About this item
Treuer, an Ojibwe scholar and cultural preservationist, answers your questions about Native Americans as well as many you never thought to ask. His experience has been that Indians are often imagined but rarely understood, so he presents programs in which he encourages the audience to ask him questions they believe might be offensive or have not had an opportunity to ask. The book comprises questions he hears frequently. For example: What terms are most appropriate for talking about North America’s first people? Treuer uses the term “Indian” although he recognizes that it has shortcomings. What terms are not appropriate? The words “squaw,” “brave,” and “papoose” offend most native people. He covers a wide range of topics including history, religion, tribal languages, politics, economics, and education. If you don’t know a lot about Native Americans but wish you knew more, this is a great place to start. Review by Ivon, Downtown Library
About the Author
Dr. Anton Treuer (pronounced troy-er) is Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University and author of 14 books. His equity, education, and cultural work has put him on a path of service throughout the United States and several foreign countries. He has a B.A. from Princeton University and a M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He is Editor of the Oshkaabewis (pronounced o-shkaah-bay-wis) Native Journal, the only academic journal of the Ojibwe language. Dr. Treuer has sat on many organizational boards and has received more than 40 prestigious awards and fellowships, including ones from the American Philosophical Society, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Bush Foundation, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. His published works include Warrior Nation: A History of the Red Lake Ojibwe, Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask, Ojibwe in Minnesota ("Minnesota's Best Read for 2010" by The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress) , The Assassination of Hole in the Day (Award of Merit Winner from the American Association for State and Local History) , Atlas of Indian Nations, Mino-doodaading: Dibaajimowinan Ji-mino-ayaang, Naadamaading: Dibaajimowinan Ji-nisidotaading, Wiijikiiwending, Ezhichigeyang: Ojibwe Word List, Awesiinyensag: Dibaajimowinan Ji-gikinoo'amaageng ("Minnesota's Best Read for 2011" by The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress) , Living Our Language: Ojibwe Tales & Oral Histories, Aaniin Ekidong: Ojibwe Vocabulary Project, Indian Nations of North America, and Omaa Akiing.
