to consider these materials. More than anything, teachers and librarians need someone to excite them about these materials. They need someone to push them to take the first step, because as I've found, once you set out, it's not the bleak trudge through the desert of obligation they might initially consider it to be.

Site of the day: MN Dept of Education: K-12 Curriculum Frameworks
http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Academic_Excellence/Indian_Education/K12_Curriculum/index.html
(I would also say that the DPI resources (see previous posts) are preferable.)

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.