Who are Native Americans? What stereotypes distort outsiders' perceptions of Native people? Some of these books describe the reality; others analyze the stereotypes.

The Stereotypes

Acoose, Janice, or Misko-Kìsikàwihkwè (Red Sky Woman). 1995. Iskwewak-Kah' Ki Yaw Ni Wahkomkanak: Neither Indian Princesses nor Easy Squaws. Toronto: Woman's Press. A deconstruct-tion of the stereotypical images of Indigenous women in popular literature.

Bataille, Gretchen M., & Charles L.P. Silet, editors. 1980. The Pretend Indians: Images of Native Americans in the Movies. Ames: The Iowa State University Press. A collection of essays that analyze the stereotypical treatment of Native Americans in the movies.

Berkhofer, Robert F., Jr. 1978. The White Man's Indian: Images of the American Indian from Columbus to the Present. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Beginning with the early colonial period, the author traces the history of stereotyping of Native Americans.

Churchill, Ward. 1998. Fantasies of the Master Race: Literature, Cinema & the Colonialization of American Indians. San Francisco: City Lights Books. A collection of essays that analyze stereo-typing and misrepresentation as weapons of genocide. First published 1992 by Common Courage Press, Monroe, ME.

Coward, John M. 1999. The Newspaper Indian: Native American Identity in the Press, 1820 - 90. Urbana & Chicago: University of Illinois Press. An in-depth look at how 19th Century news reporting shaped the image of Native Americans.

Deloria, Philip J. 1998. Playing Indian. New Haven: Yale University Press. Explores the dominant culture's fantasies about Native people and the co-optation of Native symbols, culture, etc., from colonial days to the present.

Dilworth, Leah. 1996. Imagining Indians in the Southwest: Persistent Visions of a Primitive Past. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. The author examines the creation and enduring potency of the early 20th Century myth of the primitive Indians and discusses the ways in which Native people have resisted cultural colonialism.

Doxtator, Deborah. 1992. Fluffs & Feathers, An Exhibit on the Symbols of Indianness: A Resource Guide. Brantford, Ontario: Woodland Cultural Centre. A resource guide prepared to accompany an exhibit designed to examine the false symbols of "Indianness" that help to perpetuate harmful stereotypes.

Francis, Daniel. 1992. The Imaginary Indian: The Image of the Indian in Canadian Culture. Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press (103-1014 Homer Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2W9). An analysis of the images projected upon Native Canadians.

Friar, Ralph E., & Natasha A. Friar. 1972. The Only Good Indian: The Hollywood Gospel. New York: Drama Book Specialists/Publishers. Detailed analysis of the stereotyping of Native Am-ericans, especially in film.

Kilpatrick, Jacquelyn. 1999. Celluloid Indians: Native Americans & Film. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. An overview of a century's worth of representations of Native Americans in film.

Loewen, James W. 2005. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. New York: The New Press. A critique of high school history textbooks. Includes a good deal of information on what textbooks get wrong, omit, or distort about Native Americans. First published 1995.

Mihesuah, Devon A. (Choctaw). 1996. American Indians: Stereotypes & Realities. Atlanta: Clarity Press. This useful resource dispels many misconceptions and negative stereotypes; also includes a list of do's and don'ts for teaching about Indian history and culture.

The Racism & Sexism Resource Center for Educators. 1977, 1981. Unlearning "Indian" Stereo-types: A Teaching Unit for Elementary Teachers & Children's Librarians. New York: The Council on Interracial Books for Children. Includes a discussion of stereotyping in picture books, guide-lines for teachers, writers, illustrators, and publishers, and Native American perspectives on Thanksgiving, Columbus Day, and Washington's Birthday.

The Reality

Anderson, Marilyn, & Johathan Garlock. 1988. Granddaughters of Corn: Portraits of Guatemalan Woman. Willimantic, CT: Curbstone Press. Describes the everyday reality faced by Mayan women in modern-day Guatemala.

Angel, Adriana, & Fiona Macintosh. 1987. The Tiger's Milk: Women of Nicaragua. New York: Seaver Books/Henry Holt & Company. Native women of Nicaragua tell their own stories.

Armstrong, Virginia Irving. 1971, 1984. I Have Spoken: American History Through the Voices of the Indians. Athens: Swallow Press/Ohio University Press. A collection of Native American oratory from the 17th to the 20th Century.

Bordewich, Fergus M. 1996. Killing the White Man's Indian: Reinventing Native Americans at the End of the 20th Century. New York: Doubleday. Presents an in-depth examination of recent political developments in Indian country.

Caldwell, E.K. 1999. Dreaming the Dawn: Conversations with Native Artists & Activists. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. Interviews of twelve Native artists and activists of today, including Winona La Duke, John Trudell, Sherman Alexie, and Elizabeth Woody.

Cash, Joseph H. & Herbert T. Hoover, editors. 1995. To Be an Indian: An Oral History. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. This book consists of interviews with Native people of the Northern Plains conducted during the late 1960s. The topics discussed include spirituality, reservation life, and Indian-white relations. First published by Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, 1971.

Chapman, Serle. Two books: 1998, 2002. Of Earth & Elders: Visions & Voices from Native America. 2001. We, the People: Of Earth & Elders, Volume II, 2001. Missoula, MT: Bear Print. A unique look at contemporary Native Americans. Works to counteract stereotypes.

Farley, Ronnie, editor & photographer. 1998. Women of the Native Struggle: Portraits & Test-imony of Native American Women. New York: Random House Value Publishing. Profiles of Native women of today. First published by Orion Books (Crown), New York, 1993.

Garrod, Andrew, & Colleen Larimore, editors. 1997. First Person, First Peoples: Native American College Graduates Tell Their Life Stories. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Personal accounts by Native American graduates of Dartmouth College.

Hirschfelder, Arlene, editor. 1995. Native Heritage: Personal Accounts by American Indians, 1790 to the Present. New York: Macmillan. Includes over 120 narratives drawn from written and oral histories, autobiographies, newspapers, and journals.

James, Cheewa (Modoc). 1995. Catch the Whisper of the Wind: Inspirational Stories & Proverbs from Native Americans. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications, Inc. Personal stories of Native life from Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Mills, U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Cherokee stateswoman Wilma Mankiller, political leader Ada Deer and others. Based on inter-views by Cheewa James.

Kohn, Rita, & W. Lynwood Montell, editors. 1997. Always a People: Oral Histories of Con-temporary Woodland Indians. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Forty-one individuals from a number of woodland nations were interviewed for this book.

McLuhan, T.C. 1992. Touch the Earth: A Self-Portrait of Indian Existence. Edison, NJ: BBS Pub-lishing. A collection of short statements and writings by North American Indians chosen to convey Native history and values. Illustrated with historic photographs. First published 1971 by Promontory Press, New York.

Nabokov, Peter, editor. 1999. Native American Testimony: A Chronicle of Indian-White Relations from Prophecy to the Present. New York: Penguin Books. Accounts drawn from a wide range of sources, including traditional narratives, autobiographies, government transcripts, and firsthand interviews. First published by Crowell, New York, 1978.

Niethammer, Carolyn. 1977, 1996. Daughters of the Earth: The Lives & Legends of American Indian Women. New York: Touchstone/ Simon & Schuster. A detailed account of the traditional ways of life of Native North American women. Includes numerous short quotations from Native women of the past.

Page, Susanne. 1989. A Celebration of Being: Photographs of the Hopi & Navajo. Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Publishing. Presents a picture of modern-day Native life in the Southwest.

Riley, Patricia, editor. 1993. Growing Up Native American. New York: William Morrow (hard cover) and Avon Books (soft cover). Twenty-two people of the 19th and 20th Centuries describe the experience of growing up Native American.

Roche, Judith, & Meg McHutchison, editors. 1998. First Fish, First People: Salmon Tales of the North Pacific Rim. Seattle: University of Washington Press / Vancouver: UBC Press. Presents the voices of contemporary Native writers and storytellers of the Northwest Coast, where salmon looms large in traditional life and beliefs.

Rosenstiel, Annette. 1983. Red & White: Indian Views of the White Man, 1492-1982. New York: Universe Books. A chronological collection of Native accounts, including both speeches and written material.

Sando. Joe S. (Jemez). 1998. Pueblo Profiles: Cultural Identity through Centuries of Change. Santa Fe: Clear Light Publishers. The stories of more than thirty leaders, educators, and artists of the past and present

Schweitzer, Marjorie M., editor. 1999. American Indian Grandmothers: Traditions & Transitions. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. Nine essays about the complex world of grand-mothering in Native America.

Vanderwerth, W.C. 1971, 1979. Indian Oratory: Famous Speeches by Noted Indian Chieftains. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. A collection of speeches by Native American leaders, from the mid-18th to the early 20th Century.

Wall, Steve. 1993. Wisdom's Daughters: Conversations with Women Elders of Native America. New York: Harper Perennial. Interviews with Native American women of many nations.

Wall, Steve, & Harvey Arden. 1990, 2006. Wisdomkeepers: Meetings with Native American Spiritual Leaders. Hillsboro, Oregon: Beyond Words Publishing. Interviews with spiritual leaders from many Native communities.

More Reality

There are many other books that can help the reader gain a better understanding of Native American life and traditions. A good source of such books is The North American Native Authors Catalog with more then 1,000 books from over 100 different publishers. The books include autobiographies, poetry, novels, historical studies, and collections of traditional legends.

The North American Native Authors Catalog
The Greenfield Review Press
2 Middle Grove Road
P.O. Box 308
Greenfield Center, NY 12833
Phone 518-583-1440
Fax 518-583-9741

Prepared by the National Museum of the American Indian Resource Center,
in cooperation with the Public Inquiry Mail Service,
Smithsonian Institution.

3/98
Rev. 07/07

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