Comanche Nation Denounces EMPIRE OF THE SUMMER MOON

At American Indians in Children's Literature, we occasionally read and recommend books intended for adult readers. We aren't alone in doing that. Within children's literature, the Alex Award is given each year to ten books that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. 

We often receive emails asking us to read an adult book, and/or if there's anyone doing critical reviews of adult books like the reviews we do at AICL. In answer to the latter, there is not (as far as we know) someone who reads and critiques books for adults. To the former, we sometimes read/critique an adult book because we know it is shaping the ideas that librarians will use to select children's books. We don't have endless time, however. We pretty much stick to children's books. 

One book I've been asked about is S. C. Gwynne's Empire of the Summer Moon: Quannah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches. I didn't read it but am happy to share a resolution from the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma. Dated October 5, 2024, their resolution says, in part:

WHEREAS, Mr. Gwynne purposefully eschewed use of Comanche sources in writing his book, and as a result of his over-reliance on ethnocentric sources, the book repeats many inaccuracies and stereotypes concerning the Comanche people. 

If you are an educator or a parent that is homeschooling their child and using Gwynne's book as a resource, please reconsider using it. Here's the Comanche Nation's resolution (you can also find it on their website):

Stereotyping, Bias, and American Indians

What are you doing at 11:00 AM on April 13th? Set aside an hour to attend a free, online conversation called "How do we change a stereotype?"

The session part of the Smithsonian Institution's Problem Solving with Smithsonian Experts series. The host for "How do we change a stereotype?" will be Paul Chaat Smith. I've written about him several times here on American Indians in Children's Literature. (See Paul Chaat Smith on Brother Eagle Sister Sky and The Education of Little Tree. And buy a copy of his book, Everything You Know about Indians is Wrong.)

The promo for the session is: 

The American Indian Experience: From the Margins to the Center
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) opened its doors in Washington in 2004. The goal? Nothing less than to change how we see the lives of Native peoples. NMAI curator Paul Chaat Smith leads a discussion on hard lessons and brilliant mistakes from the front lines of Washington’s most controversial museum.

Hard lessons? Brilliant mistakes? Most educators have been learned some hard lessons, and, we've made some brilliant mistakes, too! And why is it "Washington's most controversial museum"? I wonder what we will learn from Smith? I registered for the session and encourage you to do so, too. Go to "How do we change a stereotype" for details. The registration link is bottom right of the page.

As you think about your teaching---how, when, and why---you include American Indians, take a look at Julia Good Fox's blog post, "Texas is Not Alone: Moving Past U.S. Dis-education about Tribal Nations."  For those of you who follow Education news, you know she's referring to the textbook fiasco in Texas. Good Fox talks about her work with public school teachers. She is Pawnee.