This past Thursday, the TLAM class met to discuss tribal histories. We were lucky to have Patty Loew, UW Professor of Life Sciences Communication and author of Indian Nations of Wisconsin: Histories of Endurance and Renewal, as our guest speaker.
Having the author of one of our textbooks come to our class was a wonderful opportunity to gain some more insight into not just the stories in the book, but the story of the book.
For me, the experience of reading the book was enlightening because, despite growing up in Wisconsin under Act 31, I knew next to nothing about the state’s Native peoples. Reading Indian Nations of Wisconsin and learning about the many Indian nations that exist within the state’s borders helped give me a deeper and less one-sided understanding of Wisconsin’s history, and hearing Patty’s firsthand accounts was a great way to gain another perspective on what we’d read before class.
Patty told us intensely personal stories, relating her experiences approaching the different Nations and people that were the sources of information for her book. Through her words, we learned about the lasting effects of the Indian boarding schools on Native elders, and the impact that shockingly offensive modern-day school curricula have had on her and her children. Each of these stories adds a personal perspective and reinforces the need for understanding, respect, and humility in our own interactions with Native people.
She also spoke of the importance of historical records, a strong reminder that so many of the historical “facts” that people tend to take for granted only encompass one perspective and often only tell a part of (or a very flawed version of) the full story. Learning the full scope of the story and other ways of knowing can help us enrich our understanding of our world, but we can’t do that if the other sides are silenced.
As Patty’s stories, her book, and the other readings we did for the week amply demonstrated, it is important as information professionals to ensure that the histories of Native peoples are represented fairly and respectfully, and that members of those cultures can share their stories in their own ways and in their own words.
Readings:
Loew, P. (2013). Indian nations of Wisconsin : Histories of endurance and renewal. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
Roy, L. (2011). Weaving partnerships with the American Indian peoples in your community to develop cultural programming. In L. Roy, A. Bhasin & S. K. Arriaga (Eds.), Tribal libraries, archives, and museums: Preserving our language, memory, and lifeways. (pp. 141-156). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
Treuer, A. (2012). Everything you wanted to know about Indians but were afraid to ask. Saint Paul, MN: Borealis Books. pp. 15-38
Treuer, D. (2012). Introduction. Rez life: An Indian’s journey through reservation life (pp. 1-20). New York, NY: Atlantic Monthly Press.
-Erin Thomas