Boozhoo,
Though initially excited at reading about the prospect of Eden Prairie sharing more of its Indigenous ancestors’ history, by the end of the recently published story, “Eden Prairie seeks to document its untold Indigenous history,” I was left disappointed.
The story reads, “Among the challenges […] is incorporating the Indigenous perspective into their final product.” The authors will “explore the possibility of working with an Indigenous cultural expert,” but they cite potential “busyness” and lack of time from Indigenous relatives as barriers.
Of course, in a repeat of many, many years of history, these barriers are not enough to stop the admittedly non-Indigenous writers from proceeding in their quest to tell the story of Indigenous peoples. The support of the Eden Prairie City Council, the Historical Society, and, of course, the authors themselves (who stand to profit from this work) seem to be enough to push this project through. Perhaps the Native American History and Outreach subcommittee mentioned in the article includes Indigenous voices, but this is not clear from the story itself.
Furthermore, the idea that this history should be put into written words also needs to be considered. Traditionally, many (though not all) Indigenous peoples have passed their history to future generations orally. Are Mother Earth and Father Sky cool with more trees being harvested to tell these stories? The notion that this ought to be written down for consumption by a wider audience needs to also be led and directed by Indigenous voices.
The authors should not assume that silence or difficulty reaching Indigenous neighbors for comment means a green light for this project. Too often throughout history, Native American stories have been recorded and told without the input of the people themselves.
To push this book onward simply based on the authors’ and others’ (again, not clear if these include Indigenous relatives or not) interests is irresponsible. To move forward without Indigenous-led consent and narratives, simply because it is inconvenient or difficult to gather Indigenous perspectives and input, is misinformed and historically ignorant.
I hope the authors consider these facts before proceeding.
Miigwech,
Nik Sell, Eden Prairie
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