Native American Voices: A Reader (2nd Edition)
PREFACEWe are pleased by the very positive response to the first edition of this reader by students, colleagues, and the Native American community. The changes and additions to the new edition, we believe, will generate an even greater appreciation for the uniquely Indian-based perspective and hemispheric approach that characterize this volume and that clearly differentiate it from the standard, introductory works on Native Americans in the disciplines of anthropology and history.The idea for this work grew out of the editors teaching an introductory level college course, The Indian Experience, for several years at the University of California at Davis in the late 1980s to the 1990s. This course and Introduction to Native American Studies were originally developed along with a dozen or so others in the late 1960s by Jack D. Forbes for the then new Native American Studies program at the University of California at Berkeley and at the University of California at Davis. Steve Talbot, a co-editor of this reader, was a member of the faculty in the new Native American studies program at the University of California-Berkeley from 1971 to 1974 and consequently helped to develop these introductory courses. The Indian Experience became one of the core courses for the programs at these two institutions.Other developing Native American Studies (or American Indian Studies) programs in colleges and universities during the 1970s created similar introductory courses. These included the University of Minnesota, Washington State University, Humboldt State University, the University of California at Irvine, the University of California at Los Angeles, Dartmouth, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and the University of Arizona.The 1960s was the time of the "new Indian" movement and renewed activism signaled by the formation of the National Indian Youth Council, the American Indian Movement, and other Indian protest organizations, as well as by continued actions by the Iroquois and other traditional Indian peoples, the occupation of Alcatraz, the Trail of Broken Treaties to Washington, D.C., and Wounded Knee II and its aftermath of government repression. This was a time when urban-based Indians and their reservation counterparts joined forces under the guidance of traditional elders and religious leaders to press for treaty rights, sovereignty, and self-determination. It was also a time when hundreds of Indian young people were able to enter college under special admissions programs (affirmative action), receive financial aid, and bring the issues and demands of the larger Native American struggle to the university campus. The idea behind these introductory Native American studies classes was to bring the "Indian experience" into the classroom and thereby make the college curriculum relevant to the lives of the new population of Indian students on campus; they were also intended to correct misconceptions and stereotypes about Indian history, religion, and culture for the general student population and the larger society.The Indian Experience course substituted for the more mainstream Introduction to North American Indians course traditionally taught in anthropology. The paradigms for the two courses differ substantially; indeed, there are profound differences in the respective paradigms of Native American studies and anthropology. Yet, although there are many introductory North American Indian books in anthropology and history, there are very few in Native American studies and virtually none, especially a reader, that are suitable as an introduction to Native American studies for the college student and the general public with an interest in American Indians. There are, of course, some excellent atlases, almanacs, and edited works, including various compilations of Indian literature and poetry, but, again, nothing that approximates a Native American studies reader such as we have compiled here. (See the Suggested Readings list in Part I) Thus, we envision that this book will fill the void that we perceived from our teaching experience.Unlike history, or even anthropology, the Native American studies theoretical perspective, or paradigm, is multidisciplinary by the very nature of its subject matter: that is, the experience of Indian peoples. Thus, a major aim of this reader is to provide a representative sampling of this experience. This reader, therefore, contains not only scholarly articles but also journalistic selections, documents, oral history and testimony, songs and poetry, maps and art. A related purpose here is to meet the needs of classes at the undergraduate level in the social sciences and related fields, particularly Native American studies, but also ethnic studies, anthropology, sociology, history, American studies, political science, and even law, education, and social welfare.The book is divided into nine topical parts that encompass the major concerns and interests of Native American peoples and nations. Although we concentrate on Indian peoples of the United States, we have included representative selections from Canada and Latin America, especially those that indicate the linkages existing among all indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. We believe that a hemispheric approach is not only appropriate theoretically but also is one that reflects the wider perspective, history, and reality of all of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.The parts are arranged to focus on a series of interrelated themes. Parts I, II, and III lay the foundation, giving an overview of Native perspectives on history and heritage, as well as locations and demographics. The goal in Part IV is to facilitate an understanding of the values and stereotypes held by many non-Indians that have created, and in many instances served to maintain, a social context of racism and injustice with which Indian people must deal. Parts V, VI, and VII once again focus on Native strengths: that is, the individual, family, and community or tribal foundation based on relationships to spiritual truths and to the land. Part VIII deals with some of the specific problem areas that Native People face, many of these the legacy of generations of externally imposed conflict and injustice. The final section, Part IX, discusses the many ways that Native peoples have confronted, resisted, and struggled to survive as peoples and to once again thrive culturally.At the end of each part are discussion questions that will assist the student or other readers of this book in understanding the salient points of each selection. These are followed by Key Terms and, finally, Suggested Readings. At the beginning of the book are maps of North and Central America and South America, which indicate the names and locations of the Indian peoples and nations discussed in this work, as well as some other important peoples. At the end of the volume there are appendixes for Native media, major indigenous peoples' organizations, a website guide to Native American Studies programs in the United States and Canada and a list of institutions that offer them.Many people, in one way or another, contributed to this volume. They include our many colleagues, both Indian and non-Indian, who share our vision. Among them, however, we wish to mention Jose Barreiro (Guajiro/Taino), Victoria Bomberry (Muskogee/Lenape), Duane Champagne (Turtle Mountain Chippewa), Jack D. Forbes (Powhatan-Renape and Delaware-Lenape), Frank Lobo (Acjachemen), Kelina Lobo (Acjachemen), Jane Monden, Marcus Peters (Anishinabeg), Claudia Peters, Luana Ross (Salish), Mariechen C. Talbot, and Darryl Wilson (Pit River/ Ajuma/Atsuge). We thank also the several classes of students in Steve Talbot's Introduction to American Indians course at San Joaquin Delta College who provided valuable feedback to the first edition. Finally, we acknowledge the assistance and support of the following institutions and professional associations: Akwe:kon Press and Native Americas magazine; the American Friends Service Committee; the International Indian Treaty Council; Intertribal Friendship House in Oakland, California; the Native American Studies Department at the University of California at Davis; the American Indian Studies Center at the University of California at Los Angeles; the Anthropology Department at Oregon State University; and San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California.We thank also our publisher, Prentice Hall, its Assistant Vice President, Nancy Roberts, and managing editor, Sharon Chambliss. They have been especially helpful and understanding during the production process. Special thanks go to our production editor, Serena Hoffman.We dedicate this volume to the late Edward H. Spicer, social anthropologist and cultural historian, who was mentor for both of us at the University of Arizona in the 1960s. The theoretical and ethical grounding that we received under his tutelage has stood us in good stead in our academic pursuits, and his personal example of compassion and sensitivity in relating to our fellow human beings has also helped guide us in our relationships