Bringing Native American Lives Closer in Teaching

What is it about?

This article is an attempt to answer the question regarding the most relevant approaches that should be employed when teaching about Native Americans focusing on the context of Indigenous people in the United States. Bearing in mind that the representations of Native people in American society are still either persistently stereotyped, misrepresented, underrepresented, or even absent and invisible, it is advisable to be guided by the frameworks which are most in tune with Indigenous scholarship, and prioritizing those which value Native people’s perspectives. The primary consideration is to try to avoid perpetuating colonization. Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy, who advanced the Tribal Critical Race Theory, offers useful guidelines, and provides the necessary context. The article also offers suggestions for teaching, such as using contemporary Native American autobiographical writing as well as digital resources developed by Indigenous people like those offered by Craig Howe, to expose students to a range of Native people’s own stories, experiences, and contexts, in order to bring them closer to American Indigenous people’s own voices sharing their lives.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Indigenous people's perspectives are still little known in the United States and elsewhere, and often the content and context of Native American lives are presented in a reductive or stereotyped manner. Not much attention is given to contemporary Indigenous people's lives, despite the presence of vibrantly developing Indigenous Studies scholarship.