Most teachers have ceased to make headdresses with paper feathers in their classroom, but how can we really make sure to honor the Indigenous roots of our nation when teaching about Native Americans? There is a real, and understandable anxiety for many teachers about not doing or saying the wrong things. As we try to be more mindful in our teaching, it is important to give one another and ourselves grace, but also to continue to do our best. Teaching about the people who’s land was stolen to form our democracy is an important place to start. So how?
Clarify Language Make sure your students understand the root of the term “Indian” and its inaccuracies. Building on this you can introduce to them the various terms used to describe people believed to be the first to occupy land. It is ok to use Native American, Indian and Indigenous interchangeably to talk about different nations. Ideally, we use the language a group or person prefers. Your students probably have different feelings about children and kids, or you may have already talked about gender pronouns, use this to help them understand that our first priority when talking to or about a person group should be to find out what they prefer. If you are lucky enough to have an indigenous visitor to your class, model asking them about their preference then. Otherwise, incorporate think-aloud while reading. I prefer to use indigenous, so that when we talk about groups from a variety of places it still fits. Try to avoid using tribe and instead using nation as it is more representative of the nature of social structures.
Include Native Voices Again, you may or may not be fortunate enough to have a digital or live guest speaker in your classroom, but you can absolutely ensure that native voices are represented. Use primary source documents that include speeches made by Indigenous leaders of the past or present, utilize videos online (I am a big fan of excerpts from the PBS Nature to Nations series), or podcasts. Ensure you have books from indigenous authors in your classroom library. I read Children of the Longhouse during our Native Americans unit and love the pre-colonization setting written by an indigenous author. Traci Sorrell’s books are wonderful, and include a few great picture books.
Center Native Values and Assets I particularly like to highlight the emphasis that native communities have put on stewardship of the land for my students. Talking about indigenous fire management practices has felt particularly relevant of late. It is also important to emphasize the values of community Indigenous Nations have and still hold. Make sure to introduce students to more than just moccasins and Mohawks as contributions to our modern culture, focussing on the variety of foods (thank you corn bread), inventions and practices that sustained early settlers and persist in our tradition today. Students are always intrigued to know that chocolate is thanks to the Aztecs. I use a hands-on activity and reading passages to center these ideas in my classroom.
Include Modern Context We do a disservice to our students when we talk about Indigenous Peoples as if they are only a part of the past. I make sure to highlight current active Native Americans and their activities. It is exciting to live in a time where the first Native American is sitting in the presidential cabinet, and increasingly indigenous ecological practices are being turned to in the fight against climate change. Most importantly, avoid talking about Native Americans as only a part of history and address texts that suggest they are.
Coach Students to Critique Sources Speaking of pointing out when sources talk about Native Americans as if they are only a part of history, inevitably you will probably need to use, at some point, some books or resources that “came with your classroom.” While I strongly recommend supplementing these with sources you bring to the classroom yourself, like my Native American Regional Comprehension Passages, sometimes we have to use what we have. Guide students to critique any source that is put in front of them by asking them to consider what and who is and isn’t represented. Invite students to notice dated language, or things that may be glazed over. Point out that treating Native Americans as a chapter or set of chapters in a textbook suggests they didn’t also play a role in other parts of history, and encourage them to use the index to find other mentions in your textbook. This teaches them important critical literacy skills on their way to being independent learners as well.
Creating a classroom where all groups, in history and in the present, are fairly represented and discussed takes work and time. Hopefully these guideposts help you along the way.
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