A review by adamsw216
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
I recently and somewhat randomly had a realization that I knew next to nothing about contemporary Native American/Indian culture. In fact, I knew little about Native American/Indian history in general. My education in the Illinois public school system only tentatively touched upon the topic, and I remember very little about it. I did not read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee in school, and most of my knowledge of Native American/Indian culture came from the media (movies, television, news, etc). I decided that I wanted to know more and found this book. Wanting to have a better understanding of the accepted popular narrative so far, I finally read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee as a preface to reading this book.
David Treuer (Ojibwe) presents this book as both a history and a response to the "popular narrative" of Native American/Indian history, past and present. As one might expect, and despite being often treated as such, Native Americans/Indians are not monolithic. They are comprised of many people, from many tribes, from all walks of life. And though the story of the Native American/Indian is filled with tragedy, their story is often told as though their history and culture ended in the late 1800s--a sad footnote in the chapters of low-points in American history. Yet, they live on, they are here, growing, adapting, working for a better tomorrow--not just for themselves, but for the country as a whole.
In this book, Treuer gives us a glimpse into not only the political, economic, and social hurdles, but also the internal conflicts of identity that Native Americans/Indians struggle with. In many ways, I found the book to be enlightening. The early parts of the book are a re-telling of some important historical events which are also covered in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I felt like some of these elements were too long and felt like the point was either made early enough to make these passages laborious, or they were long enough that the passages became meandering. This also applies to some of the later stories of Native Americans/Indians that Treuer spent time with. It was fascinating to connect his thoughts with how actual people are living their lives, but sometimes it felt like the point was getting away. I also felt like some of his conjecture/analysis on how the people he was spending time with were feeling or why they were acting in one way or another was a little unnecessary (for example, he might say, "I think he might be saying this because..." or "Maybe the reason he does this is..."). Whether he was right or wrong, it felt sort of out of place.
Ultimately, I believe that more Americans need to broaden their understanding of contemporary Native American/Indian history. Not necessarily out of any particular guilt or anything, but because they are a part of this country, and we are all in this struggle together--the struggle to build a better society and a better future. Trying to understand one another a little more is surely a step in the right direction.
I recently and somewhat randomly had a realization that I knew next to nothing about contemporary Native American/Indian culture. In fact, I knew little about Native American/Indian history in general. My education in the Illinois public school system only tentatively touched upon the topic, and I remember very little about it. I did not read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee in school, and most of my knowledge of Native American/Indian culture came from the media (movies, television, news, etc). I decided that I wanted to know more and found this book. Wanting to have a better understanding of the accepted popular narrative so far, I finally read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee as a preface to reading this book.
David Treuer (Ojibwe) presents this book as both a history and a response to the "popular narrative" of Native American/Indian history, past and present. As one might expect, and despite being often treated as such, Native Americans/Indians are not monolithic. They are comprised of many people, from many tribes, from all walks of life. And though the story of the Native American/Indian is filled with tragedy, their story is often told as though their history and culture ended in the late 1800s--a sad footnote in the chapters of low-points in American history. Yet, they live on, they are here, growing, adapting, working for a better tomorrow--not just for themselves, but for the country as a whole.
In this book, Treuer gives us a glimpse into not only the political, economic, and social hurdles, but also the internal conflicts of identity that Native Americans/Indians struggle with. In many ways, I found the book to be enlightening. The early parts of the book are a re-telling of some important historical events which are also covered in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I felt like some of these elements were too long and felt like the point was either made early enough to make these passages laborious, or they were long enough that the passages became meandering. This also applies to some of the later stories of Native Americans/Indians that Treuer spent time with. It was fascinating to connect his thoughts with how actual people are living their lives, but sometimes it felt like the point was getting away. I also felt like some of his conjecture/analysis on how the people he was spending time with were feeling or why they were acting in one way or another was a little unnecessary (for example, he might say, "I think he might be saying this because..." or "Maybe the reason he does this is..."). Whether he was right or wrong, it felt sort of out of place.
Ultimately, I believe that more Americans need to broaden their understanding of contemporary Native American/Indian history. Not necessarily out of any particular guilt or anything, but because they are a part of this country, and we are all in this struggle together--the struggle to build a better society and a better future. Trying to understand one another a little more is surely a step in the right direction.