Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to sit down with veteran Fieldston history teacher Karen Drohan to delve into American Indian and Alaska Heritage Month, also known as Native American Heritage month. A time to celebrate and honor the sacrifices and accomplishments of the Native American people.
Sarah Gallen: What are things Americans can do to honor the month? Are there foods we can eat, or songs that we can listen to?
Ms. Drohan: “I would actually recommend going a little more in-depth than foods and songs. One of the things that tends to happen with marginalized groups is we think about the fun part of it without really thinking about the history. The National Museum of the American Indian, there is a branch right here in New York. Go see that. There is an American Indian gallery at the MET. Go look at the history and think about not just the negative history but the beautiful history. There is extraordinary artwork and culture that you can see that really celebrates Native Americans celebrating their own artwork. In Connecticut, the Pequot museum as well. So there are some really wonderful places to go and see and to really think deeply about the holiday.”
Sarah Gallen: What should we know about the Native Americans who used to live around this area?
Ms. Drohan: “We should at the very least know who they are, and they are the Lenape. They are regionally a part of the Eastern Woodlands. One of the things that we forget about Native Americans is how diverse they are. So when we talk about Native American history and culture, we make it a single thing. But there are 574 recognized Native American tribes right now. Those are 574 different histories and different people. Understanding that the culture and the history and the experiences of the Eastern Woodlands are not the same as the culture and history of the Indians of the Southwest. It is a very diverse history and one that can be separated in many different ways…We should also know that Native Americans still exist. They are still here. We tend to place Native Americans in history, but Native American communities are still vibrant and exciting places to be.”
Sarah Gallen: What are some good books, movies, podcasts or social influencers that people in the Fieldston community can watch and read to educate themselves?
Ms. Drohan: “Instead of movies, I would suggest two television shows. On Hulu, the show Reservation Dogs. It is a television series set in Oklahoma. It has two seasons, and it is entirely written by and produced by Native Americans. The cast is largely Native American, and it tells the story of four young Native American teenagers living on reservation and their experiences. The second season just came out, and I would argue that Reservation Dogs is the best show on television right now. It is exceptionally well written, and the storytelling is extraordinary. The reality is these are people your age. They are telling stories of you but not you. Also, there is a series called Rutherford Falls…It tells the story of a community that is almost split half and half between Native American actors and characters and white actors and characters, and about how the two groups interact with one another. Also, it is really insightful about what modern-day America is.”
Sarah Gallen: With Thanksgiving right around the corner, some people believe that the holiday should no longer be celebrated for reasons including it is a harmful reminder of how the land was stolen from colonization and how many people were killed. What are your thoughts on this?
Ms. Drohan: “Thanksgiving is very complicated. I personally celebrate the holiday with my family, and I enjoy that experience. But there has to be an understanding of what the holiday represents. In San Francisco, the island of Alcatraz, which used to be a prison, was taken over in November of 1969 by a group of Native Americans that called themselves the Indians of all tribes. It happened to be right around Thanksgiving when they took over the island. They occupied the island for nineteen months, which was the longest occupation of American soil by a foreign government ever. In memory of this event, every year, Native Americans gather at Alcatraz and have an Unthanksgiving. There is a real recognition and a real history of what happened. Being aware of the concept of an Unthanksgiving is really important.”
Sarah Gallen: ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act), passed in 1978, is a federal law that gave special protection to keep children of Indian families together because many Indian children were being removed by public and private agencies and placed in non-Indian foster or adoption families. The Supreme Court will decide on November 9th whether to uphold ICWA or strike it down. What are your thoughts on this?
Ms. Drohan: “Removing Indian children from their families is something the United States government has done for a very long time as an attempt to diminish Native American tribes. If you take Indian children away from the tribe and have them raised in White families, they lose their heritage, but the tribe also loses members. The US government has the authority to terminate the recognition of Native American tribes. Taking away children takes away membership, and you also eliminate that child’s cultural heritage. I am in support of the Indian Child Welfare Act, and I hope that the Supreme Court upholds it. I think it is extremely important to honor the cultural heritage of every individual. And while that does not mean that White families cannot raise Native American children to know about their histories, it also does not guarantee that they will. It is important for children to know their heritage, particularly Native American children who have suffered this kind of separation in the past…Native American children were also forced off reservations into White schools that were residential schools. They were forced to cut their hair, not speak their language, not practice their religion and not practice any sort of cultural activities like basket weaving and leatherwork. It is a form of cultural genocide.”
