Native Americans and the Education System
While looking into the dispossession of Native American lands in our local area, I began to wonder the affect that the education system may have on the students. In an article called, “The Miseducation of Native American Students: Dehumanizing myths and misconceptions hurt Native students” by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz brings the education system and erasure of Native American narratives into play.
Within the article Dunbar-Ortiz notes that there are more than 600,000 Native American students in the United States K-12 public schools. And while the school is in session during the fall Christopher Columbus Day and Thanksgiving play a role in the student’s lives. Except during this time the narratives that the students receive are typically showcasing white supremacy and imperialism. The author believes that instead of using the typical narratives the educators should discuss what actually happened with information that is both historical and current. The education system, Dunbar-Ortiz, says lies at the heart of why Native American history is still currently showing erasure. This is due to how the information in class is being presented and the use of textbooks that often stop at the 19th century information about the Native American’s lives.
As the education system works with the nation’s children I think that it is important to recognize the issues that this brings into the the Native American narrative.