Akomawt Educational Initiative’s Best Practices for Teaching About Native Peoples for Museum Educators

This list is by no means exhaustive. Indian Country is an extremely complex place and as you engage with it you’ll discover diverse intricacies amongst all Native communities. The purpose of this information is to provide a solid starting point to begin your conversations. Much of this information can be applied to education in general and we hope you will find these tips helpful.

Terminology

Native American, American Indian: Umbrella terms for 570+ federally and state-recognized tribes. Encompasses all tribes and the most common terms used in American culture.

Native People, Indigenous People:  Generalized terms that are not tied to the concept of “America”. Native with a capital “N” and Indigenous with a capital “I” are currently the preferred English language terms used by Native/Indigenous peoples.

Indian:  Early colonial term for inhabitants of Turtle Island (the Americas). It’s also the term used in the writing of the US Constitution. Federal laws about and for Native peoples in America are known as Federal Indian Laws. The legal terminology of Native peoples as one singular large group, although incorrect, in use to this day. Sometimes an informal term used by Native peoples in emic situations.

*The preceding are generalized terms. The idea of singularizing the plurality of Native cultures in our homelands is a construct of European languages like English. Although we find ourselves using them when speaking in English, they are all ultimately incorrect. Whenever possible we encourage you to be specific and identify tribes by the name they use for themselves.

Tribe:  Anthropology term for a culturally distinct society.

Nation: Term forced on tribes through the Indian Reorganization Act (1934). Gaining popularity after the AIM era in the 1970’s amongst Native governments as they reassert sovereignty and self-determination.

Tribal Nation: Sometimes used by tribal governments as a way to include both.

Band:  Subset and self-governed entity of a recognized tribe or nation.

Community:  Social term for all Native people and their families (both: 1. Native and 2. non-Native people with kinship or marriage ties to the Native peoples).

Culture

• “Native American culture” is not singular. There are over 1,000 Native communities in existence each with their own communal, tribal, land, and ways of life.
• Be specific when talking about a particular tribe or culture. When naming a tribe/culture, use the linguistic term the tribe/culture uses for itself when available from a competent source.
• When highlighting cultural practices, utilize tribally sourced material/language/examples.
• Do not ask students to “perform” cultural practices.
• Consider the limits of talking about a Native culture or cultures in the foreign language of English.

History

• Be aware of tense. Speaking about living Native cultures only in the past tense feeds an implicit bias to your audience that Native peoples only exist in the past. When possible speak about Native peoples in the present.
• Examples: “Lived and continue to live.”  “Traditionally lived here, as they do today.”
• Before using primary sources take a step back and ask:
• Who is the writer/storyteller?  What is their background and motivation?
• Are there alternative primary sources?  What vocabulary/language do Native teachers/educators/communities use when discussing this historical event?
• What other primary sources do you need to hear from to create an equitable understanding of the past?
• Native place names pre-date colonial place names. Use when appropriate to the time frame (which can include the present). If you don’t know the Native place name when talking about pre-colonial history use non-colonial descriptors.
• Example: Instead of “1500’s in New England”, use “1500’s in the Northeast.”
• Be aware of perspective and vocabulary: “wilderness,” “frontier,” myths of “discovery” etc. can be problematic. Expand your vocabulary to more objective terms.

Contemporary Native Communities

•  Seek to understand the homelands of the people where you live and work.
• Over 70% of Native peoples live off reservations. Indian Country is everywhere. Though you may not be working adjacent to a living Native community, be aware that your audience will include Native peoples from time to time. Considering Native perspectives is more inclusive of those audience members.
• Indian Country is also a very complex landscape of ideas and opinions where people often disagree. No single voice can speak in absolution for a community or collection of communities. Seek diverse Native voices. Understand the complexities.
• Native communities have always adapted and progressed in knowledge and technology. Absorbing new knowledge or realities does not diminish the authenticity of a culture as it evolves.