The American educational system has been accused of many sins over the years. One sad misrepresentation takes place during the teaching (in eighth grade in New York State and in similar grades in other states) about American’s indigenous peoples. Teachers and textbooks still place a great emphasis on the nineteenth-century history of Indians. The result has been twofold: an admiration for the Native of the past, not the present; and a desire for beautiful artifacts from that past, such as Plains Indian regalia.

Hollywood, and now television, has amplified that misplaced admiration. That’s why everyone has seen Dancing with Wolves over and over, while quieter but more realistic classics like Smoke Signals or Powwow Highway are overlooked. One huge irony I find whenever visiting Indian Country is that there’s always a western playing on local television, and the Indians are usually Navajos dressed up to look like Comanches.