Indigenous Americans in Children's Books
Inspiration Book:
Fry bread : a Native American family story by Maillard, Kevin Noble — Roaring Brook Press, 2019 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.6. Follows a Native American family as they make fry bread and celebrate their culture.
Rationale: A given Inspiration Book often directs my thinking and planning and reassessing and philosophizing in various directions. As a result of a class on race and racism that I am attending, I am rethinking the role of books and libraries in facilitating understanding of the issues buffeting our country concerning race and racism. Most of the issues seem to involve Blacks/African Americans and race, and during the summer the weekly Inspiration Book was about People of Color.
But this is also a good time to review what’s happening with our Indiginous People in books, literature, and libraries. This Inspiration Book is the impetus for that exploration. Let’s begin first by sharing data gathered by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. That organization has been gathering statistics about the diversity of children’s books for over a decade. The table below is based on their research about books about Indiginous People from 2015-2019.
Children’s Books by and about Indigenous People
According to census statistics Indigenous People are about 1.6% of the total U.S. population, not a large number, but a significant number. However, according to CCBC data, books by and about Indigenous People don’t even reach 1%., and those numbers have only improved slightly with increased efforts to encourage Indigenous writers and other authors to write about Indigenous Peoples. Question: Is there any wonder that misconceptions are prevalent when there is little to draw from?
Data on books by and about Blacks, Indigenous and People of Color published for children and teens compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison.” https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/ccbc-diversity-statistics/books-by-and-about-poc-2002-2018/
At the beginning of October Debbie Reese and Jean Mendoza, writing for American Indians in Children’s Literature, prepared a one page list of recommendations for teaching about Native People. The publication of their work is brand new, succinct, and very helpful as many teachers plan for the observation of Native American Month in November. It is posted below, and I’ve bolded some basic principles.
Tips for Teachers: Developing Instructional Materials about American Indians
Prepared by Debbie Reese (Nambé Owingeh) and Jean Mendoza (White)
American Indians in Children’s Literature
As educators develop or adapt lesson plans to teach about Native peoples, we recommend attention to the following:
(1) “American Indian” and “Native American” are broad terms that describe the Native Nations of peoples who have lived on North America for thousands of years. Recently, “Indigenous” has come into use, too (note: always use a capital letter for Indigenous). Many people use the three terms interchangeably but educationally, best practice is to teach about and use the name of a specific Native Nation.
(2) There are over 500 sovereign Native Nations that have treaty or legal agreements with the United States. Like any sovereign nation in the world, they have systems of government with unique ways of selecting leaders, determining who their citizens are (also called tribal members), and exercising jurisdiction over their lands. That political status distinguishes Native peoples from other minority or underrepresented groups in the United States. Native peoples have cultures (this includes unique languages, stories, religions, etc.) specific to who they are, but their most important attribute is sovereignty. Best practice—educationally—is to begin with the sovereignty of Native Nations and then delve into unique cultural attributes (languages, religions, etc.)
(3) There is a tendency to talk, speak, and write about Native peoples in the past tense, as if they no longer exist. You can help change that misconception by using present tense verbs in your lesson plans, and in your verbal instruction when you are teaching about Native peoples.
(4) Another tendency is to treat Native creation and traditional stories like folklore or as writing prompts, or to use elements within them as the basis for art activities. Those stories are of religious significance to Native peoples and should be respected in the same ways that people respect Bible stories.
(5) In many school districts, instruction and stories about Native peoples are limited to Columbus Day or November (Native American month) or Thanksgiving. Native peoples are Native all year long and information about them should be included year-round.
(6) Native peoples of the 500+ sovereign nations have unique languages. A common mistake is to think that “papoose” is the Native word for baby and that “squaw” is the word for woman. In fact, each nation has its own word for baby and woman, and some words—like squaw—are considered derogatory. We also have unique clothing. Some use feathered headdresses; some do not.
(7) To interrupt common misconceptions, develop instructional materials that focus on a specific nation—ideally—one in the area of the school where you teach. Look for that nation’s website and share it with your students. Teach them to view these websites as primary sources. Instead of starting instruction in the past, start with the present day concerns of that nation.
(8) To gain an understanding of issues that are of importance to Native peoples, read Native news media like Indian Country Today, Indianz, and listen to radio programs like “Native America Calling.”
(9) The National Congress of American Indians has free resources online that can help you become more knowledgeable. An especially helpful one is Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction, available here: http://www.ncai.org/about-tribes.
(10) Share what you learn with your fellow teachers! https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com
Learn more about story and Native American writing at this article in the current School Library Journal.
How Native Writers Talk about Story : Honoring Authentic Voices in Books for Young People by Cynthia Leitich Smith and Traci Sorell https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=How-native-indigenous-writers-talk-story-honoring-authentic-voices-in-books-for-young-people-Libraries
Books Guides, Activities & Lessons for Fry Bread
Audiobook Excerpt from Dreamscape Media narrated by Kevin Noble Maillard (3:24 min.) https://www.adl.org/media/13689/download
Discussion Questions from Read Across America https://www.readacrossamerica.org/fry-bread-native-american-family-story/
What foods are part of special occasions that you take part in?
Do you have a favorite food in your family or culture that is special or has a special history? What stories have you heard about foods your family eats?
Educator Discussion Guide from Anti-Defamation League https://www.adl.org/media/13689/download
Family Discussion Guide from Anti-Defamation League (slight differences plus additional resources) https://www.adl.org/media/13690/download
Which was your favorite part (sound, color, flavor, time, art, history, place, nation, etc.) of how fry bread is described? Why? Note: In the Author’s Note in the back of the book starting on page 32, there are descriptions for each of the sections. You can read those aloud to the students for them to learn more. What did you learn about Native American and Indigenous people from reading the book?
Teaching Ideas from Classroom Bookshelf https://www.adl.org/media/13690/download
Compare and contrast Fry Bread with Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris, a photographic “round-the-world” tour of bread. Consider the way in which “breaking bread” is significant for families and communities. How do both books broaden our thinking about bread and its community-building nature?Challenge students’ assumptions about Native peoples by drawing their attention to the diversity of the characters depicted, such as the range of hair color and skin tone in the book. Read about the diversity of Native Americans in the Author’s Note, especially in the “Fry Bread is Color” section.
Talk to your KIds About...Discussion Questions from Common Sense Media https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/fry-bread
The book says "Fry bread is sound" and "Fry bread is shape," and "Fry bread is color." What food does your family eat that has its own special sound, shape, and color?
Latest (2015-2020) Highly Recommended Books About Indiginous People that Follow Above Guidelines--Grades K-3:
