Debbie Reese maintains a very useful blog about "American Indians in Children's Literature." In an entry posted today, she critiques the common but problematic teaching idea of having students read American Indian tales and then write their own versions:
The activity is very popular, most adults did this activity when they were kids. It seems harmless and fun, but is it?
Is it harmless to take a people's way of thinking about the world and use it as a playful model for a writing activity?
Would you do this with Genesis? There is a double standard at work, subtly undermining the integrity of indigenous peoples whose stories are trivialized in this way. Engaging in these seemingly harmless activities has ramifications for the way children learn to think about American Indians and others whose stories are used like this.
Let's stop doing it.
You can read the rest here.
