DOCUMENT RESUME ED 460 806 RC 023 290 AUTHOR Susag, Dorothea TITLE Native American Literature: Montana and Northcentral Regional Publications. SPONS AGENCY Montana State Office of Public Instruction, Helena.; Montana Association of Teachers of English and Language Arts. PUB DATE 1998-00-00 NOTE 66p.; Also funded by the Montana Arts Council's Special projects Fund. PUB TYPE Reference Materials Bibliographies (131) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adolescent Literature; *American Indian Culture; American Indian Education; *American Indian History; *American Indian Literature; Annotated Bibliographies; *Childrens Literature; Cultural Awareness; Elementary Secondary Education; Multicultural Education; Reading Materials IDENTIFIERS Authentic Materials; *Montana; *Native Americans; United States (Northern Great Plains); United States (Rocky Mountain States) ABSTRACT This annotated bibliography is designed to help Montana K-12 teachers integrate authentic Native American literature into their curricula. A thematic approach to literature is encouraged, so that students may make meaningful connections between the classroom and their personal worlds. Accordingly, the entries are categorized according to the following themes and instructional levels: remembering the old ways (primary, intermediate, secondary); at home within nature (primary); at home within family (primary); at home within circles (intermediate, secondary); change and growth (intermediate) ;between two worlds (primary, intermediate, secondary); lifeways and stereotypes (intermediate, secondary); and cultural and personal loss and survival (secondary). The approximately 120 entries were produced by Northwestern and North Central publishers, including the Montana Office of Public Instruction, and by seven Montana tribal communities: Blackfeet, Crow, Flathead (Salish/Kootenai), Fort Belknap (Assiniboine/Gros Ventre), Fort Peck (Assiniboine/Sioux), Northern Cheyenne, and Rocky Boy (Chippewa/Cree). Each entry includes genre, theme, grade level, annotation, and the tribal affiliation of text or author. Approximately 60 supplemental resources include materials that develop awareness of Native American culture and history and that help educators incorporate Native literature in the curriculum. (SV) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the ori inal document. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research andImprovement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has beenreproduced as 1received from the person ororganization originating it. 0 Minor changes have beenmade to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions statedin this docu- ment do not necessarilyrepresent official OERI position or policy. "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN,GRANTEDBY Ô'Ct&r-n M, Sa TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." 444.01111144...110 Native American literature Montana and Northentral Regional Publications BEST CPY AVAILABLE NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE Montana and Northcentral Regional Publications by Dorothea Susag , All people are equal Can you see our way? We offer our hand In equality lb show you the responsibility of mutual resped. Jason Wise Spirit (Sioux), aver Artist 0 .., Copyright (c) 1998 by Dorothea Susag. Printed by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, Helena, MT 59620. Native American Literature: Montana and Northcentral Regional Publications TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 2 At Home Within Family 4 Introduction 5 Acknowledgements 8 At Home Within Nature 10 Bibliography: Montana and North American Regional Publications 11 Lifeways and Stereotypes 44 Between 1Wo Worlds 45 Supplemental Resources 46 Cultural and Personal Loss and Survival 60 Survey 61 Native American Literature: Montana and Northcentral Regional Publications is sponsoredby the Montana Assodation of Teachers of English Language Arts and has been funded in part by the Montana Arts Coundl's Spedal Projects Fund and by the Montana Office of Public Instruction. FOREWORD he purpose of this book is twofold. First, to provide teachers witha bibliogra- phy of books by and about Montana's Indians. And secondly, toencourage educators to use them. Historically, teachers in Montana have had a difficult time finding books that accurately depicted this state's Native American population. At best,many of the books have portrayed sensationalized, stereotyped, and insome cases, wholly inaccurate pictures of Native Americans. In the following excerpt from George Catlin and the Old Frontier (1841) Catlin presents a perspective far different from that of most of the popular writers of his day. He states: I love a people who have made me welcome to the best they had ...who are honest without laws ... who worship God without a Bible, and I be- lieve God loves them also...who are free from religious animosities..: who never raised a hand against me or stole my property where there was no law to punish either ... who never fought a battle with whitemen except on their own ground...and oh! how I love a people who don't live for the love of money. (14) It has not been until recent times that book companies have produced books that one might comfortably use in the classroom with some degree of confidence in their accuracy. Further complicating the problem for teachers, book compa- nies haven't found it profitable to focus their resources on a target population with a relatively small demand. Consequently, teacherswere left with either little or no choice in securing texts, library books, or other educational materials for learning about American Indians. One of the most respected Native American educators, authors, and activists, Rupert Costo, former editor of the Indian Historian Press, many times alluded to the problem of selection of materials for the classroom. He indicated that most textbooks and instructional materials are designed to appeal to the widest possible market, and they are often presented from an ethnocentric viewpoint. Native Americans and other cultural groups are frequently stereotyped, dis- torted, or sometimes omitted. In Textbooks and the American Indian (1970), he says: "The attempt to transmit a single view results in the denial of the heri- tage, values, and views of culturally diverse groups in a heterogeneous society." It is so important that individuals in our schools who are responsible forsecur- ing materials about Native Americans be knowledgeable and sensitiveas to avoid selecting materials that degrade a student's heritage, are inaccurateor unfair, or perpetuate negative generalizations. By using such materials, the Indian and non-Indian students alike may remain uninformed,,possibly becom- ing more biased and prejudiced. The importance of selecting proper materials gannot be understated, as Costo goes on to suggest in the following excerpt: Everyone has the right to their opinion, a person has the right to be wrong. But a textbook has no right to be wrong, or to evade, distort, falsify history, or to insult or malign a whole race of people. There isa n Foreword difference between a book used for general readership and one accepted for classroom use. In the first case, the individual has a choice, and this choice must be protected. The student has no choice. He is compelled to study from an approved text, and in this case we must insist on truth, accuracy and objectivity. (11) Students of Montana need to learn about the rich history of Montana's Native population. They need to learn about their neighbors from eleven official Indian tribes who live in communities throughout the state and on the seven reserva- tions. This fact alone offers educators a wealth of information to share and exchange with their students. Not only is it important for schools to provide information and awareness regarding the Native American for students' recre- ational reading, but it is also encouraged by legislation and public school direc- tives.Article X of the Montana Constitution guarantees "equality of educa- tional opportunity to each person in the state." Further, it recognizes "the dis- tinct and unique heritage of the American Indians and is committed in its edu- cational goals to preserve their cultural integrity." Subsequently, it was with this concept in mind that the 1973 Montana Legislature enacted the Indian Studies Law encouraging schools to prescribe to the intention of the law. In April 1997, Montana Governor Marc Racicot signed the American Indian Heritage Day Bill 117, which is "An act designating the fourth Friday in Sep- tember of each year as American Indian Heritage Day in the State of Mon- tana..." Therefore, "Commemorative exercises on certain days: All districts shall conduct appropriate exercises during the school day on the following commemo- rative days: (f) American Indian Heritage Day." In an effort to help teachers with book selections by and about our region's Na- tive American peoples, Dorothea Susag, classroom teacher in Simms High School, has developed an extensive listing of books which are intended to assist educa- tors who seek information and materials about Montana's Native population. She has spent considerable time gathering and developing materials which are meant to encourage teachers to include Native American literature, history, and culture into their regular classroom activities. This book provides the reader with an extensive annotated bibliography and suggested resources for teaching about Montana's Native Americans in primary through secondary grades. Ms. Susag does