US Politics on Sidechat | It’s monstrous how little Americans learn about native history in school. And I know it’s intentional. Acknowledging how advanced native cultures were and how badly they were actually treated makes people feel a whole lot less patriotic.

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US Politics 16h

It’s monstrous how little Americans learn about native history in school. And I know it’s intentional. Acknowledging how advanced native cultures were and how badly they were actually treated makes people feel a whole lot less patriotic.

Anonymous 16h

A huge percentage of Americans are walking around right now thinking native Americans didn’t have agriculture, metalworking, cities, or trade networks. They don’t know what treaties were broken, or even what tribes lived right under their feet.

Anonymous 16h

I had a tiny bit of that…in fourth grade. I have learned shamefully little about it since, and there have been several YouTube videos that I have seen since (i.e. about the Hopewell culture) that have been more educational than basically everything I learned about it in school.

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Anonymous

OP 16h

Minimizing and dehumanizing native peoples has always been an essential part of the colonial process. White Americans had to tell themselves the great mounds of the Mississippi were made by giants or Vikings instead of the very native people they were displacing. And the cycle repeats. With Israel today removing historic Palestinian villages, wiping them from history.

Anonymous

#1 16h

Look at the YouTube channel Ancient Americas if you haven’t already. Can’t recommend him enough. Also try to find history for your local area! There’s usually some local museums

Anonymous

#1 16h

I grew up in southeast Virginia, near the Jamestown settlement. We learned about the Powhatan in school but native history disappeared after the 1600s. I didn’t learn until I was in college that the Pamunkey (Powhatan) reservation still existed and was only 40 minutes from where I grew up.

Anonymous

OP 16h

I’m in the NorCal/Reno area and I’ve been to a historic society museum, the Nevada state museum, and the Churchill County museum. Great museums, generally pretty good representations of things too (with the possible exception of the historic society museum but their space is tiny so they don’t really have space for much)

Anonymous

#1 16h

Oh! I’m currently living in south-central Oregon near the California border. I think you’re in Washoe and Paiute country?

Anonymous

OP 16h

I believe that’s correct, yeah. Pretty sure there’s actually a reservation pretty close to me too.

Anonymous

#1 16h

I’ve been on a sort of quest to visit as many different reservations as I can in the pacific states while I’m out here. This weekend I’m headed to the Cowlitz powwow up by Portland. Should be a fun time.

Anonymous

OP 16h

So far I’ve got Klamath, Cow Creek Umpqua, Grande Ronde, Coos/siuslaw/lower Umpqua, coquille, Yurok, pulika yurok, Hoopa, Elk Valley Rancheria, Shoalwater Bay, Quinault, Hoh, Quileute, Jamestown Skallam, Skokomish, and I’ve passed by the Siletz, Lower Elwah, Trinidad Rancheria, and Blue Lake rancheria but haven’t been able to properly visit them yet.

Anonymous 16h

Unless you live on the rez I cannot believe this is true

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Anonymous 16h

I still have an extremely hard time believing that is the case. I’m glad they’re covering it but I feel like it maybe just stood out to you more.

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Anonymous 16h

I’m a teacher, if you were taught about this extensively then you are outside of the norm.