Imagine a towering totem pole, a symbol of a country’s strength and history. As you go down the pole, each figure, colored in vibrant colors and built out of red cedar, represents a different group, idea or chapter in the nation’s story—some at higher, others lower, with each playing its part in the broader monument. Yet, at the base of the totem pole, there is a figure that is largely overlooked. The figure is overshadowed by those above, representing a community whose history has been buried and whose influence has been minimized and erased.
This is the life of Native Americans—more specifically, how they are portrayed in high school history books.
Since the invasion of Europeans on Native soil, the lives of Native Americans have continued to be systematically suppressed. This sentiment extends beyond physical actions and to the way they are portrayed in modern education—often neglected and largely erased.
My school, American High School, has been one of many to continue this cycle.
Our U.S. history book allocates eight pages out of 500 to discuss Native Americans’ influence on America; the AP U.S. History textbook only devotes around 10 out of 867 pages. Even these few pages are often filled with the various genocides and atrocities committed against natives, leaving many Native American influences and efforts forgotten.
However the issue goes beyond mere ignorance. The way Native Americans are framed teaches students a dangerous belief: the mindset that the past is the past and it doesn’t reoccur in the present or future.
History is taught to us in a way that makes these events seem like they never would happen again. When you think of slavery, you think of the unjust practice held in the 1700 and 1800’s, however, slavery is still prevalent and increasing around the world. The same sentiment is carried to Native Americans, where native land, sacred and historical, is still forcefully destroyed and taken from them and their long-lasting culture and heritage is stripped due to assimilation policies.
To this day, they still face the highest poverty rates due to limited economic opportunities, lack of resources and historical disenfranchisement.
Despite their minority in the U.S., Native Americans play a pivotal role in U.S. history: they significantly influenced the implementation of checks and balances in the Constitution, they have contributed to many world wars on behalf of the U.S and created various medicinal advancements that have saved millions of lives.
The purpose in learning history is to gain a deeper understanding of the present by analyzing past events and understanding to never make those decisions again. Yet, as a society, we have failed to internalize this lesson.
In a world where you have to fight to be acknowledged, Native Americans continue to stay at the bottom of the totem pole, stemming from the way they are written, talked about and remembered. Until we acknowledge their contributions and suffering, Native Americans will continue to stay ignored and invisible.
Shiv Gurjar
American High School, Fremont
