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I have been talking and trying to teach some people and am having a hard time. Several of them will never accept ANYTHING I have to say and some are listening. The ones giving me a hard time defend the killing of Indians from the time of Columbus, and deny millions were killed from that time on. They use racial words, call Indians names, calling me a racist because I say the Europeans killed our people. The purpose is to point out that the Indians were savage killers and HAD to be taken out. I really got them angry when I used the term Genocide to describe the killing of millions. They don't believe that there were millions at all, and say that since I can't produce the bones to prove it, then I am lying. They want proof of birth, as they say chapter and verse or it's just my oppinion and is worthless.
In their argument, they believe that since there weren't millions killed, then it can't be a genocide and the killing was nothing more than battles here and there! They say that since, there were schools or any type of help after the trail of tears, the long walk etc. then it couldn't be genocide if the whites were trying to help them!
I get soooo tired of the song and dance, that Indians weren't treated well and I am sorry for that, but then go to town, saying that it was soooo long ago, to just get over it, because They didn't do it, and even if their famlies did, it happened to our g g g g g great grand parents who are dead. That's how they dismiss discussion of history especially when it's an Indian talking about it! There's one man who is French and Spanish who fancies himself to be an historian or purist of history. He's the worse and once again called me racist because in typing to him, I didn't capitalize the "w" in white! He gets beligerent with me because he doesn't think that I should have the right to question what he says, being a history teacher. He uses the old west books! Loves Onate! He screams if you use anything other than written European history or oral European history, while saying that the oral history of Native Americans is nothing more than your family messing up a story they think happened in a Ghost Dance dream! Or someone having bad dreams in their old age, because demencia has set in!
I really have no hope of teaching some of them anything, but I want to be able to teach the ones who are listening.
Do any of you know how to answer what I talked about above? Links would be great as well. I have done a decent job thus far, but know there are many who can do it much better! I think I have gone thru every emotion there is, talking to them, and just really want to do a good job.
When My son was about 12, and my grandmother nearing 96 many, many, yrs. ago, she told my son one day, by grabbing his arm, her eyes filling full of tears, telling him that he was looking too Indian that day, and that he had to be careful or someone might hang him. She knew fellow Indians that had been hung when she was young and feared for his safety. She had been thinking about her youth when she saw him walk into the room. I remember how it shook him up and how it has never left him. You can't explain this to someone looking in from a world that doesn't see what others have been through. So I thank you in advance for any help, that you might be kind enough to offer.
In their argument, they believe that since there weren't millions killed, then it can't be a genocide and the killing was nothing more than battles here and there! They say that since, there were schools or any type of help after the trail of tears, the long walk etc. then it couldn't be genocide if the whites were trying to help them!
I get soooo tired of the song and dance, that Indians weren't treated well and I am sorry for that, but then go to town, saying that it was soooo long ago, to just get over it, because They didn't do it, and even if their famlies did, it happened to our g g g g g great grand parents who are dead. That's how they dismiss discussion of history especially when it's an Indian talking about it! There's one man who is French and Spanish who fancies himself to be an historian or purist of history. He's the worse and once again called me racist because in typing to him, I didn't capitalize the "w" in white! He gets beligerent with me because he doesn't think that I should have the right to question what he says, being a history teacher. He uses the old west books! Loves Onate! He screams if you use anything other than written European history or oral European history, while saying that the oral history of Native Americans is nothing more than your family messing up a story they think happened in a Ghost Dance dream! Or someone having bad dreams in their old age, because demencia has set in!
I really have no hope of teaching some of them anything, but I want to be able to teach the ones who are listening.
Do any of you know how to answer what I talked about above? Links would be great as well. I have done a decent job thus far, but know there are many who can do it much better! I think I have gone thru every emotion there is, talking to them, and just really want to do a good job.
When My son was about 12, and my grandmother nearing 96 many, many, yrs. ago, she told my son one day, by grabbing his arm, her eyes filling full of tears, telling him that he was looking too Indian that day, and that he had to be careful or someone might hang him. She knew fellow Indians that had been hung when she was young and feared for his safety. She had been thinking about her youth when she saw him walk into the room. I remember how it shook him up and how it has never left him. You can't explain this to someone looking in from a world that doesn't see what others have been through. So I thank you in advance for any help, that you might be kind enough to offer.
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