given the historical context, it isn't surprising at all. I'd guess most anglo americans haven't given it a second first thought, though.

I watched the "little house on the prairie" tv series when I was a young teenager and at the time I had no decent historical grounding and so didn't make the connection. I don't recall any episodes written about the Osage people at all.

I hadn't thought about it for a long time but seeing it on Oyate's list of books to avoid made me curious as to exactly what was going on "behind the scenes"--although apparently there's plenty of explicit defamation in the book itself, which I never have read.

Oh, and thanks for pointing out this site. It is pretty interesting and sounds as though they are doing some good work.

yeah it's definitely not what the history books tell us, or at least not what they told me when I was growing up. whenever I watched "cowboy and Indian" movies I always intuited that the Indians were getting screwed, but it wasn't really until I read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee as a young adult that I began to understand the magnitude of US imperial/colonial misdeeds. and it's just the tip of the iceberg.

anyway I watched the LHotP show with my mom when it was on. it's one of those things about which I am deeply ashamed. :) in fact I'll admit to liking John Denver before I'll mention that I watched this show. I still like John Denver. the show was schlock.

ah! good parents! I never read the book so I didn't get the whole narrative. I've never read Little Women either! now I feel like I should read both of them just to be appalled.

yes it's good you could laugh. sometimes it's the only thing you can do to keep from crying. it's necessary to have a good sense of humor if one is not a straight white bioboy.

reminds me of all the Cleveland Indians caps I saw people wearing in the Navajo Nation. clearly they were making fun of the ridiculous lengths that white folks will go to to justify blatant, public-sponsored racism.