April 27, 2009

Teaching the two holocausts

Librarian likens Holocaust, treatment of IndiansA librarian at Ft. Washakie School is developing a curriculum that she says shows similarities between the Nazi Holocaust that killed millions of Jews others and the U.S. government's treatment of American Indians.

Robin Levin is completing the curriculum at the school on the Wind River Indian Reservation. She is a member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's teaching fellows program.

"A lot of our young people struggle in defining their futures," Levin said. "My theory is that if you don't have a firm grip on you cultural past, you won't have a firm grip on you cultural future."

Levin is comparing the Holocaust with the U.S. government's policy of placing Indian students in boarding schools. Students at such schools were forbidden from speaking their native languages and forced to give up their traditions.

Levin, who is Jewish, said it's important to share the story of both tragedies with American Indian students.

Gene Meier, superintendent of Ft. Washakie School, said he believes there's no doubt that boarding school movement shares similarities to the Holocaust.

"It may not have been as quick, it many not have been as in your face," Meier said, "but truly, there has been an agenda in the history of the U.S. to eradicate Native Americans."

Meier said teaching American Indian students about the Holocaust allows them to consider the issues of social injustice, protection of tribal sovereignty and how to be better human beings.

"That's where I see the connection between the Holocaust and Indians," he said.
Comment:  Why limit the connection to the boarding-school movement? Euro-Americans tried many different times and ways to eradicate Indians.

Levin may want to explore how Hitler learned about genocide from reading the Bible, US history books, and Karl May's Westerns. As well as other sources, of course.

After that she could get into the similarities between Bush's immoral invasion of Iraq and the Europeans' immoral invasion of America. Wouldn't that be controversial? <g>

Actually, I suspect Levin's curriculum will be too "radical" for the conservative people of Wyoming and their cowboy mentality. We'll see if it ever gets off the ground.

For more on the subject, see Churchill:  Manifest Destiny = Holocaust and Holocaust on Display (Or Not).

6 comments:

Stephen said...

"Levin may want to explore how Hitler learned about genocide from reading the Bible, US history books, and Karl May's Westerns."

You left out the Armenian genocide (which influenced him more than the Indian genocide). Not to mention the fact that he was also influenced by Islam (something you obviously know nothing about since you posted revisionist and stomach churning links about it and praised it).

http://pedestrianinfidel.blogspot.com/2007/11/adolf-hitler-on-islam.html

http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_mandate_grand_mufti.php

Becky said...

I learned by reading "Cannibalism, Headhunting and Human Sacrifice in North America: A History Forgotten" written by George Feldman that the Indians were pretty barbaric themselves. I am sure neither party was perfect.

Stephen said...

Sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me; the first step to genocide is dehumanizing the targetted people and cannibalism is the oldest trick in the book.

Stephen said...

And while there were SOME (not all) tribes who did do some horrific things, it's not exactly as if those 'practices' are unique to them, you'll find savagery in every culture or race. The Celts practiced head hunting and druidic child sacrifice (although I don't know if Brythonic people did things like that it could have just been a Gaelic practice). Muslims have committed genocide, and we all know what the English did to Indians, if that isn't savagery then what is?

Becky said...

Your probably right. I just thought it was an interesting book is all. Something that I wasn't ever aware of.

Stephen said...

Also I forget to mention this:

"After that she could get into the similarities between Bush's immoral invasion of Iraq and the Europeans' immoral invasion of America. Wouldn't that be controversial?"

That's comparing apples to oranges, the invasion of Iraq was an extremely bad idea but it's not genocide, the soldiers and Iraqi police are not shooting civilians routinely over there and Europeans are not immigrating over there.

"Actually, I suspect Levin's curriculum will be too "radical" for the conservative people of Wyoming and their cowboy mentality."

Congrats of ignorantly bashing and stereotyping the people of an entire state, you must be so proud.

"Your probably right. I just thought it was an interesting book is all. Something that I wasn't ever aware of."

Thanks for mentioning it, I think I'll check it out just for the helluv it.