‘Oceti Sakowin’ cut from South Dakota curriculum

RAPID CITY—Across the country conservative groups are working to eliminate or gloss over the darker aspects of American history from education textbooks. That movement has now made itself felt in South Dakota with the recent editing by the South Dakota Department of Education (DOE) of critically important references to the Oceti Sakowin from social studies curriculum. Many are laying the blame right on Governor Kristi Noem’s doorstep.

The DOE claims that the changes were made for simplification and clarity, but a statement reported in the Mitchell Daily Republic belies that assertion. It concerns two conservatives that left the working group retooling the social studies curriculum, for reasons not given, but one of them, spoke to a disturbing mentality growing in the minds of many Americans: “Richard Meyer, a retired dentist from Rapid City, told the Argus Leader that he had faith in Noem’s call for a ‘quality education system that focuses on what makes America special.’” 

Back in 1922, HL Mencken warned that the education system was not serving a noble function, that it was, in fact, a tool to indoctrinate minds: “The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all; it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality.”

Is it the mission of a healthy education system to teach the factual history of the nation, or to indoctrinate the minds of children that America is special by editing all the aspects of history that would lead them to think it is anything but special?

The history of the conflict between the United States and Indian tribes is a dark and disturbing one. It is difficult to see how that history can be accurately told if the overarching intent is to convince children America is special. An accurate understanding of the existence and identity of the state’s Indian tribes would seem to be a positive and healthy mission for any education system. 

According to the Dakota Free Press: “SDEA president Loren Paul called the removal of Native American references ‘concerning’…”

The South Dakota Education Association describes themselves on their website as “a professional organization working hard for educators, so they can continue to work hard for our kids” It is the closest thing South Dakota has to a teacher’s union. 

Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Rodney Bordeaux said: “All South Dakota citizens need to be taught what’s going on in the state and throughout the country. You shouldn’t gloss over it — I think our citizens deserve better. They need to know the true history, so they know what they’re dealing with.”

“Oceti Sakowin” is the term the most targeted by the curriculum changes. This is the name of the tribe of Indians generally referred to as Sioux. It stands for the seven council fires. The term is considered important by tribes because it establishes the bedrock identity of a people much misrepresented in history books, literature, television and movies. It is the first step of a journey into the more detailed aspects that would help Americans better understand the actual history of tribal people and who they are at present.

Back in 2017, Penn State Altoona Professor Sarah Shear examined the academic standards in all 50 states. She said that students “were coming to college thinking all Indians were dead.” Shear discovered that 87 percent of the references to Native Americans portrayed them as a population that existed only prior to 1900. She said there was no reference to any current issues impacting Indian Country. Only one state, Washington, mentioned the word “genocide,” and according to Shear most textbooks characterized the conflict as being handled “nicely’ by the federal government.

A Critical Race Theory examination of the problem by Gary Padgett of South Florida University determined: “The focus on assimilation and colonization, rather than race, allows for the portrayal of American Indians to be analyzed within the political realities of American Indian identity rather than race-based concepts developed by colonial leaders.” 

The recent criticism of Critical Race Theory is another aspect of removing any determinations or methods that call the overall goodness of America into question, that look at actual history in anything but glowing indoctrinating perspectives.

Some of the specific changes to the South Dakota curriculum were:

Kindergarten

Original: Read or listen to Oceti Sakowin Oyate stories, such as Iktomi stories and historical lore stories.

Change: Understand that there are different people and cultural groups that make up South Dakota communities.

First Grade

Original: Discuss the Oceti Sakowin Oyate creation story including correct chronological order of story.

Change: Identify celebrations and traditions various cultural group bring to South Dakota communities

Second Grade

Original: Discuss the culture of the Oceti Sakowin Oyate before European interactions.

Change: Investigate and discuss the community’s cultures and history.

In all of these changes, what is missing, are not only references to Oceti Sakowin, but all specific references to Indians. They are removed from mention, lumped in with all the other “communities.” Actual tribal history and identity have no place in the changes. 

These changes are not final, and a perfunctory search of the internet reveals dozens of stories by high profile mainstream news services expressing alarm and concern about these prospective alterations to the social studies curriculum. What has been revealed is a nationwide attempt from the conservative Right, to sanitize history for the ostensibly noble purpose of instilling pride in the specialness of America. One of the targets of that sanitizing are the actual history and the detailed cultural information necessary to recognize what happened to Native Americans, that Native Americans still exist, that they have issues and concerns that will have a considerable impact on the present and future course of American events.

(Contact James Giago Davies at skindiesel@msn.com)

The post ‘Oceti Sakowin’ cut from South Dakota curriculum first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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