Bibliography
Teacher Resources
Allen, Paula Gunn, ed. Spider Woman's Granddaughters: Traditional Tales and Contemporary Writing by Native American Women. Boston: Beacon, 1989.
Provides a clear and scholarly background in both history and literature. Gunn is the author/editor of numerous works relating to Native American literature. Accessible writing.
Brant, Beth (Degonwadonti), Ed. A Gathering of Spirit: Writing and Art by North American Indian Women. Sinister Wisdom Books, 1984.
Largely a volunteer effort soliciting volunteer contributions, this collection surprises, delights, and on occasion, saddens.
Cahokia Mounds. Collinsville IL: Cahokia Mounds Museum Society, 2003.
Describes the 69 remaining of an original 120 amazing earthen installations, one that is "100-foot tall, four-tiered, (14-acre base)...built over a period of 300 years" by Mississippian tribes, 850-1200 A.D. Interpretive Museum onsite.
Proof that this outing is, in its own way, a greater adventure than Great Adventure. Easy to get to by public transportation from the St. Louis Convention Center.
Carr, Helen. Inventing the American Primitive: Politics, Gender and the Representation of Native American Literary Traditions 1789-1936. Cork, Ireland: Cork, 1996.
Fascinating history of how colonizers create a mental image of the hapless souls pushed aside or ahead in their wake, then places that formulation into words, effectively codifying it for all time.
Erdrich, Heid E. and Laura Tohe. Sister Nations: Native American Writers on Community. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 2002.
Comprehensive and wide-ranging collection featuring several well-known writers and some we will probably become familiar with in the near future.
Glancy, Diane and Mark Nowak. Visit Teepee Town: Native Writings After the Detours. Minneapolis: Coffee House Press, 1999.
This book contains a cogent discussion of the difference between written and oral poetry as well as prime examples of modern day writings by names that students will want to become familiar with: Gerald Vizenor, Linda Hogan, Wendy Rose, and Sherman Alexie among others, describing the work as honing in on ". . .a world both unretrievable and yet retrieving the impossibilities and invisibilities. . .".
Harjo, Joy and Gloria. Reinventing the Enemy's Language. New York: Norton, 1997.
Key figures in present-day revitalization of Native American writing taking the initiative in re-configuring the power relationship heretofore dominating Anglo/Indian negotiations both political and literary.
Kubler, George. Pre-Columbian Art of Mexico and Central America. New Haven: Yale, 1986.
Photographs and notes on exhibitions at Yale's Art Gallery.
Levitas, Floria, Frank Robert Vivelo and Jacqueline J. Vivelo. American Indian Prose and Poetry: We Wait in the Darkness. New York: Putnam, 1974.
A collection that seems somewhat outdated. Poems arranged by tribe and geography. No notes to establish authenticity.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/kislak/kislak-exhibit.html
Documents, artifacts, photographs covering Meso and North American tribes and civilizations. Excellent reproductions.
Mann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. New York: Knopf, 2005.
Although continental in scope, Mann provides fascinating accounts of the adventures of New Jersey fossils and their varying interpretations. He confirms for Philadelphia that regional Amerindians pre-dated Columbus by thousands of years.
McCarty, Teresa. "What Does it Mean to Lose a Language? Investigating Language Loss and Revitalization among American Indians." Show & Tell, Fall 2005, 14-18.
Powerful and useful treatment of a profoundly disturbing turn of events in the world of language. Hopeful report on a current program to rescue one such language.
Moraga, Cherrie and Gloria Anzaldua. This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. New York: Kitchen Table, 1983.
Women united and free to express their long-standing concerns. Mildly dated.
Reed, Ishmael, Ed. From Totems to Hip-Hop: A Multicultural Anthology of Poetry Across the Americas, 1900-2002. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2003.
Exciting and eclectic collection of poets so diverse that it even includes Robert Frost.
Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony. New York: Penguin, 1977.
A journey to the past by way of a Japanese prisoner of war camp. Interesting juxtaposition of two very different cultures and proof that Native Americans really do write novels. Beautifully evocative writing that flows effortlessly back and forth in time.
Smith, Dinitia. "Heroes Now Tend to Be More Hard Edged, Urban and Pop Oriented." New York Times 21 Apr 1997.
Written in the wake of Michael Dorris' suicide, Smith provides a thorough analysis of then-current trends in Native American literature along with enough names to keep a person reading for a considerable length of time.
Smith, Sherry L. Re-imagining Indians: Native Americans through Anglo eyes 1880-1940. New York: Oxford, 2000.
Utilizing acquaintances and strangers, Smith demonstrates that the investigators often reveal more about themselves than about the Indians they sought to understand.
Spiller, Robert E., Willard Thorp, Thomas H. Johnson, Henry Seidel Canby, Richard M. Ludwig, William M. Gibson, Eds. Literary History of the United States. New York: Macmillan, 1983.
Classic history. Rich in detail, challenged on accuracy. Telling snapshot of where literary criticism resided in the last quarter of the 20th century. Have your metaphorical red and blue pencils ready.
Tenner, Edward. "Searching for Dummies." New York Times 26 Mar 2006 Sec. 4:12.
Well-timed and stimulating look at how all that computer time may not be leading to real learning.
Velie, Alan R. American Indian Literature: An Anthology. Rev. Norman: Oklahoma, 1991.
This is a useful resource for both traditional and modern writing. Forms include tales, songs, oratory, memoirs, poetry, and fiction. Introduction disabuses us of the need to avoid the word "Indian." Of interest to Easterners is the Walam Olum ('painted record'), the "Bible and Aeneid of the Delawares."
—. Four American Indian Literary Masters: N. Scott Momaday, James Welch, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Gerald Vizenor. Norman OK: Oklahoma, 1982.
Provides these writers with the critical attention they deserve. Velie demonstrates that these individuals were well-established early in the post-Vietnam era.
Welch, James. Winter in the Blood. New York: Penguin, 1974.
Lost to us in 2003, Welch here draws us in to a domestic arena where familiar themes gain new significance, among them: alcoholism, respect for graves, angry Anglos, alienation, familiarity with nature, drought, devaluing women, Christian 'outreach', aspiring to be white via movie magazines, destructiveness of industry. Assured style.
Student Resources
Allen, Terry, ed. The Whispering Wind: Poetry by Young American Indians. Garden City: Doubleday, 1972.
Although these works were written before today's high school students were born , the voices are modern and emanate from young people of great accomplishment. City youth may find words and feelings that resonate despite the distances of time and place.
Davis, Wade. "Vanishing Cultures." National Geographic. Aug. 1999: 63-89.
Not just language, but whole peoples are endangered by the encroachment of "civilization." Photographs and informative text.
Holt. Elements of Literature (Fifth Course): Essentials of American Literature. Orlando: Holt, Reinhart and Winston, 2005.
Hard-backed, colorfully illustrated text anthology. Plenty of material, cross-generational and diverse in many other ways.
"The Power of Writing." National Geographic. Aug. 1999: 110-133.
Useful chart showing writing elements from around the world. Essay can be used for informational reading and to spark persuasive essays.
Loewen, James W. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. New York: Touchstone, 1995.
This is a survey of high school history texts that finds them wanting in critical information regarding American history and politics. There are chapters on Columbus, Native Americans, and the First Thanksgiving, along with Hellen Keller and Woodrow Wilson. There is brand-new information for some instructors.
Miller, Randall M. and William Pencak, eds. Pennsylvania: A History of the Commonwealth. University Park: Penn State, 2002.
This is a substantial and thorough-going and very recent story of our state's beginnings to the present day. A solid and lengthy first chapter, written by Daniel K. Richter, details the lives of "The First Pennsylvanians," and their presence and influence is noted throughout.
"Virtual Exhibits, Genuine Learning." American Educator, Spring 2006, 38-46.
Confirmation that the web has vast resources. Class trips without having to find a bus.
Wallace, Paul A.W. Indians in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1986.
This is an accessible and detailed account of the thousands-of-years history of Indians throughout what is now the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and beyond. Rich in detail, illustrations and maps; written in language and on topics students can relate to, including child rearing, education and family life.
—. White Roots of Peace: The Iroquois Book of Life. Sante Fe: Clear Light, 1994.
From ancient days through dealings with Presidents Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy—readable stories of redeemed heroes like Hiawatha and tarnished reputations of modern-day politicians as Indians struggle to hold on to tribal lands and customs.
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