How to Evaluate Aboriginal

books for appropriate content?

Rozeena Dossa
 Inquiry Question: How to Evaluate Aboriginal
Books for appropriate content?

Limitations

As current librarians who have successfully gone through north American education
system is something to consider. As many of us are non-indigenous, we bring a very
different perspective because our experiences are not shared and MANY of us have
gone through the school system without the truth about indigenous people. (Naomi
Caldwell-Wood N. Mitten. L. (1991)

Lack of education continues to be a barrier towards change in the way society views
indigenous people and culture. Author Naomi Caldwell-Wood and Lisa A. Mitten
expressed that there are extensive and subtle dehumanizing stereotypes embedded
in American pop culture. They give an example of how many librarians across the
United States have “The Indian in the Cupboard” in their libraries and this very book
has numerous of “dehumanizing stereotypes” and yet many librarians are unwilling to
take the books off the shelf. (Naomi Caldwell-Wood N. Mitten. L. (1991)

The best resource and information holder of appropriate indigenous books/content

will always be members of the community themselves. However, with lack of
knowledge and opportunity to nd and include members of the indigenous
community as a part of teaching/resource will hinder the process of learning what is
truly appropriate. Naomi Caldwell-Wood N. Mitten. L. (1991)

Naomi Caldwell-Wood N. Mitten. L. (1991) "I" IS NOT FOR INDIAN: THE PORTRAYAL

OF NATIVE AMERICANS IN BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. ALA/OLOS
Subcommittee for Library Services to American Indian People American Indian
Library Association

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 Real Life example

The Six Cedar Tree’s
• There is a resource that is circulating around a few districts that I have seen. It is called “The Six
Cedar Tree’s – By Margot Landahl and Celestine Aleck (Publisher: Strong Nations Publishing, 2017)

• I Bring this document up because I have some districts ban it and others celebrate it. I began to
ask questions around the district and was unable to nd a immediate response. Following up at an
indigenous focus school, I had the opportunity to ask several indigenous teachers who were on
sta about the resource. I learned that although the book was published through strong nations in
2017, the author was not indigenous and that its own implications about being an indigenous
resource. It is interesting because now I’ve seen this book used as a reference point for core
competencies and it is oating around BC

• Do all educators know about this resource?

• Or know what to ask when thinking about appropriate indigenous content?

• Does this resource fall into non-indigenous category?

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Authentic First Peoples Resources in BC classrooms
http://www.fnesc.ca/authenticresources/
Authentic First Peoples Resources

• https://resources.fnesc.ca

• Authentic First Peoples texts are historical or contemporary texts that

• are created by First Peoples or through the substantial contributions of First Peoples

• epict themes and issues that are important within First Peoples cultures (e.g.,
identity, tradition, role of family, importance of Elders, connection to the land, the
nature and place of spirituality as an aspect of wisdom, the relationships between
individual and community, and the importance of oral tradition — see Common
Themes in First Peoples Texts later in this Introduction)

• incorporate First Peoples story-telling techniques and features as applicable (e.g.,

circular structure, repetition, weaving in of spirituality, humour).
Engaging Youth with Indigenous Materials in Libraries and Classrooms
Criteria to evaluate Indigenous resources
Authentic First People Resources Guide (k-9)

• Accuracy: Reliable sources, careful documentation, thoroughly researched, and information

• Arrangement: Cultural portrayals consistent with First Peoples’ values and attitudes, contributions
of First Peoples to contemporary society, recognition of diversity among First Peoples (distinct
societies, communities, ways of life, languages), recognition of First Peoples as enduring (not
vanishing or assimilated), valid description of individual First Peoples’ lives (past or present), and
realistic portrayal of gender roles

• Objectivity (not applicable to ction): Devoid of obvious or subtle anti-First Peoples prejudice,
avoidance of stereotypes, positive values (clear of negative inference), sensitive language (free from
loaded or offensive words), and portrayal of human strengths and weaknesses

• llustrations: Authentic depictions of First Peoples’ ways of life, past or present

•
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 Oyate Criteria for Resource Evaluation

honest portrayals of First Nations peoples in children’s books, traditional stories, and contemporary stories and representations.

Are First Nations peoples and societies oversimpli ed and generalized

1.: Are there insulting overtones to the language used in the book
2.: Is there manipulation of words to justify European conquest of tradition homelands
3.: Does the story encourage belief that First Nations peoples accepted defeats passively or that heroes are
limited to those who aided Europeans in their conquests
4.: Are cultures presented in a condescending manner? Are First Nations peoples only discussed in the past
tense? Are there distinctions between “them” and “us”
5.: Do their backgrounds suggest they can write about First Nations peoples accurately and respectfully?
What is their relationship to the story? Do they acknowledge or pay tribute to the source of the story

**This list was adapted from the How to Tell the Difference and Additional Criteria from Oyate
http://oyate.org/index.php/resources/42-resources/oyate-s-additional-criteria
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Relevant Articles
UBC Library

The article Evaluating Indigenous education resources for classroom use by Sara

Florence Davidson in the May 2020 issue of BCTF Teacher magazine gives an
overview of questions to ask when evaluating Indigenous teaching resources. It can
be read online here (p. 22-23).

Cupples, J. (1977). The Aboriginal studies library project. Proceedings of the

Nineteenth Conference, Library Association of Australia, Edited by Anne Batt. Hobart
(Tasmania), Library Association of Australia Conference Committee, 1977 160-171

Briggs-Smith, N. (1997). Promoting library services for Aboriginals. Link-Up, Mar 3-6.

How can we Respectfully retell stories?

https://indigenousstorybooks.ca/about/faq/

• Permission: Before retelling a story, ensure that you have permission to do so. This may be granted by
the nation, clan, community, and/or the individual who owns the story. Sometimes, permission has been
given to share the story for educational purposes. If permission has been granted to share the story, it will
usually be indicated in some way. If you seek permission to use a story, make sure that you learn about
the permission you have obtained (i.e., Do you have permission to share it only within a certain context?
Do you have permission to teach it to others?) and share it when you retell the story.

•Research the context of the story and share this with each retelling: If permission has been given to
use the story or you have gained permission to retell the story, make sure that you share this information
with each retelling. This models respectful protocols for sharing stories and it educates your listeners about
the story you share. This also means that the owner(s) of the story are acknowledged in your retelling.

•Maintain the integrity of the story: Indigenous stories have usually been translated from an Indigenous
language, this means that when we tell them in English, their meaning has shifted with the translation. If you
are retelling a story, it is important to ensure that you include all the key points of the story, so that the story
is not lost in your retelling.