Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask
Publication Year: 2012
Published by: Minnesota Historical Society Press
Cover
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
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pp. vii-xiv
2nd Half title page
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pp. xv-xvi
Introduction: Ambassador
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pp. 1-6
Indians. They are so often imagined, but so infrequently well
understood.
I grew up in a borderland. My family moved a couple times,
but we usually lived on or near the Leech Lake Reservation in
northern Minnesota. I went to school in the nearby town of
Bemidji with plenty of other native kids and many more whites...
Terminology
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pp. 7-14
What terms are most appropriate for talking about
North America’s first people?
The word Indian comes from a mistake: on his first voyage to
the Americas, Columbus thought the Caribbean was the Indian
Ocean and the people there were Indians. The use of the word
and assumptions around it are well documented in Columbus’s
History
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pp. 15-38
How many Indians were in North and South America
before contact?
The shortest and most honest answer to this question is that
nobody knows for sure. Genomic and archaeological research is
starting to give us more accurate information about how many
groupings of people there were and the size of the communities...
Religion, Culture & Identity
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pp. 39-67
Why do Indians have long hair?
There are around five hundred distinct Indian tribes in North
America, and their cultural beliefs are diverse. For many Native
Americans, hair was viewed as a symbol of spiritual health and
strength. Leonard Moose, an Ojibwe elder from Mille Lacs, said...
Powwow
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pp. 68-78
What is a powwow?
The word powwow is actually derived from a term for spiritual
leader in the Narragansett and Massachusett languages but
was later misapplied to many types of ceremonial and secular
events. Although Ojibwe drum ceremonies and traditional...
Tribal Languages
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pp. 79-85
How many tribal languages are spoken in North America?
There may have been as many as five hundred distinct tribal
languages in North America prior to sustained contact with Europeans.
There are now around 180, but the number is shrinking
quickly. All world languages are members of families, such...
Politics
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pp. 86-127
What is sovereignty?
Sovereignty means supreme and independent authority over a
geographic area. Indian nations are sovereign because they have
such power and control over reservations. Tribal sovereignty is
the basis for most fundamentally different legal and political...
Economics
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pp. 128-137
Do Indians get a break on taxes, and if so, why?
Some Indians do get a break on some taxes—but of course, it’s
complicated. All Indians, whether they are enrolled members
or not, must pay federal income tax. All Indians must also pay
property taxes in the county or municipality in which they own...
Education
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pp. 138-145
What were federal residential boarding schools?
One of the most pernicious dimensions of the war on Indian
culture was the residential boarding school system.1 Beginning
in the late nineteenth century, missionary, military, and government
officials advocated for the removal of Indian children...
Perspectives: Coming to Terms and Future Directions
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pp. 146-158
Why are Indians so often imagined rather than
understood?
Part of the story is simple math. American Indians are a very
small percentage of the global population and even a small
percentage of the U.S. population. In some parts of the country,
one is likely to run into an Indian. But for most Americans...
Conclusion: Finding Ways to Make a Difference
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pp. 159-164
How can I help?
Sometimes the brambled racial borderland of my youth seems
as impenetrable as it ever was. Indians remain imagined more
than they are understood. Public and political backlash against
Indian casinos and treaty rights is still obvious. Indians are still...
Acknowledgments
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pp. 165-166
My time devoted to this project was in part enabled by support
from the American Philosophical Society, the Bush Leadership
Fellows Program, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.
Thank you to Michael Meuers for suggesting the title for this
book and the lecture series that inspired it and for his leadership
in promoting bilingual signage in Bemidji along with Rachelle...
Recommended Reading
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pp. 167-170
Notes
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pp. 171-178
Index
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pp. 179-190
Illustration Credits
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pp. 191-192
Back cover
E-ISBN-13: 9780873518628
E-ISBN-10: 0873518624
Print-ISBN-13: 9780873518611
Print-ISBN-10: 0873518616
Page Count: 188
Illustrations: 20 b&w photos
Publication Year: 2012
Edition: 1
