This week’s episode of the Teaching History Her Way Podcast begins the conversation of teaching about Indigenous Peoples in American History. Over the years I’ve done my best to teach about Indigenous Peoples, but it wasn’t until I took a long, hard look at my teaching and curriculum that I’ve been able to improve and honor native peoples in my classroom. I’m still working on it- no curriculum or teacher is perfect- but I wanted to share my improvement in hope of helping others.

First, language is really important. Think about how your every day language can either bring someone up or push them down. As educators, we want to lift up our students and teach them to lift up others, as well. Language matters. Many people are unsure whether to use the term American Indian (which is still used by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian), Native American, Native Person, or Indigenous Person. We have to remember that every group of people was and is unique, so using specific tribe name is best. Just like the French and Germans are unique but *can* be grouped as Europeans when you’re talking about the whole of Europe, Native Peoples can be grouped, but if you’re talking about the Lenape in New Jersey, you have to talk about Lenape people.

Second, take a look at sources. I found that most times I was teaching about Native peoples through a Euro-centric lens or an Ameri-centric lens. Doing this makes us forget about the agency and resilience of tribes and doesn’t honor their rich cultural, political, and economic history. Whenever you can, teach from their point of view. I first did this with the Seven Years’ War. The students were pleasantly surprised to learn about the strong Indigenous politicians involved in the war. And I say surprised because they were never taught that before- and neither was I!

Third, talk about Native Peoples in the present. Often times we get stuck in this trap (if we are not Indigenous) of leaving Native Peoples in the past. Tribes are still active, alive, and well. Students need to know this in order to break many stereotypes about Native Peoples that are deeply rooted in our culture. That’s why talking about the Reoccupation of Alcatraz in the late 1960s and early 1970s is a great way to tell students about activism and triumph amongst the Indians of All Tribes group. Their method of protest then can connect to (more) current events, like DAPL and Standing Rock.

To find out more detail, please listen to Episode 4 of the Teaching History Her Way Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon. Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly episodes.