“All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

“All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans Reviews

• 
  Colleen Browne

  I recently read another of Ortiz' books, An Indigenous People's History of the United States so I was prepared for her style but I was still made irritated by the way that with some of her arguments. She ignored facts that would expose the fact that everything is rarely black and white. Two examples come to mind. The first, when discussing the Supreme Court Case, Worcester v Georgia the decision rendered by Justice John Marshall, ruled that Georgia had no rights to enforce state laws in the territories of Native Americans in the state. In addition, it made the Indian Removal Act invalid, illegal, unconstitutional and against treaties previously made by the United States. The Cherokee Nation was a sovereign nation. President Jackson refused to abide by the decision and this set in motion The Trail of Tears. This case is misrepresented by the author. When she failed to mention the Court's declaration on the matter, it gave credence to her claim that everything the government ever did was injurious to Native Americans. Another example was the execution of 38 Dakota Sioux in Minnesota. According to Ortiz, Abraham Lincoln arbitrarily consented to the execution of these men with hardly a thought. The fact is, originally 303 Lakota were sentenced to hang but Lincoln ordered that each case was re-examined based on its own merit. The men who were hanged were proven to have taken part of the uprising they were accused of. Mind you, a thorough examination of what happened to the Lakota people that led up to this might be seen as a justification for the uprising but that is not the issue here. Again, Ortiz conveniently overlooked these facts in order to paint a black and white picture which simply does not stand up to scrutiny.
  
  What bothers me most about this is that I am a very strong advocate for the rights of Native people but the historian in me demands an accurate telling of the facts.
  I was also put off by Ortiz anger- justifiable given the history of the government and people of this country toward Native people but not acceptable for a scholar and historian. Her anger and paranoia are at times over the edge. She almost seems to wage her own personal war against science when dealing with the Bearing Strait crossing. While it is certainly true that science has been used to accomplish racist ends, occasionally conclusions are reached honestly using the best information available but Ms. Ortez cuts them no slack and seems to arbitrarily oppose the conclusions of scientists because they do not fit into her belief system.
  
  I still rewarded the book 3 stars because I believe that she is correct that generally, the U.S. has been guilty of genocide both of the bodies of Natives and of their culture; it dispossessed them of their lands and imposed hideous conditions upon them including the boarding schools.
• 
  Amy | Foxy Blogs

  Perfect time to read this book: Thanksgiving is coming up this weekend and it's Native American Heritage Month.
  
  Are you curious about common phrases you hear about Native Americans such as:
  “Columbus Discovered America”
  “Thanksgiving Proves the Indians Welcomed Pilgrims”
  “Indians Were Savage and Warlike”
  “Europeans Brought Civilization to Backward Indians”
  “Sports Mascots Honor Native Americans”
  “Most Indians Are on Government Welfare”
  “Indian Casinos Make Them All Rich”
  “Indians Are Naturally Predisposed to Alcohol”
  “Indians Are Anti-Science”
  “Native Americans Can’t Agree on What to Be Called”
  
  The authors tackles each of these phrases above and enlightens the readers on why they're hurtful myths.
  
  As I was reading this book there was a part where the authors mention how people believe there are no Native Americans left. I asked my friend who is from the Modoc tribe if he ever experienced someone being shocked that Native Americans were still around. Because I didn't realize people had those thoughts. His response was, "In middle school, a girl in my class from China had answered the question of what happened with the native Americans with "they extincted."
  
  My friend also shared this song written by The Avett Brothers. Take a
  listen here
  
  I'd recommend this book to anyone who has heard any of those above phrases and believed them. Challenge yourself to hear why these are harmful assumptions.
  
  
  
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• 
  David Lucander

  A quick read that I really wanted to love but wasn't really into. The individual pieces had some interesting facts once in a while, but even though the chapters were only a couple of pages they were disorganized and the authors went off on awkward tangents. For example, "Native American Culture Belongs to All Americans" (Myth 14) discusses commercialization of Native American religion and overarching ethnic fraud, but then goes off on a lengthy rant about professors fabricating their identity - which to me is dishonorable, but hardly a big issue. Some of the myths seem like arbitrarily set up straw man argumentation "US Presidents Were Benevolent Towards Indians" (Myth 9) or just silly "Native Americans Can't Agree on What to Be Called" (Myth 20). There's also a bit of jargon, so avoid this if you don't like reading about de-centering the nation state as the default arbiter of civic belonging and national identity. I would have liked to see more facts in the chapter on Indian casinos and more intellectual rigor on sports teams with Native American themes/names.
• 
  mad mags

  Belongs in high school libraries everywhere.
  
  (Full disclosure: I received an electronic ARC for review through Edelweiss.)
  
  Non-Natives thus position themselves, either wittingly or unwittingly, as being the true experts about Indians and their histories—and it happens at all levels of society, from the uneducated all the way up to those with advanced college degrees, and even in the halls of Congress. [...]
  
  The result is the perpetual erasure of Indians from the US political and cultural landscape. In short, for five centuries Indians have been disappearing in the collective imagination. They are disappearing in plain sight.
  
  ###
  
  Imagining huge fields of gold, which did not exist, Columbus instituted what later became known as the encomienda system, large estates run on forced labor for the purposes of extracting gold. Las Casas reported that when mining quotas were not met by the Indians excavating the gold, their hands were cut off and they bled to death. When they attempted to flee, they were hunted down with dogs and killed. So little gold existed in Hispaniola that the island turned into a massive killing field.
  
  ###
  
  He [King George] has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
  
  —Declaration of Independence
  
  ###
  
  -- 4.5 stars --
  
  Native Americans should be honored to have sports teams named after them.
  
  The Indians lost the war, why can't they move on already?
  
  Indian casinos make everyone rich.
  
  Whether your ancestors were indigenous to North America or not, no doubt you're familiar with at least a few of these myths about Native Americans. Actually, that's an understatement, given that our culture - right down to its founding documents - is steeped in such half-truths, contested theories, and outright lies. They're taught in our high school history books (Columbus discovered America; the convoluted and decontextualized myth of Thanksgiving), trotted out for celebrations (Native American mascots; cultural appropriation in Halloween costumes), and have been used to strip Native tribes of their lands, power, and self-determination ("real" Indians live on reservations/meet blood quantum requirements/belong to a tribe/adhere to certain spiritual practices).
  
  This last is accomplished primarily through erasure. The most pernicious myth - the titular "All the Real Indians Died Off" - has been used to erase Native peoples from both the past and present. After all, if Native Americans no longer exist, then they've no need of tribal lands. (Convenient, that.) This erasure can be violent and bloody, as it was so often in the past: through genocide or "extermination," supported at both the state and federal levels. Often it comes in much more insidious, systemic forms: "the forcible transfer of children throughout the Indian boarding school era and the extent of transracial Indian adoption in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries"; restrictive blood quantum requirements that bar many people from rightfully claiming their Native descent; religious conversion; policies that force or encourage intermarriage; incentives that cause young people to immigrate from reservations to urban centers; and so on.
  
  Many of the myths explored here stem from this singular narrative; "It can be thought of as the central organizing myth from which most other popular myths about Native people arise." Indeed, it quickly becomes apparent just how interconnected each myth is; they all feed into and support one another, in ways both subtle and overt.
  
  "All the Real Indians Died Off" reads a little like James Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me, albeit with a singular, laser-like focus. I thought I was reasonably well-informed on these subjects - everyone knows that Columbus was a murderous dirtbag who couldn't navigate for shit, right? and Thanksgiving is just a nice story we like to tell kids as they finger-paint turkeys, yeah? - yet I continually found myself surprised, almost always not in a good way. Thomas Jefferson's description of Native Americans as "savages" in the freaking Declaration of Independence - you know, the document of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness and all that jazz - made my jaw drop. But the most shocking thing has got to be the Marshall court's "trilogy" of rulings concerning Native sovereignty - in particular, Johnson v. M’Intosh (1823), which was based in part on papal bulls, including those that became the basis for the Doctrine of Discovery. (In short, invaders = keepers.) Separation of church and state, anyone?
  
  At just over 200 pages, "All the Real Indians Died Off" is a short little book that packs a powerful, passionate punch. Dunbar-Ortiz and Gilio-Whitaker provide a compelling yet succinct overview (and sound debunking) of each myth, all the while demonstrating how they relate to each other - and the erasure of Indigenous Americans, with the ultimate goal of stripping them of their land.
  
  In fact, their skill is all the more impressive when you consider that the last quarter of the book is actually a timeline of Native American history. Take away the timeline and (copious) notes, and the mythology section comes in at a tick over 150 pages.
  
  Considering the book's length, I wish the authors had included a few more myths - especially the idea that tribal courts are inferior and it would be unjust to subject non-Natives to tribal laws when on tribal land. This is addressed briefly, in the context of the epidemic of rape faced by Native American women, usually by non-Native perpetrators. (#19, “What’s the Problem with Thinking of Indian Women as Princesses or Squaws?”) This is just one that's fresh in my mind, thanks to a recent episode of
  Full Frontal, but I'm sure there are dozens more - especially those that converge with other forms of oppression and marginalization.
  
  Also, while the discussion of the land bridge theory is indeed fascinating (like many of you, I learned this as a fact in middle and high school), I'm not quite sure why the myth that “Indians Were the First Immigrants to the Western Hemisphere” is necessarily pernicious. Incorrect and an example of scientific stubbornness, sure, but harmful? If anything, doesn't being the first ones here bolster Native American claims to the land? (Theoretically, anyway.) Of all the myths, this is the only one that maybe could have been explained better. I feel like I'm missing something.
  
  Otherwise, it's an engaging and informative read. The language sometimes veers into the academic, but for the most part it's fairly accessible. The book is well-researched and meticulously documented. The authors do a commendable job distilling complex topics into easily digestible chapters. Each chapter could easily fill an entire book - and indeed, Dunbar-Ortiz and Gilio-Whitaker frequently reference books written by others - yet the discussion is both clear and concise.
  
  I'd definitely recommend this to high school students; if anything, learning about the more troubling and problematic aspects of our history makes it more interesting, engaging, and alive. I didn't really get into history until I read Roots - as an elective for my tenth grade English class. Plus there's that whole thing about those who don't know history being doomed to repeat it. And whether it's slavery (of both Africans and Native Americans) that helped America grow its economy, or the massive land theft and genocide that our country is founded on, the echoes are still felt today: in the denial of tribal sovereignty; the appropriation of Native spiritual practices by New Agers; the dearth of health care on reservations; and the destruction of sacred sites by megacorporations.
  
   
  
  
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  
  Authors’ Note • ix
  
  Introduction • 1
  
  MYTH 1: “All the Real Indians Died Off” • 7
  MYTH 2: “Indians Were the First Immigrants to the Western Hemisphere” • 14
  MYTH 3: “Columbus Discovered America” • 23
  MYTH 4: “Thanksgiving Proves the Indians Welcomed Pilgrims” • 32
  MYTH 5: “Indians Were Savage and Warlike” • 38
  MYTH 6: “Indians Should Move On and Forget the Past” • 44
  MYTH 7: “Europeans Brought Civilization to the Backward Indians” • 51
  MYTH 8: “The United States Did Not Have a Policy of Genocide” • 58
  MYTH 9: “US Presidents Were Benevolent or at Least Fair-Minded Toward Indians” • 67
  MYTH 10: “The Only Real Indians Are Full-Bloods, and They Are Dying Off” • 76
  MYTH 11: “The United States Gave Indians Their Reservations” • 82
  MYTH 12: “Indians Are Wards of the State” • 87
  MYTH 13: “Sports Mascots Honor Native Americans” • 92
  MYTH 14: “Native American Culture Belongs to All Americans” • 100
  MYTH 15: “Most Indians Are on Government Welfare” • 109
  MYTH 16: “Indian Casinos Make Them All Rich” • 117
  MYTH 17: “Indians Are Anti-Science” • 123
  MYTH 18: “Indians Are Naturally Predisposed to Alcohol” • 130
  MYTH 19: “What’s the Problem with Thinking of Indian Women as Princesses or Squaws?” • 137
  MYTH 20: “Native Americans Can’t Agree on What to Be Called” • 145
  MYTH 21: “Indians Are Victims and Deserve Our Sympathy” • 150
  
  Historical Time Line • 159
  
  Acknowledgments • 179
  
  Notes • 181
  
  
  http://www.easyvegan.info/2016/10/07/...
• 
  AJ

  A necessary primer on many myths that USians are brought up believing about Native Americans. Reading books like this just makes me angry about how miseducated I was as a child, and how that miseducation continues to this day. I think it covers some really necessary topics about how racism and white supremacy has conspired over the years to try and eliminate the presence of indigenous peoples on this continent. There were definitely some things I would have liked to have read more about, but I guess this just means I'll have to find some more related books!
• 
  Keegan Livermore

  A good survey of many issues that indigenous people argue about on a daily basis. Definitely a "greatest hits", even if that's the wrong connotation to put onto topics like these. Structured brilliantly. Provides plenty of academic ammunition in the form of citations for those who continue fighting and want to back up their arguments. Glad to continue supporting these authors.
• 
  Hilary "Fox"

  
  Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is best known for
  An Indigenous History of the United States, a book which by all accounts is the bummer that it's expected to be but is universally praised for its good history and explanation of Native American issues and where they stand today. This book, on the other hand, is a joint effort of hers to dispel the commonly held myths about Native Americans - history, culture, and religions. It's an interesting examination into how the beliefs came about as well, and the book is a treasure trove of other book recommendations in addition to being an eye-opening read.
  
  Unfortunately, the book suffers a bit for being a difficult read. While the subject matter can be difficult, the actual writing shifts somewhat radically in town from chapter to chapter and the transitions can be a bit jarring. Some of the chapters didn't seem terribly necessary, and some of the stances were a little bit confusing to read about. I think that some of the Myths could have been condensed into single chapters rather than multiple ones (views on science, for instance, and the sports mascot issues and cultural appropriation could have been condensed neatly.)
  
  All of that having been said, this still was a very interesting and valuable read that I'm glad I picked up. I'm curious how other, similar books might read and if they'll prove to be a bit more accessible than this one. I'm also curious how Dunbar-Ortiz's more famous work will read once I get around to reading it.
• 
  Sabrina

  This should be read in school history classes. Very well put together book that will make you think and reconsider things you thought to be true about history.
• 
  Kris

  Is this book perfect? Nope. It is however, blunt and to the point and really educational.
  
  I'm a white girl who reads a whole lot about Native Americans, particularly in the context of Native American children's literature. And there was stuff in here that I didn't know. I critique said literature for context and stereotypes and biases, and I attempt to build a collection of books that veer from those tropes.
  
  One of my "favorite" critiques of this book that I have read (and I only say favorite in the context of, oh , it is going to be FUN to decimate you) is along the lines of "Why doesn't she present BOTH SIDES? Lemme see BOTH SIDES and make my own decisions!"
  
  Dude. (Why is it always a dude?) AMERICAN HISTORY HAS ONLY EVER BEEN THE OTHER SIDE. It has been colonizer history. Pioneers. Settlers. Slave holders. THEY have been the storytellers in our schools and history texts. YOU DON'T NEED THE OTHER SIDE. YOU ALREADY KNOW IT.
  
  Y'all don't like your heroes made out as villains and your white-washed stories questioned or even just giving the other side a voice.
  
  So, you should probably read this. Especially if you won't like it.
• 
  Bookworm

  Interesting content that should make you think but the writing style is terrible. It wasn't all that long ago that I read Anton Treuer's 'Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask' and thought this would be a good compliment. It also seemed like time to read more books by Native authors so I thought this would be a good read.
   
  You've heard and perhaps believe these myths before. Thanksgiving was a peaceful time that showed Indians welcomed the pilgrims. All Indians go to casinos and drink alcohol. Sports mascots really aren't offensive, people just make a big deal over nothing. And so on and so forth. Authors Dunbar-Ortiz and Gilio-Whitaker takes a look at these myths and breaks down why they are false.
   
  A lot of it was quite interesting. Even though I was familiar with many of the myths, the information helped provide a historical context that I didn't have previously. That said, there also a few myths I had never heard of "Indians are Anti-Science" for example. Maybe some of these have been implied (the anti-science, for example, may be tied to the image of Natives only living on reservations, are very poor and poorly educated, etc.) in the media but I had not been familiar with some of these so explicitly stated.
   
  That said, I agree with some of the commentary that the writing style isn't that great. The introduction notes that this book was a project of Dunbar-Ortiz's coming soon after the release of another book of hers and that Gilio-Whitaker was a first time author. And it shows. Sometimes the writing is overly academic and dry. Sometimes it goes off on tangents and it can be hard to follow.
   
  Still, I did not regret reading the book but also agree with other reviews that it's a book that should probably not be your first if you're looking to learn more about Native Americans (the correct term[s]) on what to call them is also addressed). Treuer's book as mentioned above might be an easier starting point but I would recommend this one as well. Also a basic knowledge of recent events (the controversy over sports mascots, the problem of people appropriating Native heritage despite not having any proof otherwise, etc.) would be good to know.
   
  I'd also recommend borrowing this from the library or buying cheap if you can. I had a gift card and coupon for this book but it's not something I would need to keep for reference. I would recommend Treuer's book as mentioned above as well as his brother David Treuer's book 'Rez Life'.
• 
  Marya

  This book is arranged into several short chapters - each no more than a few pages long - that deal with Indian "myths". Each myth is then busted, but not in a Mythbusters kind of way. Rather, the structure of each chapter works like this:
  *Introduce myth (example: Indians are anti-science)
  *Give current event that relates to this myth (Indians refuse to contribute to DNA testing for prehistoric human bone finds)
  *Brief synopsis of Indian history as it relates to the myth (in this case, the author runs through various Indian discoveries that may or may not be considered scientific. It's hard to qualify them as science when the word "science" has been deconstructed right before the synopsis).
  *Conclude with Indians' current relationship to myth (mention various organizations that have been founded by Indians to improve the relationship they have with "science").
  
  The tactic of turning the discussion around is pretty standard in academic social sciences works like this one. But here, it's pretty fun to watch. Rather than discussing at length how this myth relates to the idea that science is somehow free from any kind of cultural or political bias (though, she does touch on the idea that after years of scientific racism, Indians are understandably leery of any DNA test), the author speaks of Indian advancements in "science" (the scare quotes are there because the author deconstructs that word before she lists Indian history). By refusing to spend the bulk of her time on the concept of science, the author has moved the discussion away from focusing on White culture and moves it into Indian culture. And to be honest, I know far more about the culture and history of science than I do about Indian history and culture. Switching the discussion switches the focus and reminds the readers that maybe looking at things from outside the dominant culture is the whole point.
• 
  Kris Patrick

  This book made me uncomfortable, in a good way.
  
  Thanks, Andee, for the recommendation. Andee is a good follow for unique library finds and downloads.
  
  
  https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9...
• 
  Stephanie Griffin

  In Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s book, “ALL THE REAL INDIANS DIED OFF”, attempts are made to turn aside 21 myths that some people have about the North American people who call themselves by their tribal name. One of those myths is “Native Americans Can’t Agree on What to Be Called”. “Indians”, “Indigenous”, and “Native Americans”, are all wrong, they say, though Dunbar-Ortiz has used all these names in titles of her other books.
  There are of course 20 other myths to deal with but the book is not worth expounding on much more.
  Lastly, Dunbar-Ortiz and Gilio-Whitaker have a huge chip on their shoulders which they inject into every sentence they can. Negative words about everyone and everything outside of the North American people who call themselves by their tribal name are in plentiful supply. The anger comes through even more heavy-handed in the audiobook, narrated by Laural Merlington, who snarls out the negativity.
  I don’t recommend this book to anyone. There are much better written books out there.
• 
  E

  Very informative and, while well researched and supported, written in a very accessible (non-academic) style. A great overview debunking 21 of the most common and pernicious myths about Native Americans that currently and historically have rationalized racism, violence, governmental policy, and mistreatment (not to mention genocide) of Indigenous peoples in the US. Each chapter/myth has about 5-6 pages packed with info, history, and facts, with footnotes on sources for those who want to delve further into arguments and evidence. If every American were required to read the chapters on Christopher Columbus and Thanksgiving alone, we would move a lot closer to an understanding of racism and race relations between Native Americans and white people. What a difference it could make if chapters from this book were taught in high schools across the country. The timeline at the back is very helpful as well. This book is a good complement/companion to David Treuer’s lengthier and more detailed discussions and personal stories in Rez Life.
• 
  Garrett

  Forceful and at times pedantic & one-sided, this volume of assertions and answers can get away with it due to its ability to deal in harsh truths while accomplishing the most important of missions: shutting down ignorance. Exhaustively researched and coming from a place of weariness with the platitudes of people who simply don't want to look at the ugly origins of this place we're in, this book isn't really designed to be read alone; rather, it should be accompanied by a classroom discussion and a library of larger, deeper works - footnoted & referenced here, of course - to supply a context for why we are where we are. This would make a good toilet tank or coffee table book for the imperialist in your life.
• 
  Mary

  This book is useful at debunking common stereotypes and myths about Native Americans. Each small chapter is devoted to a different myth. I appreciate that this book is very accessible. It doesn't have to be read all the way through. Each topic is thoroughly researched and l learned quite a bit from it. This book was a huge undertaking and I felt like some of the topics could have used a few more pages.
• 
  Kelly McCord

  This book was a pretty accessible way to begin looking at Native American "myths" from a different (i.e.: not the white colonizer) perspective. I don't think I actually believed any of them were true, but to have the arguments against laid out so precisely opened my eyes to aspects I hadn't considered before.
• 
  Kathleen

  provacative; the book has deeply enlarged my understanding of Native Americans and has led me to wonder about countries throughout the world that have justified harsh cruelty to indigenous people on basis of doctrine of discovery
• 
  Javier

  This is an awesome joint project between Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker, following on Roxanne's An Indigenous People's History of the U.S. The writing is very moving and enlightening. Many thanks to the authors.
• 
  Malcolm

  One of the things that marks settler colonial states of the kind we see in places such as Australia, New Zealand and much of the Americas is the drive to make the newcomer settlers ‘native’ and in doing so the extinguishment of Indigenous Peoples. Not surprisingly, this drive is marked by historical myths and fantasies, including the one that makes the title to this impressive demythologisation of Indigenous life and history in the area we call the United States.
  
  In a series of short (6-10 pages for the most part) Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, who does not mark any specific Indigenous heritage, and Dina Gilio-Whittaker (Colville Federated Tribes) unpack and debunk 21 of the major myths and fantasies – some historical, fewer primarily contemporary (to the extent they can be distinguished). They have an impressive ability to weave together evidence from across the continent to build a compelling rebuttal of those settler claims. Some are widely recognised popular claims – that Thanksgiving demonstrates that Pilgrims were welcomed or that sports mascots are a way to honour Native Americans (thankfully, this one has been wound back a long way in recent years). Others, however, are less often popularly expressed but remain widely held as underpinning the settler state – myths such as the benevolence of that state, that it was not genocidal, or that reservations were gifted to Indigenous Peoples.
  
  The result is a well crafted – both Dunbar-Ortiz and Gilio-Whittaker have a great ability to craft complex ideas and issues into engaging widely accessible narratives – volume that although focused on Indigenous Peoples is as much about the settler state as anything else; the myths, after all, are its. It’s packed full of vital information and perspectives on how to debunk those popularly held myths, those claims we so often hear, and is part of a welcome trend in publishing where are seeing texts that confront those reactionary fantasies. Essential reading.
• 
  ariel

  "what is certain, is that when progress does occur, it is almost always because of native people's proactive organizing to demand change. those mobilizations rely on alliances with non-native people. ...this process of decolonization must be seen as an ongoing, multigenerational prospect."
  everyone needs to read this book. seriously, everyone.
  
  not only are you faced head-on with perpetuated, negative, and harmful stereotypes, but you're also given the reality of our prejudices in an accessible way. this is a short book, and a short audiobook. most of the myths discussed in the book are obvious (ie, the use of natives as mascots, the sexist "cherokee princess" stereotype, the "drunk indian" stereotype, etc), but some are things that i had never realized i consciously thought of before. stereotypes against the indigenous people across the world- but especially in america - is embedded in our culture, and it's our job to root it out and do better. i'm certain that this is not the end-all, be-all of my ongoing indigenous education, but i think it's a great place to start.
  
  "the work of achieving justice for american indian peoples involves everyone: indigenous and settler alike. because colonization dehumanizes both the colonized and the colonizer."
• 
  Casey

  Very insightful audiobook. I've always focussed on Native Americans of the past, but this book brought the issues into the present. I especially enjoyed learning about the Native rights movement that emerged in the 60s and 70s and continues to this day. It's refreshing to move the focus from victimhood to standing up and demanding rights. That includes campaigns of self-respect, like the removal of school mascots such as "Redskins."
  
  This book fits in with another book I'm reading that is heavy on the Native American theme: "Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War," by Nathanial Philbrick. The Pilgrim/Native encounters that started in ~1620 (at least that's when the Pilgrims arrived) were complicated, sometimes peaceful, sometimes brutal. And the natives were all so different with so many tribes. "Mayflower" tied in with the Dunbar-Ortiz book by showing how natives were not all one people, by any means. And each tribe had a mix of personalities and temperaments. No surprise! They're human!
  
  Recommended!
• 
  Shae

  Wow.
  
  WOW. I'm so angry and heartbroken and awestruck and, frankly, flabbergasted. There was SO MUCH I didn't know, and SO MUCH ON TOP OF THAT that I thought I knew but was completely wrong about. I know learning is a lifelong process, especially as a person of privilege, but did this book ever drive home how much learning I still have left to do. Many thanks to Tumblr for putting this on my radar and to the National Museum of the American Indian for having it in stock.
• 
  Sean Estelle

  Very clear, no-nonsense writing grounded in history while also bringing in lots of source material and new information - this is one of those books you’ll want to read before having persuasion conversations with coworkers or family members about racist assumptions they may hold.
  
  “Today it is clear that Indigenous peoples everywhere are - and always have been - the miner’s canary on a global scale.”
• 
  Rebecca Joy

  Another interesting non-fiction audiobook.
  
  I really liked the format of taking a well-known, or maybe a preconceived notion about the native population, and working through the “truth”. There was a fair bit of information that I’ve known or previously heard, but the more I’m depth look was appreciated.
  
  Overall, it was a good read, I don’t know if it’s one I would go out of my way to recommend, but if you’re looking for something informational, and relatively fast to read it was a good choice.
• 
  Ryan Mishap

  An excellent tome to hand to your well-meaning friends, especially the white ones. Undeniable and easy to read, this is a great introduction to the main myths that perpetuate the marginalization and oppression of native people's and prevent society from actually grappling with reality.
  
  Highly recommended.
• 
  Jack Swanzy

  A Brief History of Indigenous Genocide
  
  I like the way this polemic is organized. Chapters address 21 misconceptions, which the authors term myths, regarding Indigenous people in the USA. The book is weak on solutions, although some are alluded to. It is very strong in making the indictment of “settler” society.
  
• 
  Emily Parrott

  This book was worth reading just for the timeline at the end. However, the breakdown of common myths was also valuable, well reasoned, and necessary. It left me sitting in the discomfort of my own complicity with colonization. I was also left in awe of the vastness and complexity of the native nations for centuries prior to their genocide. All this to say, it's a great primer for understanding native culture/history past and present.