Good morning,
Last week, the subject line in my email message summarizing updates to American
Indians in Children's Literature was about John Smelcer's book, THE TRAP. I wrote
about that book on Sunday, January 27th.
Shortly after sending that update, I started hearing from people, telling me that
John Smelcer is not actually Native. One individual pointed me to articles in the
Anchorage Daily News.
Later that day, I added an update to what I'd already written, noting what I was
hearing.
Looking into Smelcer's identity was unpleasant, but necessary work. Teachers and
students often do author studies, and, it is important that they are not misled or
duped by someone who is claiming an identity that is not correct.
Given the long and well-intentioned play-Indian traditions in the U.S., and the
depth of biased, outdated, and incorrect information out there (in books and
elsewhere) about American Indians, an author's identity is especially critical.
On Tuesday, January 29th, I wrote about John Smelcer and his identity. The
information from the newspaper was verified. We are all being misled by his
repeated claims to be Native. He does not, in subsequent articles and interviews,
tell us that he is adopted. The ways that he constructs sentences lead us to
believe he is. The bottom line? He is adopted, and he was not raised within a
Native community. Native ways were not part of his upbringing.
My post today (Sunday, Feb 3) points people to two important topics that are not
taught in most elementary or high schools. The first, American Indian Activism, is
little know. More is known, and being taught, about the Code Talkers of WWI and
WWII. Both topics are discussed on Feb. 3rd.
To read more about what I've said in this email, please visit American Indians in
Children's Literature. You can find it by googling "American Indians in Children's
Literature" or by going to my page on the website for American Indian Studies
faculty at the University of Illinois, located here:
http://www.nah.uiuc.edu/faculty-Reese.htm
Once there, click on "Web Page" underneath my email address.
Have a good week,
Debbie
_______________________________
Debbie A. Reese, (Nambé Pueblo)
Assistant Professor
American Indian Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1206 West Nevada
Urbana, IL 61801
Email: debreese@uiuc.edu
Internet Resource & Blog: American Indians in Children's Literature, located at
http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com
UIUC's Native American House http://www.nah.uiuc.edu
TEL 217-265-9870
FAX 217-265-9880
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