How does a society move away from its embrace of stereotypes or biased and incorrect images? Native people and our allies have been calling out stereotyping and bias of Native peoples for hundreds of years, but without widespread dissemination of the problems, they persist.
This morning, for example, I did a quick search of WorldCat to see if Syd Hoff's Little Chief is still on shelves. I was disappointed to see how many public libraries continue to provide it. And so, I am offering this post to anyone who is unaware of the stereotyping in older books you may have on your shelves.
The list below is from Carolyn L. Bell's The Pre-School Child's Image of the American Indian. I don't know Bell or her other work, but this report from 1971 is good. I've done analyses or writings about some of the books in her report. Because her list is concise with book info and a paragraph about each one--and the report is online--I'm listing only the titles she looked at. Go read it! They are a small sample of the many books old and new that have stereotypical and biased images.
This morning, for example, I did a quick search of WorldCat to see if Syd Hoff's Little Chief is still on shelves. I was disappointed to see how many public libraries continue to provide it. And so, I am offering this post to anyone who is unaware of the stereotyping in older books you may have on your shelves.
The list below is from Carolyn L. Bell's The Pre-School Child's Image of the American Indian. I don't know Bell or her other work, but this report from 1971 is good. I've done analyses or writings about some of the books in her report. Because her list is concise with book info and a paragraph about each one--and the report is online--I'm listing only the titles she looked at. Go read it! They are a small sample of the many books old and new that have stereotypical and biased images.
All these books would get a NOT RECOMMENDED label if I reviewed them. In 2013, Native children in my home community wrote to me about The Brave Cowboy and I wrote about it then.
Anglund, Joan Walsh. The Brave Cowboy
Beatty, Hetty Burlingame. Little Owl Indian
Benchley, Nathaniel. Red Fox and His Canoe
Friskey, Margaret. Indian Two Feet and His Eagle Feather
Friskey, Margaret. Indian Two Feet and His Horse
Hader, Berta de Elmer, Mighty Hunter
Hartman, Virginia. I Can Do Anything Almost
Hoff, Syd. Little Chief
Moon, Grace and Carl. One Little Indian.
Parish, Peggy. Little Indian
Parish, Peggy. Good Hunting Little Indian
Parish, Peggy. Granny and the Indians
Teichman, Dorothy. My Friend God
Wiseman, B. Morris is a Cowboy, a Policeman and a Baby Sitter
