[CALIBK12] An author's identity and books about Code Talkers

[Debbie Reese]

Good morning,

Last week, the subject line in my email message summarizing updates to American Indians in Children's Literature was about John Smelcer's book, THE TRAP. I wrote about that book on Sunday, January 27th.

Shortly after sending that update, I started hearing from people, telling me that John Smelcer is not actually Native. One individual pointed me to articles in the Anchorage Daily News.

Later that day, I added an update to what I'd already written, noting what I was hearing.

Looking into Smelcer's identity was unpleasant, but necessary work. Teachers and students often do author studies, and, it is important that they are not misled or duped by someone who is claiming an identity that is not correct. 

Given the long and well-intentioned play-Indian traditions in the U.S., and the depth of biased, outdated, and incorrect information out there (in books and elsewhere) about American Indians, an author's identity is especially critical. 

On Tuesday, January 29th, I wrote about John Smelcer and his identity. The information from the newspaper was verified. We are all being misled by his repeated claims to be Native. He does not, in subsequent articles and interviews, tell us that he is adopted. The ways that he constructs sentences lead us to believe he is. The bottom line? He is adopted, and he was not raised within a Native community. Native ways were not part of his upbringing. 

My post today (Sunday, Feb 3) points people to two important topics that are not taught in most elementary or high schools. The first, American Indian Activism, is little know. More is known, and being taught, about the Code Talkers of WWI and WWII. Both topics are discussed on Feb. 3rd.

To read more about what I've said in this email, please visit American Indians in Children's Literature. You can find it by googling "American Indians in Children's Literature" or by going to my page on the website for American Indian Studies faculty at the University of Illinois, located here:

http://www.nah.uiuc.edu/faculty-Reese.htm

Once there, click on "Web Page" underneath my email address.

Have a good week,
Debbie


_______________________________

Debbie A. Reese, (Nambé Pueblo)
Assistant Professor
American Indian Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1206 West Nevada
Urbana, IL 61801

Email: debreese at uiuc.edu 

Internet Resource & Blog: American Indians in Children's Literature, located at http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com

UIUC's Native American House http://www.nah.uiuc.edu
TEL 217-265-9870
FAX 217-265-9880