tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post7953130014213323880..comments2024-03-27T14:08:51.191-05:00Comments on American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL): Stereotypes in Wilder's THE LONG WINTERDebbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-48788597907773621842016-05-20T16:48:03.197-05:002016-05-20T16:48:03.197-05:00To be fair, the people on the Verdigris River were...To be fair, the people on the Verdigris River were actually thinking about killing them. I'd be scared of their songs, too, and I might call such a thing a 'war whoop' if it was all those years ago and I had no one to tell me better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-80132094524725662562015-02-18T13:02:49.213-06:002015-02-18T13:02:49.213-06:00Ms. Reese,
I applaud your pointing out the langua...Ms. Reese, <br />I applaud your pointing out the language in the Long Winter and for pointing out the way Native Peoples are portrayed in literature. By reducing Native People's contributions to weather forecasting in broken English, drunkendness and gambling away their lands, Americans won't have to deal with the very real problems of disease, unemployment and abject poverty that is very real in Native American peoples' experiences today. Most Americans do not realize that Native Peoples are the only minorities that are forced to prove their heritage in order to be classified as minorities. My husband had a Native granmother somewhere in his not too distant geneology, but it is impossible to prove due to the stigmas and shoddy record keeping that existed in the early 1900's. My children have been exposed to native cultures' music and storytelling from a very young age in the hopes that they will seek out their truth. Thank you for your piece! I will be sure to show it to my children! <3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-28885203368035305732015-02-18T13:02:09.572-06:002015-02-18T13:02:09.572-06:00Ms. Reese,
I applaud your pointing out the langua...Ms. Reese, <br />I applaud your pointing out the language in the Long Winter and for pointing out the way Native Peoples are portrayed in literature. By reducing Native People's contributions to weather forecasting in broken English, drunkendness and gambling away their lands, Americans won't have to deal with the very real problems of disease, unemployment and abject poverty that is very real in Native American peoples' experiences today. Most Americans do not realize that Native Peoples are the only minorities that are forced to prove their heritage in order to be classified as minorities. My husband had a Native granmother somewhere in his not too distant geneology, but it is impossible to prove due to the stigmas and shoddy record keeping that existed in the early 1900's. My children have been exposed to native cultures' music and storytelling from a very young age in the hopes that they will seek out their truth. Thank you for your piece! I will be sure to show it to my children! <3 Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-83991855678360043342015-02-17T10:57:08.619-06:002015-02-17T10:57:08.619-06:00I should have said more, Anonymous, in my quote of...I should have said more, Anonymous, in my quote of "old Indian." <br /><br />Here's what my email said (putting it in italics to distinguish it from the rest of this comment):<br /><br /><i>"The blizzards many people are experiencing have prompted people to revisit/remember Wilder's THE LONG WINTER.<br /><br />It is being referenced in blog posts and news stories.<br /><br />If teachers in your schools are using it, I hope you'll consider pointing out the stereotypical depiction of the "old Indian" who says "heap big snow<br />come."</i><br /><br />The age of the Indian is not the point. The point is--and I am adding this to the post itself--he is nameless and tribeless. My concern has nothing at all to do with ageism, but I appreciate your comment because it tells me I need to say more. <br /><br /><br /><br />Debbie Reesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-13479540955880005412015-02-17T08:55:17.319-06:002015-02-17T08:55:17.319-06:00Ugh. Terrible stereotypes and very dated language....Ugh. Terrible stereotypes and very dated language. <br /><br />But I do caution you about ageism. If the person was old, what is so wrong about that depiction? An experienced man with many years of knowledge about the weather should be celebrated, not included as a stereotype. In your email sharing this you reference the "old Indian" as problematic. There is nothing wrong with being aged.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com