The “one-sided” version of Thanksgiving often taught in public schools has long frustrated Native Americans, especially since it comes during National Native American Heritage Month.
A report last year from the National Congress of American Indians noted 27 states don’t even mention Native Americans in their K-through-12 curriculum. However, a majority of states surveyed said they’re trying to improve their lessons.
Leslie Crow, lead teacher at Okreek School in the Todd County School District on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, sees positive movement in South Dakota, but she worries many students aren’t getting the whole story.
“All students need to understand. That way, you know, non-Natives can also appreciate our culture and would also be more empathetic to our culture and the way of life that was taken from us.”
Crow, who also is a member of the South Dakota Education Association, thinks if administrators encouraged more teachers to embrace the curriculum, their students might have greater appreciation for the contributions of Native Americans.
“There comes a lot of good things that our people know and have, you know – like, our way of life is really sacred. There’s a lot of all these good things that really help our people to survive.”
Crow says she attended public schools and didn’t learn much about her people’s history until she transitioned to a tribal school.
In 2007, South Dakota passed a law requiring the development of content on the history behind the region’s tribes.
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