American Indian Stereotypes in the World of Children

Arlene Hirschfelder is the author of award-winning nonfiction books as well as curricula, magazine articles, and bibliographies concerning Native Americans. Paulette Fairbanks Molin is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe from the White Earth Reservation. She is a faculty member at Hampton University in Virginia. Yvonne Wakim, Cherokee/Arab, is a board member of Nitchen, Inc. (Our Children in the Lenni Lenape language). She helped create the Family Awareness Network, a holistic preventative mental health program for American Indian youth and their families.

This timely collection of essays forcefully confronts the negative racist images and stereotypes employed to dehumanize and subjugate Native Americans. What unites these essays is a common focus on the social construction and maintenance of racial stereotyping through the media, through toys, games, and recreational activities, and through texts and curricula in schools. The editors of this anthology make it abundantly clear that they want to expose and exorcise these powerful, prejudicial demons from the American mind. These essays should galvanize classroom discussions and stimulate reflection and social change. No teacher or student of social studies can afford to be without this work.

• Part 1 I: A ReaderPart 2 1: Through the Eyes of a ChildChapter 3 Children's Impressions of American Indians —League of Women VotersPart 4 2: The Only Good Indian is a Plains IndianChapter 5 The Emergence of the Plains Indian as the Symbol of the North American IndianPart 6 3: Words Can HurtChapter 7 What's Correct? American Indian or Native American?Chapter 8 What's Correct? Eskimo of Inuit?Chapter 9 Eliminating the "S" WordChapter 10 Lethal Consequenes: Stereotyping American Indians in the MilitaryPart 11 4: Reading is Fundamental for Truths or StereotypesChapter 12 Introduction to American Indian Authors for Young Readers (Edition 1)Chapter 13 Feathers, Tomahawks and Tipis (Edition 1)Chapter 14 The Sign of the Beaver: The Problem and the SolutionPart 15 5: What your Teachers Never Told You (Maybe They Didn't Know)Chapter 16 Textbooks and Native Americans (Edition 1)Chapter 17 Misrepresentations of the Alaskan Natives in Social Studies Texts (Edition 1)Chapter 18 The Treatment of Iroquois Indians in Selected American History Textbooks (Edition 1)Chapter 19 Arctic Survival—Inaccurate Textbooks Create Igloo Myths in Alaska (Edition 1)Part 20 6: Still Playing Cowboys and Indians After All These YearsChapter 21 Toys with Indian Imagery (Edition 1)Chapter 22 Why One Can't Ignore PocahontasChapter 23 American Indian Mascots in SportsChapter 24 Stanford Removes Indian Symbol (Edition 1)Chapter 25 Recapturing Stolen Media Images: Indians are Not Mascots or LogosChapter 26 From Subhuman to Superhuman: The Evolution of American Indian Images in Comic BooksChapter 27 The Y-Indian Guide and Y-Indian Princess ProgramPart 28 7: Holidays Are Not Always for CelebratingChapter 29 Columbus in the ClassroomChapter 30 The Thanksgiving EpidemicPart 31 8: Art for Truth's SakeChapter 32 Indian Artists Rescue the TruthChapter 33 Indian Film and Video Makers Rescue the TruthPart 34 II: BibliographyChapter 35 Stereotyping of Native AmericansChapter 36 "Corrective" MaterialsChapter 37 Columbus Day and ThanksgivingChapter 38 Anthologies of Poetry and ProseChapter 39 Collections of Interviews and Personal Accounts by Contemporary Native AmericansChapter 40 Catalogs and CurriculumChapter 41 Audiovisual ResourcesChapter 42 Newspapers and MagazinesChapter 43 Web Sites about Native AmericansPart 44 Index to Part 1Part 45 Index to Part 2