The JKM Library Blog

December 2021

The JKM Library is honoring the cultures and history of Native Americans through a book display. Native American and Indigenous Peoples’ Heritage Month may have already passed (please take a look at our related resources page), but we should continue to reflect on the past, present, and future of these communities and their relationship to of the United States of America: how Indigenous people were colonized, how they were almost decimated, and how they are still oppressed. We recognize that we occupy the unceded, ancestral land of many Indigenous peoples, including the Delaware, the Shawnee, and the Seneca Nation, who were members of the Haudenosaunee (hoe-dee-no-SHOW-nee) Confederacy. As recently as the 1960s, nearly one-third of the Seneca’s tribal lands were taken by the U.S. government to build the Kinzua Dam northeast of the Pittsburgh (for more on land acknowledgments, see this handout). Located in the first floor, the display offers a curated selection of more than 40 books with an interdisciplinary focus, ranging from literature and history to environmental studies. Part of our goal is to make these resources more visible, which often remain hidden in the stacks. In addition, we wanted to center texts by Indigenous voices. In the case of books by non-Native American authors, we have tried to include works that are inclusive in their approach and do not reproduce problematic stereotypes. For instance, we excluded a critically acclaimed book, S.C. Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon, because of its description of the Comanches as “primitive” and “barbarian.” Such language harks back to the racist discourse of past centuries, but the book was published only ten years ago and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. We also did not choose to share most of our Native American art books because they perpetuate the colonialist idea that Indigenous cultures are to be collected by white institutions without any attention to Native American perspectives. It is therefore urgent to share correctives to these narratives, especially from the perspective of institutions like ours, which not only occupy unceded land but also play a role in the formation of collective memory. In addition, the library’s DVD collection does not include any films directed by Native Americans except for Reel Injun, a documentary about the depiction of indigeneity in Hollywood movies, which is part of the display. We hope to be adding more items to our collection that reflect these concerns. We invite everyone to experience the exhibit and check out any books that might interest you. Some books that we would like to highlight because of their importance for Native American history and cultures are: Roxane Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States (history) Two-Spirit People: Native American Gender Identity, Sexuality, and Spirituality (gender and sexuality) Natalie Diaz, When My Brother Was an Aztec (poetry) Cherie Dimaline, The Marrow Thieves (fiction) The Book of Elders: the life Stories of Great American Indians (testimony) Terese Marie Mailhot, Heart Berries (memoir) Native Americans and the Environment: Perspectives on the Ecological Indian (environmental studies) David J. Silverman, This Land is their Land: the Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled history of Thanksgiving (history) Sean Sherman, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen (cooking)
~Khalila Chaar-Pérez (she/they) is Reference Associate at the JKM Library and also works at the People’s Media Record, a grassroots video archive in Philly. She’s a proud trans Puerto Rican committed to cultivating transformative justice, antiracism, and a world without capitalism. She is also an avid hiker, a film nerd, and a trekkie. 

November 2018

This November, the JKM Library launched a crowd sourced digital mapping project called “Whose Land Are You On?” in honor of Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month. We have a couple of goals for this project, which will be ongoing and updated throughout the years. First, we wanted to document where people in the Chatham Community grew up or considered their childhood home so we can see how far we’ve all come from. We then wanted to help the Chatham community educate each other on which indigenous people call/called that land home before being pushed out. We also aim to generate awareness around indigenous culture and the devastating effects of colonialism. Ultimately, we hope to honor those indigenous people and help stop the erasure of their presence from their own land.
So, how does this digital mapping project accomplish all that, and how can you participate?
We are using two digital tools to build our own map: Native Land and Google’s My Maps. Native Land is a project originating out of Canada and run by Victor Temprano as an engaging tool for awareness and advocacy. It is a dynamic project and comes with the caveat that it may contain inaccuracies. Victor acknowledges the maps many flaws in theory and in practice, but its intention is education, and that is how we are using it with this project. My Maps is a great tool from Google that allows us to create our own map with custom data. Anyone can access it and contribute to the map with their data.
To participate, you first look up your home town on the Native Land map. This website will tell you the different Native and indigenous people who lived on that land.
You then will want to go to our My Maps map, look up your home town again, and then drop and edit a pin in that location! We ask that you insert the Native tribal information into your pin so that others visiting the map will be able to see who called that land home before the colonizers. For in-depth instructions and images, please visit our guide at https://library.chatham.edu/whoseland and contribute a pin of your own!
Once you are done adding your pin, you can return to Native Land and take advantage of the informational links they offer on the Native tribes that pop up when you searched your home town. Click on those links and take 10 minutes out of your day to read up on them and their culture. Take that information with you as you head home
for Thanksgiving, and tell your family about the people whose land you are on. Thank them for being the stewards of that land, and talk about what you and your family can do to support them now.
We encourage everyone from any part of the Americas to participate! That includes Canada, Central, and South America. And don’t forget Hawaii! Native Americans are
not just indigenous folks from what we now call the United States. Borders have a habit of tripping us up, but if you are from a part of the world that has been documented by Native Land, please feel free to add it to our map. We will continue to ask the Chatham community to add to and browse this map in years to come. This project has no end date and will continue to be living and dynamic for as long as the tools we picked will allow. Check back in next year or the year after to see how it grows.
 

November 2017

Some may wonder what the Euripides and Indigenous Heritage Month have in common. Others might ask what Chatham’s University Archives, which collects and preserves the history of the university, could have to help to connect the Athenian tragedian and campus-wide Indigenous Heritage events. Well, look no further than the Drama Department records from 1992 when students and faculty member Patricia Montley performed an adaptation of Euripides Trojan Woman set in Central America as Cortes seizes control of the Aztec empire. Publicity Photo, 1992 Chatham Theatre According to Dr. Motley’s program notes, a Euripedes’ The Trojan Woman is one of the most frequently performed of all the classical tragedies, particularly for audiences affected by war and in eras when war is celebrated. The decision to set the play in Central America in 1992, the 500-year anniversary of Columbus’ journey to the “New World,” allowed for reflection on “the foolishness of waging aggressive war and the transience of military might.” Program Cover for 1992 The Trojan Women Production The Trojan Women, Notes from the Adapter/Director, part 1 The Trojan Women, Notes from the Adapter/Director, part 2 It is fair to surmise that Chatham students, a generally politically-minded group, were quite aware of the impact of war, aggression, and gender-based power dynamics at play. The 1992 yearbook for includes four pages of reflection on current affairs, which included the US invasion of Iraq, an attempt to topple Gorbachev, and the appointment of Clarence Thomas to the US Supreme court. Click here and here to see the yearbook feature. Publicity Photo, 1992 Chatham Theatre The production included the performance of musical works by the Native Flute Ensemble and by Brooke Medicine Eagle. It was dedicated to Phyllis Ferguson, Drama Department faculty member from 1943 to 1970. Ms. Ferguson (left) in 1953 with students and Broadway actor Arnold Moss  

October 2011

Throughout the month of November, Chatham will be celebrating Native American History Month, which includes horseback riding and a trip to the Carnegie Museum of Art. At JKM Library we will provide you with intellectual stimulation and cultural and historical appreciation. While living under individual tribal sovereignty, Native Americans have always been very much a part of the wider America culture, in language, food, art, and community. The First Nations people of North America have insisted for centuries to remain respected, dignified, and autonomous in dealings with traders, colonizers, and governments. Sometimes these relations were peaceful and appreciative, other times they were disparaging, ruthless, and bloody. Today the struggles for equal respect still continue. NPR recently reported a series on the how the foster care system adversely affects tribes and Native children, and
Native women are often ignored by the local law enforcement on issues of domestic and sexual violence. However, Native Americans still refuse to be marginalized and continue to fight for their civil rights, to honor their culture and traditions, and have their voices be heard. The beautiful and varied traditions within Native American cultures can be found in our books on the different tribes, literature, and mythology. The darker side of
humanity can also be considered with books that discuss racism, unethical trades, slavery, and land removal. For current issues and practices among the tribes see our databases and for some wonderful images and exhibitions see the Library of Congress webpage. The JKM Library has an expansive collection of Native American materials, browse our catalog or stop by!
~Display and blog post by Donna Guerin, Reference Associate