March 1993
Page 9
Early Childhood Education Facility Dedicated
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Liiertc Studabaker, Director of YCAP Head Start, spoke at the dedication of the Early
Childhood Education facility, while Head Start staff looks on.
By CeCe Kneeland
Approximately 40 people were in attendance Januaiy
29 for the open house and dedication of the Early Childhood
Education Facility, located near the Grand Ronde Chemical
Dependency Program offices. Travis Benoist performed a
cleansing ceremony prior to the blessing, which was given by
Kathryn Harrison. Th&ShanteeKlootchman Turn Tumimm
group sang and played the "Restoration Song".
Guest speakers included Caroline Landis, the
Director of Yamhill Community Action Agency, Linette
Studabaker, Director of YCAP Head Start, Patty Schute,
Special Education Coordinator, Dean Azule, Education
Department Manager, and Mark Mercier, Tribal Council
Chairman. A luncheon, complete with cake, was served in
honor of the dedication.
Grand Ronde Head Start has moved to the new
facility, and held their first classroom session there on
Tuesday, February 16, 1993. Head Start staff includes
Angela Bedortha, Head Teacher, Mary Cook, Assistant
Teacher, and June Olson, Family Services Advocate.
Other staff who have offices in the building are
Wendi Spencer, JOM Coordinator, Teresa Olson, Tribal
Preschool Coordinator, and Rochelle Andrews, Before and
After School Care Coordinator.
The new building has a large kitchen, play area, and
fenced yard, which will soon be receiving play equipment.
For Teachers and Parents: What Not To Teach Children
Reprinted from Unlearning "Indian" Stereotypes. Council
on Interracial Books for Children.
Don't use alphabet cards that say A is for apple,
B is for ball, and I is for Indian. The matter may seem to
be a trivial one, but if you want your students or children to
develop respect for Native Americans, don't start them out in
Kindergarten equating Indians with things like apples and
balls. Other short "i" words (ice, ink, or island) couldbe used,
so stay away from I-is-for-Indian in your alphabet teachings.
Don't talk about Indians as though they belong in
the past Books and filmstrips often have titles like, "How
the Indians Lived", as though there are not any living today.
The fact is, that about 1.8 million Native Americans live in
what is now the United States, many on reservations, and
many in cities and towns. They are in all kinds of
neighborhoods and schools and in all walks of life. Too many
Native Americans live in conditions of poverty and
powerlessness, but they are very much a part of the modern
world. If the people who write books and filmstrips mean
"How (particular groups of) Native Americans Lived Long
Ago", then they should say so.
Don't talk about "them" and "us". A "them" and
"us" approach reflects extreme insensitivity, as well as a
misconception of historical facts. "They" are more truly "us"
than anyone else. Native peoples are the original Americans
and the only indigenous Americans since all of their ancestors
were bora on this land. Everyone else in this country is
originally from somewhere else.
Don't lump all Native Americans together. There
were no "Indians" before the Europeans came to America--that
is, no people called themselves "Indians". They are
Seminoleor Menominee, etc. The hundreds of native groups
scattered throughout the United States are separate peoples,
separate nations. They have different languages, cultures,
and names.
Native Americans of one nation were and are as
different from Native Americans of another nation as Italians
are from Swedes, Hungarians from the Irish, or the English
from the Scottish. When referring to and teaching about
Native Americans use the words "Indians " or Native
Americans" as little as possible. Don't study the "Indians"
- study the Hopi, Nisqually, or the Apache.
Don't expect Native Americans to look like
Hollywood movie "Indians". Some Native Americans tell
a story about a white woman who visited the reservation. She
stopped and staredat ayoung man, then said to him, "Are you
a real Indian? You don't look like an Indian."
Educate, and end
the stereotypes...
Whatever it is that people expect Native Americans
to look like, many do not fit these images. Since they come
from different nations, theirphysical features, body structure
and skin colors vary a great dealand none has red skin. Of
course, Native and non-Native Americans have intermarried
so that many Native Americans today have European, African,
or other ancestry. Therefore, don't expect Native Americans
to all look alike, any more than white people look alike.
Don't let T.V. stereotypes go unchallenged.
Unfortunately for both Native and non-Native American
children, T.V. programs still show the savage varrior or
occasionally the noble savage stereotypes. Discuss with your
children theTV programs they watch. Help them understand
that, from the Native American point of view, Columbus and
other Europeans who came to this land were invaders. Even
so, Native Americans originally welcomed and helped the
European settlers. When they fought, they were no more
"savage" than the Europeans and often less so. Help children
understand that atrocities are a part of any war. In fact, war
itself is atrocious. Help them understand that the Native
Americans were defending land they had lived on for many
thousands of years.
If Native Americans were no "savage warriors",
neither were they "noble savages". They were no more or less
noble than the rest of humanity.
Another common stereotype is the portrayal of the
"Indian " as a person of few words, mostly "ugh". The fact
is that early European settlers were aware of and commented
specifically on the brilliance of Native American oratory and
the beauty of their languages.
Stereotypes are sneaky. They influence the way we
talk and live and play, sometimes without our knowing it.
Don't say to your children, "You act like a bunch of wild
Indians." Don't encourage or even allow your children to
play "cowboys and Indians". Be sensitive to stereotypes in
everything you say and do.