Here it is - a small mistake in the text: Steve is currently teaching in Indiana - not Texas.
By: Larita Gerrissen
They Call Us Indians, Armbuster, J., Beacham, D. and others, ISBN: 9163155184.
“Ever since the indigenous peoples of America discovered Columbus, their cultures have been subjected to exploitation and oppression. Fantasies, lies and prejudice have created an image of Native Americans which is usually a far cry from reality.
This is the introduction of Annika Banfield to this project which she started in 2000 and has since caught the attention of quite some people and organizations. After having been introduced to the cultures of a few native peoples of the USA and Canada, she realized that many people today still insult, belittle and in other ways abuse the indigenous peoples of America, most of the times out of ignorance. In their search for inner peace and spirituality a lot of people in western societies look for answers in other cultures. This most certainly applies to the different native cultures of North-America. The sad part is that there are people out there who abuse this situation, native as well as non-native persons. A lot of Native Americans are angry and concerned about this. Banfield has found some native writers who agreed to voice their opinion about issues that surround the indigenous peoples of America in this book. Twelve authors from different cultures have put their trust in Banfield and contributed voluntary to the project.
Michael Two Horses (Lakota) writes about the legal battles a lot of native peoples find themselves in, in order to be able to exercise their rights. He fought himself for several issues, including the fight the Makah in Neah Bay, Washington had over their rights to carry out the traditional whale hunt. Unfortunately Mike Two Horses died during the work on this book due to an old war injury he brought back home from the Vietnam war. Together with his loved ones it was decided to publish his work in this book which is dedicated to him.
Steve Russell (Cherokee) is a former judge from Texas and is currently teaching Criminal Justice at the University of Texas in San Antonio. He is also a published writer. Here he shares his view on the abuse of native words in the world of sports and the family tradition to serve in the US army.
Al Carroll (Apache) is co-founder of New Age Frauds Plastic Shamans (NAFPS) which puts out warnings to the public concerning frauds and abusers who present themselves as Native American medicine men and healers for profit. In his contributions he shares tips on how to recognize sincere and less sincere persons.
These are just a few of the authors that contributed to this project; more subjects are discussed. Like the history and traditions of the Dineh (Navajo); the history and present situation of the native population of Virginia and more.
In 2004 the Swedish translation was published which sold so well that the Swedish foundation The World in Our Hands, founded by Annika Banfield, was able to donate a considerable amount to the Albuquerque Indian Center. The book was presented at the national book fair in Sweden and is recommended by National Geographic. Banfield credits the success of the book to the good intentions of everyone involved. The people who contributed did it for the sake of the indigenous peoples of America. There were no hidden agendas; no wish for personal fame and fortune.
The English edition of They Call Us Indians is available since March of this year. An absolute must-read for everyone who respects the native cultures of America and who is interested in the truth about the different cultures and traditions.
A shorter version of this review will be published in the next issue of ABC's Between the Covers.
© 2004-2005 Larita Gerrissen
