From the author's website is this:
"Medicine Wheel: Stories of a Hoop Dancer" is a recently published children's book written by Teddy Anderson, a professional hoop dancer of the First Nation's style who has performed in 20 countries across the world. His performances, as well as the book, teach the concept of using the First Nation's symbol of the Medicine Wheel."Performing in a "First Nation's style" --- is a huge red flag. Anderson isn't saying he's Native, but he is using his version of Native cultures to promote a "one family" philosophy that we're all supposed to revere.
And woah! Check out the stereotypical depictions of children around the world!
There is so much wrong with the illustrations!
And inside the book, the writer/illustrator match their idea of a medicine wheel to skin tones of the children on the cover. That child with the spear? His face is paired with the black quadrant of the wheel; the girl on bottom left? She's paired with yellow....
Anderson has good intentions but is contributing to existing problems of appropriation and misrepresentation. Don't buy his book, and don't book him to perform at your school.
2 comments:
I worked for this publishing company for a couple of years as an editor and designer. I grew increasingly uncomfortable with working for Teddy as he was unwilling to hire Indigenous people as editors, administrators or illustrators as he told me he was afraid that the "quality would suffer"and that he found many Indigenous people too difficult to work with. I was fired suddenly for being unwilling to ghost write a book for a First Nations author because as a European settler, I thought that it was inappropriate. Teddy doesn't seem to see an issue with cultural appropriation and is unwilling to acknowledge his own privilege and racism. He is not a terrible person but he has alot to learn and I haven't witnessed him listening to those who have tried to explain the issues with his practices as he is too defensive.
Teddy Anderson's publishing company, Medicine Wheel Publishing, is now hiring the likes of David Bouchard, another problematic author who claims to be Métis, despite not being accepted as a citizen of the Métis Nation due to no connection to the historic Métis Nation or its Homeland. I recently approached the Medicine Wheel Publishing at a recent convention and talked about David Bouchard and how it's not right that they are hiring him and that he is extremely problematic. They seemed to get very defensive and didn't seem to want to listen to authentic Indigenous voices. Not one person representing Medicine Wheel Publishing was Indigenous. Even the owner, Teddy Anderson, is a non-Indigenous hoop dancer of Persian descent. How does that empower him to write/publish Indigenous stories? More attention needs to be brought up about this company as they continue to grow and promote inauthentic voices. Amplify Indigenous voices! There is no alternative when it comes to Indigenous literature.
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