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Accurate / Appropriate Literature re: Native American, "Indians"?

I teach a resource 8th grade English class and am always looking for a book/novel that would be of interest to my students. I recently picked up a short novel to see if it was something that I would want my students to read and I was horrified by the archaic and asinine portrayal of the native americans in the story. I cleaned all copies of the book off the shelves in my room. It wasn't worth keeping.

But it got me thinking, are there any good novels, historical fiction, or even historical accounts from an Indigenous perspective that would be appropriate for this reading level? Most of my students are young men and living in a rural area in the Rocky Mt. west they have a fascination for the native american culture. I would love to give them interesting and ACCURATE perspectives. I do have copies of "The Lakota Way" but that is a collection of short stories.

Does anyone have any good suggestions? Hope to hear from you. Thanks

Update:

Thank you both - those are some great links. I'll leave this question up a while longer to see if I get more responses but you've given me some great places to start. Thanks!

5 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Wonderful! Check out the following Native authors:

    Vine Deloria Jr. (Lakota or Dakota)

    Joy Harjo (Muskogee Creek)

    Simon J. Ortiz (Acoma Pueblo)

    Georgiana Sanchez (Chumash)

    Tim Giago (Oglala Lakota)

    Gerald Robert Vizenor (Anishinaabe)

    Additional Resources please look into each link

    http://anthropology.si.edu/outreach/Indbibl/Bibbas...

    http://www.nativeculturelinks.com/ailabib.htm

    There are several Universities out there that publish Native work by Natives. Here are a couple;

    University of Nebraska Press, www.nebraskapress.unl.edu, type in “Native American” in the search window

    University of Oklahoma Press, www.oupress.com, type in “Native American” in the search window

    For more contemporary/current events, www.indiancountrytoday.com/, www.nativetimes.com, and www.indianz.com

    Best!

    tribally enrolled

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    something is obtainable, and the two the interior reach American and the Buddhist teachings are earth fairly than heavenly orientated. yet different than that elementary similarity, i do no longer see lots else that they share. we don't discover the 4 Noble Truths or the three Refuges in the interior reach American custom. even though it additionally should be stated that over one thousand years in the past an excellent Buddhist saint, Padmasambhava, mentioned that, "whilst the iron chicken flies, the Dharma will return and forth to the land of the pink adult adult males." Kuma

  • 1 decade ago

    I hope some Native American books by American Indian Authors would be what you are looking for.I suggest you visit this link http://www.native-languages.org/books.htm

  • 1 decade ago

    I took a Native American Lit class so I know a few good reads out there.

    Sherman Alexie is pretty good and a good book would be : The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

    http://www.amazon.com/Absolutely-True-Diary-Part-T...

    The Way to Rainy Mountain is a good book

    : http://www.amazon.com/Way-Rainy-Mountain-Scott-Mom...

    Louise Erdrich writings are pretty good, not sure if they would be good for 8th grade reading level though.

    And Zitkala-Sa's biographical writings are historical and talks about her life and how it was like to go to a "white man's school" and had her hair cut. : http://www.amazon.com/American-Indian-Stories-Zitk...

    Hope this gives you a good start.

    Edit: Oh I also added some links because I was too busy to give them to you earlier.

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  • 1 decade ago

    I would love to be able to answer. However I find the answers other people have given most interesting and will take note.

    Good reading!

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