Lessons on Indians Look Beyond Feathers (Maine law to require Wabanaki studies in public schools)

PortlandPressHerald ^ | Thursday, November 27, 2003 | By TOM BELL

[fight_truth_decay]

When Jane Jameson attended elementary school in the 1950s, American Indians served one purpose in the curriculum: providing color for the class re-enactment of the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth.

Jameson remembers dressing up in paper-bag vests and wondering how real Indians could have stayed warm in such outfits.

November is still a time for teachers to talk about American Indians. But forget the paper bags. Teachers today are tackling the subject in depth.

Jameson, a teacher at Portland's Riverton Community School, taught her second- and third-graders this year to make shaman false-face masks and kachina dolls, which symbolize the ancestral spirts of the Hopi tribe.

On the classroom wall, a timeline notes that Christopher Columbus brought disease to natives in 1492, and that President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830, giving the president power to negotiate removal treaties with tribes living east of the Mississippi.

In Camden, each kindergartner in Maureen Gordon's class has adopted an American Indian name, such as Running Wolf or Thundering Sky. This month the class studied the desert environment of the Southwest and how it affected the food, housing and art of the region's Indians.

In Yarmouth, a group of second- and third-graders built elaborate adobe homes, wigwams and log houses, several of which are on display in local businesses.

"In general, there's not a lot of diversity here," said Carli Page-Redmann, who teaches second grade at Yarmouth Elementary School. "It just helps them see another piece of the world."

Educators say teaching about American Indian history and culture helps students achieve some of the goals of Maine Learning Results, such as learning to compare cultures and contrast the past with the present.

They've got a receptive audience. They say children are intrinsically fascinated by American Indian culture and are curious about the natural world they inhabit.

If that wasn't enough motivation, here's another: Starting next year, Maine public schools will be required by law to teach the history and culture of American Indians in Maine. By Jan. 12, school districts must explain how they plan to comply with the law.

American Indians who lobbied for the law argued that too many history classes in Maine ignore the 5,000 years of human settlement that preceded the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century.

Donna Loring, a Penobscot and a tribal representative in the Legislature, remembers learning nothing substantive about Maine's Indians when she attended school in Old Town.

She believes voters' rejection of an Indian casino reflects a widespread ignorance about American Indians in Maine. She said people were easily misled by television advertising that suggested a casino would have slot machines for children. Maine's natives, she said, would never allow that to happen because their culture requires them to protect children's interests.

"It's very easy to put us aside if you don't know who we are or anything about us," Loring said.

"Wabanaki studies" is what state officials are calling the new subject. Wabanaki is the word, common to all Maine tribes, that describes the region of Maine and the Canadian Maritime provinces. The law says Maine students must learn the following:

Maine tribal governments and political systems and their relationship with local, state, national and international governments.

American Indian cultural systems and the experience of Maine tribal people throughout history.

Maine American Indian territories and economic systems.

The Wabanaki Commission, a 15-member state panel assigned to implement the law, issued a report last month saying that Wabanaki studies should be a fundamental component of the curriculum, and that ongoing teacher training is needed to make the effort succeed.

The commission, which is made up largely of American Indians, plans to develop an Internet site that will give teachers guidance on curriculum and reading materials.

Teachers should humanize Maine natives and get beyond the stereotypes of feather headbands, said committee member Wayne Newell, a Passamaquoddy and director of bilingual education for Maine Indian Education.

He said students should know that several tribes still exist in Maine and some members speak their native language.

Jameson said her lessons on American Indians are the first part of a yearlong investigation into the history of various cultures, many of which are represented by the children in her classroom.

"It's not that they are different," she said. "But that they all make unique contributions to society, and we are learning from each other."

[fight_truth_decay]

Background: The Wabanaki ("people of the dawn") confederacy - Indian peoples of Maine and the Maritimes made up of the Micmac tribe living in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and one band in Maine. They are the largest Wabanaki tribe with 25,000 people. The Maliseet also live near the Micmac in New Brunswick and Maine, 3000 of them. The Passamaquoddy and Penobscot people live in Maine, with populations of 3000 and 2000 respectively. The Abenaki used to live in Vermont and New Hampshire, but they were forced to flee during a war with the Europeans. There are 2000 Abenakis today in Quebec, where they resettled, and another 10,000 mixed-blood Abenaki descendants scattered throughout New England.

I found this an interesting sidebar. What You Need to Cross the U.S. Border to Live and/or Work...

If you were born in Canada and have at least 50% Aboriginal blood, you have the right to enter the U.S. to live or work. This right is guaranteed by federal statute (8 U.S.C. §1359) and the federal court case Akins v. Saxbe, 380 F. Supp. 1210 (D.Me. 1974).

You do NOT need a green card, also known as an Alien Registration Card or Form I-551, in order to live or work in the United States. This is your right as a Canadian-born Aboriginal.

What You Need To Work In the U.S.

Under U.S. law, if you were born in Canada and have at least 50% Aboriginal blood, you have the right to get a job, even without a green card.

What If You Are Unable to Work or Lose Your Job

If you were born in Canada and have at least 50% Aboriginal blood and if you are unable to work or if you lose your job, you may be entitled to one or more of the following government benefits: Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Food Stamps, Disability, Social Security and Medicare.

DEPORTATION

If you are Canadian born and have at least 50% Aboriginal blood, you cannot be deported from the U.S. The name of the U.S. court case which establishes this right is Matter of Yellowquill, 16 I. & N. Dec. 576 (B.I.A. 1978).

http://www.ptla.org/wabanaki/jaytreaty.htm"

http://wampum.wabanaki.net/ Wampum Progressive Politics, Indian Issues, and Autism Advocacy (MoveOn.Org)

Wabanaki Web http://www10.brinkster.com/wabanaki/default.html

Official Web Site of the Wabanaki Confederacy

[HiTech RedNeck]

In Camden, each kindergartner in Maureen Gordon's class has adopted an American Indian name, such as Running Wolf or Thundering Sky. This month the class studied the desert environment of the Southwest and how it affected the food, housing and art of the region's Indians.

I wonder what Indians themselves think about this, if they view it as demeaning game playing. Would convents of nuns and monks be flattered if children played being "Sister Mary Whatshername" or "Brother Joseph Whatshisface"?

[fight_truth_decay]

Ping!

[Chad Fairbanks]

Interesting. Thanks for the ping!

[kenth]

More elitist ignorance, for lack of a better term. Having the left usurp, pervert and distort traditions and heritage to further their leftist agenda is, at best, an insult.

They say children are intrinsically fascinated by American Indian culture and are curious about the natural world they inhabit.

I'm so glad they'll be bringing up another generation whose knowledge and view of others has been limited by stereotyped classifications, instead of the importance of the individual. I'm looking forward to them asking me yet again what kind of teepee I live in.

[Kozak]

The Rangers staged their most celebrated exploit in 1759. The fierce Abenaki (Abnaki) Indians in the St. Francis River basin, now southeastern Québec and New Brunswick, had launched devastating attacks against English settlements to the south. Hundreds of lives had been lost and public furor was further aroused by the tribe’s attack on a British army retreating under a white flag of truce. Rogers assembled 200 rangers, then struck deep into enemy territory, surprised the Abenaki, killed many of them and destroyed their village.

From US-History.com.

[Chad Fairbanks]

The Massacre at Turner Falls - On the night of May 13, a group of warriors raided Hatfield and made off with cattle, driving them up to the campsite by the falls.

The settlers were determined to recover their cattle. Word was sent out: who wants to join a force against the tribes at Peskeompscut. Local inhabitants, some from as far south as Springfield, and a few garrison soldiers responded to the call. By May 18, 150 men and boys assembled in Hatfield. Captain William Turner led the group past Bloody Brook and the edge of Deerfield, where they crossed the Deerfield River. Then they wound through about 2 miles of unbroken forest, crossed the Green River, and then pushed on to Mount Adams which was within a mile of the falls.

The assembled tribe had feasted well on fresh fish and stolen cattle. They had posted no sentinels, had sent no scouts out, and were still asleep as the Hatfield party crept closer and closer to the wigwams. When the 150 men and boys were pressed right up against the wigwams, Captain Turner gave a prearranged signal -- guns were thrust directly into the wigwams and fired! Many of the Amerindians were killed immediately, some leapt into the Connecticut River, to be swept over the falls and drowned. The colonials were ruthless in their attack, searching through the camp and killing women, children, old people. No one was spared.

We could do this all night... ;0)

[stands2reason]

So, what kind of tepee do you guys live in?


:-)

[Chad Fairbanks]

Sorry, but my ancestors lived in Longhouses... ;0)

[fight_truth_decay]

We could do this all night... ;0)..and he has too! ;)

[GladesGuru]

Darwin Award competitors, one and all!

First rule of a life of crime: The victim hates you.
Second Rule of a life of Crime: Payback can be a bit*h!
Third rule of Criminal life: Always keep a sharp eye out for angry victims.

Actually, I am somewhat skeptical that things went that stupidly on the part of the Indians. 'Tis hard to believe they were sleeping off a feast and had no pickets posted. If they so did, they have absolutely no sympathy from me as they were both thieves and absymally stupid ones at that.

I shall see what outraged flames come my way from lurking Liberals.

Oops - I shall see later on when I return, as the Achilles is in the Benz and the snook are awaiting an opportunity to contest ownership of two new fly designs.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Whether they made mistakes or not is beside the point. I was merely pointing out that even the colonists engaged in attrocities against the innocent - I doubt seriously that the women, children, and old people participated in the raid.

Anyway, that is neither here nor there. Like I said, just pointing out the obvious - dcommitting atrocities isn't linked to just one specific group. Pretty much every race, color, and creed in the world has most likely done so on occasion. That's all.

[GladesGuru]

I'm glad it took so long to stuff that raft in the car - now I can answer in a somewhat timely manner.

Actually, it is exactly the point. What we have under discussion is a case of a stone age tribal culture coming up against a nation state. Stealing, and gorging with no thought for the morning is typical of stone age cultures.


Were the "whites" right? A case can be made that until the tribe gave up tribal behavior, that such recrudescences of theft, ad nauseam, would continue. It is true - then, now, and forever, - that certain principles are antithetical to freedom.

Theft of a man's livestock is such a behavior. And given that the Indians weren't going to change, they had to either leave(be driven away) or be killed.

Otherwise, the white civilization would have been degraded to the level of the Indians - a stone age tribalism. Not surprisingly, the settlers understood this and acted accordingly.

I find it interesting that those hoping to claim some benefit (payments to "Indian bloodline members" or opportunistic bottom feeders seeing a new agency rule mechanism/priveledged class upon which to fatten themselves) seem to whine about the "poor, dear, Indians".

Most of the rest of us seem to realize that these people can, if they want, compete quite well. Turning them into clients of some nanny state via payments will do them as much good as did welfare to urban blacks.

I will have a book out soon which will detail how such payments degraded every class receiving them. Help is one thing; inheritable welfare is quite another.

As to human nature being the same - yes. Both sides happily perform barbaric acts.

But that's why the American experiment is such a unique thing. Here we assumed man to be short sighted, selfish, and greedy. From that premise, we designed a system for citizens which more closely actualized the "Shining City on a hill" than any other culture..

My gripe about the Liberals whining about the Indians is that nobody should have special status under the Constitution. And forget the treaty bit as not one mentions gaming monopolies - that crap came with Liberals in the 1960's ala 'Fat Stuf' (A.K.A Marlin Brando) and Hollyweird types intrigued with the fact that Indian cultures were rather more tolerant of homosexual behavior than was America.

In any case, one look at my neighborhood would convince you that the Crown Prince of Norway was right when he said "Perhaps there is something dangerous in unearned money."

[Chad Fairbanks]

Overall, you and I are not in disagreement. I just wanted to clear the air regarding atrocities. Secondly, since you brought it up - while a case can be made that some tribes were a "Stone Age" culture (Such as the Abanaki and much of the Alqonkian peoples), I am pretty confident that not all were "Stone Age". In fact, I am 100% certain of that. :0) That being said, let me know when your book is out - sounds like a great read. My gripe about the Liberals whining about the Indians is that nobody should have special status under the Constitution. And forget the treaty bit as not one mentions gaming monopolies - that crap came with Liberals in the 1960's ala 'Fat Stuf' (A.K.A Marlin Brando) and Hollyweird types intrigued with the fact that Indian cultures were rather more tolerant of homosexual behavior than was America. Now here is another little technicality I need to point out - Tribes DO have a special status under the constitution. It's right there in Article I in black and white. I don't like gambling, but understand that the "nations" have the right to do so - and you can thank Reagan for that, as he was the one who signed Indian Gaming into law... Anyway, overall we don't disagree on a lot...

[stands2reason]

Nice! So where's you in the picture? ;-)

[Chad Fairbanks]

Oh, you can't see me - I'm sleeping in that picture. I had a late night, smearing myself in feces for my Barking At The Moon Ritual ;0)

[fish hawk]

Hey, my tribe does that too. I must say though, we only do it to please the white tourists. Sometimes we can talk them into smearing themselves and howling at the moon with us. It's so funny. Fish Hawk (Yurok Tribe_)

[Chad Fairbanks]

ROTFL...

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Go ahead! Ridicule us wannabes!! I would say you two deserve to have a little fun with us, at this point. : )

[Chad Fairbanks]

Don't make me bite you (I am a savage, after all...) ;0)