The effect of law on research and scholarship is amply illustrated by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and other statutes, which, when they impel reburial of archaeological discoveries, result in a very real sacrificing of our past. In this case, the Act seems driven by a misguided notion that anthropology is not the…

For American indigenous peoples, oral tradition maintains each group's cultural identity and world view; documents history; and links the group's past, present, and future. Storytelling has been a major mode of passing moral values and teachings to children, as well as passing sacred and specialized knowledge to new specialists but is now…

Addresses the importance and features of Native American oral literature, discusses the heightened interest of publishers in producing books with Native American stories for children, and describes problems in many of these works. Issues of authenticity are discussed, and examples of nonfiction and fiction works that provide accurate information…

Language shift among New Mexico Pueblo Indians threatens the loss of their oral-based cultures. Language revival for many Pueblos has resulted in school programs in which students are easily accessible and teachers are accountable to tribes rather than the state. Finding "Pueblo space" for the Native language in school, where it was…

McClellan Hall describes his life experiences and what motivates him: Native American traditions such as the leadership role of women, speaking to youth from a positive perspective, listening to the Creator and being humble, and reliance on family. His concluding story illustrates that we have the responsibility to take care of the planet and all…

This pamphlet presents quotes of Native American elders concerning Native philosophy and way of life. This advice is intended to transmit Native American thoughts on how to live a good life and to address the essence of a natural education. Originally prepared for Native American young people, this pamphlet is now being offered to all people,…

Questions to consider when teaching an American Indian literatures course include the nature of Native American identity, what constitutes American Indian literature, and the cultural context of Indian texts. Overviews articles in this issue that describe different approaches to mainstreaming American Indian literature into traditional American…

Among the American Indians of western Washington State and northwest Oregon, stories have served as educational tools by presenting lessons concerning the traditional culture. Several types of instruction have been noted in the oral literature of these Indians of the Southern Northwest Coast. Today these stories present another type of insight and…

This collection of stories and memories, suitable for adolescents, offers a perspective on both traditional and contemporary ways of California Indians. Some stories are from old reports and books, and some are from people of today. The introduction ties the wide variety of Indians that live in California to the variety of landscape and climate.…

Based on her belief that all of our lives are stories that are pieces to a puzzle forming the truth behind the sacredness of life, Anne Dunn--Ojibwe storyteller and author--seeks to build bridges between cultures, between generations, and between oral and written storytelling. Includes a review of her book "When Beaver Was Very Great."…

In the Western Apache discourse community, landscape is not just the realm of nature in its sheer physicality. Neither are places in the landscape to be read as metaphors. Rather, places, visual things by reason of their identification with aspects of social hierarchy are literally giving moral messages, are imploring people to live right. This…

The emergence of the Native voice in academia has provided much outstanding scholarship rising out of analysis of oral histories and textual authority of Native peoples. In the 1990s, however, attempts to discredit Native scholarship included the claim that "I, Rigoberta Menchu" was a willful fraud, debates over the Bering Strait theory…

Reviews 10 children's books, published or reissued 1988-93, about daily life, traditional culture, and schooling among Taos Pueblo, Zuni Pueblo, Navajo, Inuit, Guatemalan, and other Native peoples, as well as tales from Native American oral tradition, the life of a buffalo, and Cherokee and Athapascan historical fiction. Includes grade range and…

The American Indian Philosophical Association (AIPA) was created in May of 1998 by a group of American Indian philosophers; it grew out of the American Philosophical Association's (APA) Committee to Advance the Status of American Indians in Philosophy. It is associated with the APA but remains an autonomous organization dedicated to the…

Describes the role of oral history in the traditions of Native Americans. Argues that although Western scholars have traditionally dismissed oral history as legend or myth, it is now gaining respect in higher education. Reviews efforts at incorporating oral history into the curriculum and discusses issues related to accuracy. (MAB)