Native American children’s literature is grossly underrepresented in libraries across the world. With many stereotypical renditions of stories in print, it was difficult to find stories that were historically accurate and effective in relation to children’s lit. Reading Jan LaBonty’s article criticizing literature and The Indian in the Cupboard, it led to me to think about how I viewed that story as a child. When I was younger, I never would have looked twice at the inaccurate outfit or dialect of Little Bear. I simply viewed it as an adventurous movie I liked to watch with my brother and sister. When I was searching for quality children’s stories about Native Americans, it took a great deal of searching to find stories that weren’t represented with the stereotypical war paint and teepees. I however succeeded in finding two wonderful picture books that tell very different and unique stories about Native Americans. One, an adventurous tale of a girl and a herd of wild horses, with beautiful illustrations is The Girl Who Loved Horses, and two, a heroic, culturally accurate story of a brave Native American girl and her friendship with an African American boy in Crossing Bok Chitto. I also found a controversial young adult book, Sign of the Beaver. There are multiple critiques against this book, stating it is historically inaccurate and stereotypical. I however stand by this book as being a great read for young adults. While I do agree with many of the historical inaccuracies, I do believe this presents a great opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss the topic of stereotypes. It’s a fun story for children to read, and it continues to be read throughout schools in Michigan.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
"A Demand for Excellence in Books for Children"
LaBonty, Jan. "A Demand for Excellence in Books for Children." Journal of American Indian Education 34.2(1995) 1-8. Web.5 May 2009.
LaBonty accurately critiques Native American children’s literature. Stating the values necessary when choosing stories for school aged children, she includes the need for children to be cognitively nurtured. With very stringent criteria for children’s literature, the criteria for multi-cultural literature is even more advanced. She observes the large number of stories in print with stereotypical representations, like “books featuring painted, whooping, befeathered Indians closing in on too many forts, maliciously attacking ‘peaceful’ settlers or simply leering menacingly from the background.” (3) LaBonty takes the typical portrayals and critically critiques The Indian in the Cupboard, noting the misrepresentations of language and culture. “Little Bear, since he was a warrior, would have worn his hair in a roach, not braids. He would not have worn a headband with feathers, although he may have worn a cap with feathers.” (3) She continues to analyze Little Bear while discussing dialect in Native American Literature. This is an area that often presents complications. It is often the case that language is created in hopes of creating something non-controversial. Authors often rely on media for accurate portrayals of language. There is a large absence of quality Native American children’s literature, which leaves parents and teachers with the job of weeding out those stories that do not serve as effective stories.
LaBonty accurately critiques Native American children’s literature. Stating the values necessary when choosing stories for school aged children, she includes the need for children to be cognitively nurtured. With very stringent criteria for children’s literature, the criteria for multi-cultural literature is even more advanced. She observes the large number of stories in print with stereotypical representations, like “books featuring painted, whooping, befeathered Indians closing in on too many forts, maliciously attacking ‘peaceful’ settlers or simply leering menacingly from the background.” (3) LaBonty takes the typical portrayals and critically critiques The Indian in the Cupboard, noting the misrepresentations of language and culture. “Little Bear, since he was a warrior, would have worn his hair in a roach, not braids. He would not have worn a headband with feathers, although he may have worn a cap with feathers.” (3) She continues to analyze Little Bear while discussing dialect in Native American Literature. This is an area that often presents complications. It is often the case that language is created in hopes of creating something non-controversial. Authors often rely on media for accurate portrayals of language. There is a large absence of quality Native American children’s literature, which leaves parents and teachers with the job of weeding out those stories that do not serve as effective stories.
Book 1-Crossing Bok Chitto
Tingle, Tim. Crossing Bok Chitto. Illus. Jeanne Rorex Bridges. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, 2006. Print
Tingle and Bridges have created an impressive, moving story of faith and bravery that emphasizes slavery in Mississippi during the time of the Trail of Tears. In the 1800s, the Bok Chitto River served as a boundary between the Choctaw nation and a group of plantation owners and slaves. Martha Tom, a young Choctaw girl befriends a young African American slave and his family who live on the plantation. Bridges’ paintings solemnly depict the characters’ individuality and resilience. When trouble occurs on the plantation, the runaways escape to freedom across the river where they are met by a courageous little girl and the women of the Choctaw tribe dressed in alluring white, appearing as angels in the moonlight. Tingle does a wonderful job of portraying this story in respect for the Choctaws, free of stereotypical observations, common in Native American literature. With his respect for oral history, he adds a note at the end of the story on Choctaw storytelling. Transcending stereotypes and appearance as stated in Jan LaBonty’s article, Tingle and Bridges create an accurate, refreshing story that can be enjoyed by children of all ages.
Book 2-The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
Goble, Paul. The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses. New York: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, 1978. Print.
With a thundering combination of simple prose and magnificent paintings, Goble tells a story of an accepting community that allows a Native American girl to express her individuality. Goble has created a unique story of a young girl and her love of horses. Spending every spare moment with the heard, forming a special bond that only she held, she yearns of fulfilling her dream to live among the wild horses. She knew where they enjoyed grazing and where they took shelter during harsh weather. She cared for them and often enjoyed lying in the meadows among the beautiful flowers.
One day she fell asleep and was awakened by a crack of lightning that shook the earth with a deafening crash. Horrified, the girl jumped onto the back of a horse as they bolted in terror. She clung to the horse’s mane, and as she was unable to stop the herd, they galloped away through the hills. She awoke to find the leader, a stunning stallion happily welcoming her into their family. With beautiful vibrant images, Goble draws you into the scenery, placing you in the center of the adventure. He upholds LaBonty’s critique in A Demand for Excellence in Books for Childre; that books with minority characters are held to an additional standard that must follow multicultural literature. For example, the characters must be portrayed as a unique individual with accurate depictions. He critically denies the dominant representations of Native American literature by creating an adventurous, strong, superior character. This 1979 Caldecott Medal winning story is a great story, enjoyable for children of all ages.
Book 3-Sign of the Beaver
Speare, Elizabeth George. The Sign of the Beaver. New York: Dell Publishing, 1983. Print.
12-year old Matt is left to survive on his own until his father returns with the rest of his family. Until then, Matt is busy collecting food, making alterations to the cabin like filling the spaces between the logs with clay, collecting firewood, and preparing for his family’s arrival. One day, Matt’s curiosity gets the best of him when he is severely stung by a swarm of bees. This occurrence leads to a uniquely bonded friendship between Matt, a white boy, and Attean, a 14-year-old member of the Penobscot tribe.
This young adult story compares the cultural differences between two groups that learn to accept each other. Spears, an outsider, explores the themes of friendship, survival, fear, and courage as the two boys become friends and make some difficult life choices. This 1983 written novel is contemporarily critiqued with stereotypes and historical inaccuracy. I stand by this story as an adventure worth reading. This effective story evokes conversation of topics that children are being faced with in their daily lives, and is a strategically important book when used in discussion to combat prejudice.
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