And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 21:33:06 EST >Subject: Racism & Effect on Children >X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows sub 230 > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] replies: > >RACISM & STEREOTYPING: >The Effects On Our Children & On Our Future > >By Barbara Gray ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) >(Onondaga/Mohawk) > > >Where do the seeds of racism and the general public's tolerance for >stereotyping Native American peoples begin? Children are born, at least I am >told by social scientists, with purity, with no predetermined hate of others. >Therefore, one can conclude that children learn hatred, racism, and >stereotyping, but the question still remains where do these seeds of hate >begin, and what can we all do to stop them from growing into dried-up balls of >tumbleweeds that drift everywhere in the wind leaving their seeds to spawn >more? > >As a child, I grew up within a traditional Native American extended family. My >grandmother was my primary role model. My grandmother's traditional >Haudenosaunee stories and cultural wisdom passed on to me many lessons of >morality. In many ways, as I look back now, I understand her ways of teaching >more each day, and her voice and lessons still reach out to me during my times >of struggle. These words of the past guide me to take the right road. I worry >that today's children are not getting these seeds of morality properly planted >within their beings. Today's economy, in the United States, is so bad that >both parents have to work just to make ends meet, which is causing many >children to have to grow-up fast and raise themselves. Many children are not >being given the daily lessons of morality and are not having their seeds of >love and compassion watered. > >In other words, today's world is much too focused on the individual, when it >should be more concerned with our children, for they are our future. If we do >not teach our children that racism and stereotyping is unacceptable, then we >have failed. > >As I look back at my grandmother, I realize that she was a victim of racism, >and she was taught self-hatred. As a very young child my grandmother was made >to feel sub-human, and she was made to question the things that made her >different from other children. Not only was she told, on a daily basis, that >she was a no good dirty Indian, but she was purposely shown that her ethnicity >was not equal to the dominant society. > >My grandmother was taught that the doll with blue-eyes and blonde hair was >beautiful and desirable, but when she looked into the mirror, she saw her >Indian features. My grandmother saw her braided dark black hair and almond >shaped eyes set in a face with very high cheekbones, which was very different >from the blue-eyed, chubby faced baby doll. My grandmother's self image was >greatly affected by the blatant racism imposed upon her by those who flaunted >blue-eyed baby dolls that taught Indian children they were different and not >desired. > >On the other hand, my friend who is Apache told me that as a child, her mother >would only allow her to play with brown dolls with black hair, and all she >really wanted was to have blue-eyed baby doll with blonde, but her mom never >gave it to her. What lessons can we learn from my friend and my grandmother's >experience? > >I think that we need to give our children dolls that represent all the races, >and teach them that they are all beautiful. If we can teach this equality, >then they will retain a positive self-image and a positive image of people who >look different than themselves. > >Of course giving dolls of all races to one's child is not going to solve the >seeds of racism from being planted because children are influenced from >outside the family by peers, the school system, team mascots, and by the >media; but, it may be a beginning. My premise is that the seeds of love and >compassion need to be planted in our children so that they will reject the >seeds of racism and stereotyping. > >As a child in kindergarten, my class was asked to participate in projects that >were supposed to teach us about Indians. Some of the projects included >cutting out paper eagle feathers and then pasting them onto an Indian >headdress, which was a western style war bonnet. The class was also asked to >learn Indian songs and dances. I was asked to pump my hand over my mouth in a >mocking war hoop, to dance around like I had ants in my pants, and to sing the >song "Ten Little Indians". I was also asked to sit Indian style!! Something >I never did understand! > >I remember feeling badly. I remember rejecting these class projects, which >was reflected in notes that were sent home to my mother about how I did not >participate well with others in class projects. I felt like the teacher and >the students were making fun of my Indian people and our ways. This >experience made me feel like I was different and unusual, and it made me angry >because it was a mockery of my spirituality and way of life. > >As I look back, the teacher was very insensitive to the fact that there are >numerous Indian Nations, and that each one has major differences in clothing, >spirituality, etc. Having children make a western style war bonnet, >especially in the east, without explaining that not all Indians wear Plains >style war bonnets, teaches children to stereotype that all Indians wear this >type of headdress, which is not true. For example, my people, the >Haudenosaunee wear a Kastoweh, which is a feathered hat that has a certain >number of eagle feathers depending on which nation the wearer is from. >Furthermore, this project fails to teach children that eagle feathers are >sacred to Indian people and that they are earned and worn in special >ceremonies to feed the spirit of the eagle feather, to communicate with the >Creator, and to keep the wearer safe. > >The kindergarten dancing failed to teach the children that dancing is a >spiritual undertaking, for when one dances they are dancing for the Creator. >Of course there are social dances, but children should be taught that there is >a difference between sacred dances and social dances and that each Indian >Nation has unique styles of dance along with some shared dances. > >Asking children to sing "Ten Little Indians" is pure racism. The song is an >Indian annihilation song that the Pioneers sang to their children to sooth >their fears. If you remember the song, they count up and then they count >backwards until there is no Little Indian boys left. Today most people do not >even know about the hidden message of eradicating the Indian people in the >song; however, this song still plants seeds of racism and stereotyping in the >minds of our children. This song must be stopped from its use in schools >today! > >When my kindergarten teacher showed the class how to warhoop like an Indian, >she was further stereotyping Indian people as being war like, and she was >embedding the seeds of racism by having children think that Indians are >savages. The image of the Indian pumping one hand over their mouth while the >other hand is clasping a war club is a very common Indian stereotype, which >needs to be stopped in our schools. > >I can remember teachers, in later grades, telling the class to stop running >around like a bunch of wild Indians, as I sat quietly at my desk. I remember >how those stinging words made me feel. They hurt my self-image and my >feelings. These careless racist words also need to be swept out of the school >systems and from home use, for they plant the seeds of racism in our >childrens' minds. > >There is a book that has the premise that we learn all we need to learn in >kindergarten. If the premise is true, then my kindergarten experience shows >how the seeds of racism and stereotyping can be planted in the minds of our >children. If the seeds of racism are planted in our children's mind from a >very earlier age, then they are definitely re-enforced by schools, sports >teams, and mascots. Racism is further enforced by society's tolerance for the >offensive marketing of Native American people and culture. There are sports >team with derogatory names like the Redskins, which as Charlene Teeters points >out, the name refers to the scalping practice of the English who were paid for >every Indian scalp collected. There are mascots like the Cleveland Indian's >Chief Wahoo, which has been describe by Indian activists as a grinning idiot >resembling the early Black Sambo. Another Mascot that is offensive to many >Indian people is Chief Illinick who wears a plains style war bonnet and, >jumps around warhooping like he has ants in his pants. He looks much like the >children in my kindergarten class many years ago. > >Another offensive marketing scheme is using the name of spiritual leaders to >sell their alcohol products. There is Big Foot wine and Crazy Horse Malt >liquor. Crazy Horse was a Lakota spiritual leader who was opposed to alcohol >consumption, yet Hornell Brewing Co. uses his name to sell malt liquor. > >Dominant society preaches tolerance; however, one does not see a Mother >Theresa Tequila or a Martin Luther Malt Liquor, and one must question why? >One reason is because society would not tolerate such use, for they would >effect change by boycotting or other methods of public outrage. So I ask why >does society tolerate the use when it comes to Native Americans? > >Native American activists become quite upset, and rightly so, when the First >Amendment's free speech doctrine is used as a shield to protect the interests >of the corporations that use stereotypes that are racist towards Native >American Indians. Such was the case in Hornell Brewing v. Brady, 819 F.Supp. >1227 (E.D.N.Y. 1993), in which Hornell Brewing challenged the >constitutionality of the Congressional Act Pub. L. 102-393, Sec 633, which >banned "the use of the name Crazy Horse on any distilled spirit, wine, or malt >liquor beverage product." In essence, the court found that Hornell's First >Amendment right was violated by the act. However, when Native American people >have to bear more of the weight and burden then others, for the furtherance of >free speech, then it is unfair, and furthers racism towards Native American >Indians. > >If children are taught at an early age that it is ok to mock and stereotype >Indians, when they become in the position to change policy concerning the >offensive use of Native American Indians and culture, is it any wonder why >they don't see such use as racism and stereotyping? What I propose is that we >look for the seeds of racism in dominant society, and we destroy them by >replacing these vile seeds. We need to replace the seeds of racism with seeds >of morality, compassion, love, and mutual respect, which is found in our >traditional teachings, so that are children and future my blossom. > > >I would love to hear your comments and responses to this article please write >me: > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >RACISM & STEREOTYPING: The Effects On Our Children & On Our Future by Barbara >Gray1999© > &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&