Native Americans: The Last Great Prejudice

By Crystal Arcand on November 26th, 2009

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“Crystal’s Soapbox,” published each Thursday, is a column by conservative Texas mom Crystal Arcand who loves to rant about issues that relate to her kids….and yours.

Did you know that November is Native American Heritage Month? What’s the first thing you think of when you hear “Native American?” Scalping or “How” are what I see and hear the most from people. With Thanksgiving upon us, there may be a bit more of the whole they-helped-the-pilgrims-survive thing, but even that is downplayed. As a mother that tries to teach my children cultural awareness and sensitivity, and as a Native American descendant, I’m sick of the portrayal of Native Americans in our country.

For decades now, we’ve balked at the archaic ignorance of people that treat African Americans or Latino Americans differently, or think less of them. Why then, do we continue to sell American Indians short? You still see “Indian” Halloween costumes with slits that practically meet in the middle. You still hear the degrading “How” when people are imitating Indians. You still hear the barrage of scalping and kidnapping horror stories.

What about the fact that they survived the North American winters for literally thousands of years without the white man’s technology and supposed wisdom? How about the agricultural knowledge that now stands as the backbone for the American food supply? Maybe the green lifestyle that’s so popular now that they practiced long before we realized how necessary it is to our survival?

Oh, you forgot about those, huh? When you sit down today and look at the corn on your plate, or the potatoes, or the cranberries, think about why they are there. They are there because those “idiotic barbarians” knew how to feed themselves, and knew the meaning of friendship and compassion enough to feed the Pilgrims and help them survive. That’s not even getting into the incredible wealth of musical, artistic, and homemaking skills that came from the First Americans.

Now you can be thankful.

Then, tell your kids about the Indians – the real story. The knowledge, the wisdom, the compassion, the intelligence. Or, in the words of one of those “savages,”