First Americans
Related: About this forumRez Life, by David Treuer
Has anyone here had a chance to read Rez Life, by David Treuer?
This is an absolute must read for non-native Americans. What an astounding eye-open to Indian (he uses Indian rather than Native American) life today in the context of what transpired over the past 350 or so years. Among other things, Treuer addresses the complexity of (and American government contempt for) treaties, relationships between tribes in the same geographic area, the nature of Indian life historically, Indian justice and its relation to U.S. law, and the breathtaking racism that has driven the relationships between Indians and non-natives and the U.S. Government.
I'm about halfway through, and I'm learning something new on every page. Of course, much of what he writes about will not be news to Native Americans, except perhaps to the extent that he focuses on the various Ojibwe tribes in Minnesota. For the average non-native, however - or, more accurately, to the average liberal(ish) non-native - it's astoundingly revealing.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)I'm always looking out for new and fascinating non-fiction. This one goes on the list
enough
(13,449 posts)You're right, a very interesting perspective. (I'm non-native, although I just realized that's an odd phrase, since I was born here, to parents who were also born here. So I'm not native anywhere, unless I'm native here.)
His history and perspective on the treaties is fascinating. And even though I thought I was pretty well informed on the overall situation, the book is an eye-opener.
flyingfysh
(1,990 posts)He has a brother, Anton Treurer, who is a Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University. The book is "Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask".
glinda
(14,807 posts)flyingfysh
(1,990 posts)My Native ancestry is Choctaw, I'm researching the documentation. I have great-great-grandparents who were Choctaws living in Texas (I have the records of a court case with them), and the original Choctaw area was most of Mississippi and part of Alabama. My other ancestors are all from the South.
CountAllVotes
(21,044 posts)As for Mississippi, I have found them living in Leake, Mississippi.
I also have living Indian relatives living in Texas.
My great grandmother(s) are both buried in Texas, one in Timpson, Texas, the other in Beaumont, Texas.
One of them was born in Texas, the other one, my great great grandmother, was born in Arkansas (or so she said) or was it really Georgia in 1836? She was Cherokee I do believe.
The Choctaws I am related to were the ones that married my great great grandmother that I mention above.
It is really sad that the Indian people that live in Texas tend not to be recognized.
I was traveling several years ago and ran into a history teacher from Texas and I told him I was studying Indian history in Texas and he replied to me, "Good luck, you'll need it ... hahahaaa ...).
Idiot he was but that did not stop me!