I grew up during a time when kids played "Cowboys and Indians" (the "indians" being the bad guys).  My childhood memories also include hearing school teachers saying things like, "Stop acting like a bunch of wild indians."  Then later, as a student teacher, I remember the first time I observed a preschool classroom in action during the theme of "Thanksgiving."  Upon entering the room, I saw the teacher and children prancing around in a circle, wearing feathered headbands, and pounding their mouths while "whooping."  Afterwards, the children were told to sit "indian style" (meaning legs crossed).  Later, after graduation, I perpetuated the stereotypes by also teaching this way until I realized it was wrong and that change really does begin with me.  It meant doing some extra "homework" but it's been worth it, and today, I do things differently in my classroom.  I wish to say, however, that I still have much to learn.  

Below, I've shared some of the changes I've made in my teaching methods:  
First of all, I teach that American Indians are REAL people who live NOW!  I really detest hearing teachers talk about American Indians in the same way they discuss dinosaurs, as if they're extinct.   
If we do a "feathered headband" or "vest" project, I show historical photographs of and talk about who exactly wore feathered headdresses and vests and why.  I stress that not all American Indians wore (or wear now) fringe and feathers.  
I like to show pictures of and discuss present day American Indian children and talk about the things they have in common with the children in my classroom.  
If we do a tipi project, I show historical photographs of tipis and talk about the lives of those people who lived in them but I stress that the American Indians had/have other types of homes as well.   
As for history, although there are several good children's books, I have also found many wonderful accurately portrayed photos in large "coffee table" books and magazines to show the children.  One of my favorite books is "The Native Americans (The Indigenous People Of North America)."  It has a collection of photographs from The American Museum Of Natural History and from The Smithsonian Institution (Editorial Consultant: Colin F. Taylor; Techmical Consultant: William C. Sturtevant).   
Just recently, through my learning process for change, I have come to understand that is far better for me to include the American Indian under the umbrella of "multicultural" rather than focusing on a generalized "Indian" theme during Thanksgiving which only continues the stereotyping.  (As I said earlier, I am constantly learning.) 
To conclude, and as I've said elsewhere on this website, I feel it's important that we make it our goal to "model" the embracement of "people" differences and teach children to not just "accept" but to cherish those differences rather than to think them "strange" or somehow weird and abnormal.

I would also like to direct you to click here on Article by Debbie Reese to read a wonderful article that lists guidelines for us when teaching about the American Indian.  Don't worry -- you won't get lost as that page will link you back to this one.

    
Please share your ideas and comments on this subject.  Just e-mail me at stormie@preschoolbystormie.com and I'll post your words below.          

*Stormie, I appreciate all your ideas.  I usually begin my unit by telling the children that native means first...so the Indians are really the first Americans--puts a whole new slant on things.  Then I ask them to tell me all they know about Indians.  Invariably, I hear "wear feathers, shoot bows and arrows, live in tepees, mean, red skinned," and when I ask them what language they speak, it's always "OOOOO" Some language!  It is so important to change these stereotypes.  A great book to get is The Anti-Bias Curriculum, by Louise Derman Sparks - an invaluable resource - published by NAEYC.  Thanks, Louise, from New Jersey   

*Stormie, It really works well in my preschool class to tell the students to sit "criss-cross applesauce" and show them with my own legs.  Soon they are saying it themselves and think it is funny!  Leah 

*Hello Stormie, Just a line to say how much I appreciate the note about how you now teach your lessons.  I'm a first year preschool teacher in preparation for teaching about the first Thanksgiving.  The kindergarten teacher and myself are splitting up into groups.  Her class will be the pilgrims, my class will be the Native Americans (Indians).  I'm having a hard time letting go of the title "Indian".  I am only 1/8 indian but love every bit of it.  I hear stories from my family and how they do not like to be called Native Americans.  To the most, it sounds too formal.  Do you think I'm wrong to teach that Indians have only recently changed into "Native Americans?"  I teach my students to sit "pretzel" style.  This is a very special time of year for me and I hope to pass it on to my students to be very thankful.  I want to do this right.  Any more suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks so much.  I welcome feedback from others as well.  
Mrs. Janet Lake, from Missouri     You can e-mail me at: ricklake@grm.net 

*Hi Stormie & Janet- 
I'm Kathy B (Wild Things Childcare), a family child care provider in Minnesota, with a very large Indian population.  I have had a full-blooded Winnebago Indian in my group and my sister-in-law who lives in Kentucky is Cherokee.  I have also lived in Oklahoma and Texas...you get the idea (Air Force Wife days).  With the children in my care I go in-depth and we do companion planting in the summer, talk about the spirits of the animals, have discussed "totem" animals (those with traits similar to your own, to simplify things to 3 & 4 yr. olds) and do free-verse poems to the Great Spirit with 4 1/2-8 yr olds.  We are very much nature-oriented.  We make shields that represent the creatures of the water, air and land, etc, and dreamcatchers.  We get into the folklore -- even do comparatives between the folklore of africans and the indigenous american people (ie: both have stories about spiders, tricksters, and shooting arrows into clouds to bring rain to drought-stricken land.)  When it comes time for harvest, we read stories of harvest celebrations of other people around the world before we get to [our] Thanksgiving.  A neat spin is to have a discussion on what the "New World" means, because to American Indians THIS is the "Old World" we live in, and Europe is the "New World."  I feel it is perfectly all right to use phrases as "pow-wow," and "sit like an Indian."  I use them with permission: Sitting like an Indian means you respect those around you, keeping your hands and feet to yourselves, and you listen well without interrupting.  It is a skill to be proud of.  I have been told that it honors a culture to adopt their practices when used in a positive way.  We are currently using "talking sticks" when the day care children all want to speak at the same time.  We have decorated them with objects representing the air, water, and land.  We know how to do an eagle dance and how to dance and walk softly (toe-heel) on the earth (the drum beat is the heartbeat).  Often my Indian friends preferred to be known simply as "Indian."  One of the posters I display for a month at my home is Chief Seattle's speech to Congress.  I feel that if we are going to cherish other cultures, particularly one with roots in the soil we live on, we should do it year-round.  There are so many good books:
Keepers of the Earth and Keepers of the Animals by Bruchac and Caduto
Indian Givers: Gifts From Native Americans That Have Transformed the World (or something similar to that)
Roots and Wings and Big as Life, both by Stacey York, published by Redleaf 
Old Turtle by Douglas Wood
Mother Earth by Nancy Luenn
Paul Goble's and Tomie DePaola's books.....so many 
A very nice recording for children is "All Spirits Sing" by Joanne Shenandoah

*Hello Stormie, While exploring your website, I found your notes on teaching "Native American" themes.  I'm a preschool teacher in Pontiac, Michigan.  My own family is Native American, my husband is Ojibwe and I am Eastern Cherokee/Choctaw.  We attend many pow wows and gatherings throughout the year because we are both traditional dancers.  I'm glad that more teachers are making an honest effort to teach children the truth instead of perpetuating existing stereotypes.  I would be happy to discuss my ideas and opinions on teaching children about Native Americans with anyone who is interested.  Thank You, Susan White.  My e-mail is: waterfall_woman@yahoo.com

*Stormie, I appreciated your comments related to the fact that "Native Americans still exist."  I never realized what I had been taught all these years until I read your statement.  I am of Native American blood, and since I am in my first year of homeschooling, I wanted to teach my girls about my heritage.  I didn't talk to them as if Indians were a thing of the past, but that Indians are a part of our lives today, in many ways that we don't see.  And since we live in Louisiana, there's lots of different cultures here anyway, and several tribes of Indians.  I didn't really realize that I was teaching my girls the "right" way.  I just know that since I'm part Indian, my kids need to know about who my family is, and what they went through, and what they face today.  Thank you, Sherri
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