Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask
Paperback - 2012
"I had a profoundly well-educated Princetonian ask me, 'Where is your tomahawk?' I had a beautiful woman approach me in the college gymnasium and exclaim, 'You have the most beautiful red skin.' I took a friend to see Dances with Wolves and was told, 'Your people have a beautiful culture.' . . . I made many lifelong friends at college, and they supported but also challenged me with questions like, 'Why should Indians have reservations?' "
What have you always wanted to know about Indians? Do you think you should already know the answers--or suspect that your questions may be offensive? In matterof-fact responses to over 120 questions, both thoughtful and outrageous, modern and historical, Ojibwe scholar and cultural preservationist Anton Treuer gives a frank, funny, and sometimes personal tour of what's up with Indians, anyway.
* What is the real story of Thanksgiving?
* Why are tribal languages important?
* What do you think of that incident where people died in a sweat lodge?
White/Indian relations are often characterized by guilt and anger. Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians But Were Afraid to Ask cuts through the emotion and builds a foundation for true understanding and positive action.
Anton Treuer, author of The Assassination of Hole in the Day and many other books on Ojibwe history and language, received an Ambassador Award in 2011 from Facing Race: We're All in This Together, an initiative of the St. Paul Foundation. All around Minnesota, Treuer has given scores of public lectures and been asked hundreds of questions--many like the ones in this book.
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Add a CommentPresented more or less as an FAQ, Treuer fills this slim volume with the genuinely curious, ignorant but well-meaning, and downright insulting questions he and other American Indians are asked constantly. From the most basic queries about preferred terminology and definitions to political and cultural inquiries requiring more complex responses, Treuer responds with honestly and with feeling. Having read a fair amount on the topic of Native Americans recently, including Treuer's own brother David's 'Rez Life,' much of the content felt already familiar, though no less engaging or important.
Anton Treuer's books are always eye opening, informative. This work is clear, direct, interesting, a great read for anyone wanting solid information about American Indians, their experiences and world views.