Indians Are Us?: Culture and Genocide in Native North America [Hardcover]

Ward Churchill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1993

the commercialization of American Indian cultures

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Churchill returns to cultural criticism for this fiery follow-up to his Fantasies of the Master Race. Once again he sets out to expose those who would appropriate Native culture and turn it into a commodity to be bought and sold. He reviews motion pictures (demonstrating the historical inaccuracies and perpetuation of stereotypes in Black Robe ) and books (calling In the Absence of the Sacred by Jerry Mander an example of "intellectual appropriation" by a supposedly sympathetic author). He turns an essay on Jack Weatherford's book, Indian Givers , into an exploration of plagiarism and publishers' penchant for books about Indians by non-Natives while works by Natives themselves go begging. Other pieces deal with the issue of products and sports teams with Indian names and the impact of government definitions of who is Indian on Native artist Jimmie Durham. The final piece examines how language oppresses and how it might be used for liberation. Churchill's controversial style and work have brought him into conflict with both Natives and non-Natives. Readers will, however, respect his passion and consistency. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 382 pages
• Publisher: Common Courage Pr (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567510213
• ISBN-13: 978-1567510218
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,309,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It should be the 1st source book on Native American studies., December 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Indians Are Us?: Culture and Genocide in Native North America (Hardcover)

I bought the book, read it, and really loved it. There are a few high-lights. First, its style is very informal and informative -- not stuffy like a typical academic book. This is a complement not a criticism. Second, the content is very very broad, covers some very important aspects of Native American feelings and emotions. Especially, after reading this book, the so-called Columbus day never seemed the same again.

It also provides an interesting comparison of the abused Native American "logos" of various sports groups and the Jewish-caricatures that decorated several walls and newspapers earlier this century. You will never look at "Red Skins" "Cleveland Indians" "Chief Wahoo", "Tomahak Chop" etc., in the same light. They are genuine signs of sickness in the society -- sickness which implores one to make fun of another society in order to generate humor.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Native American genocide, April 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Indians Are Us?: Culture and Genocide in Native North America (Paperback)

Every white person needs to read this book. A real eye opener for us white people raised in the USA and educated in the public system where they blatantly disregard and brush over topics about Native Americans. We owe it to ourselves and the indigenous nations to attempt to understand these perspectives.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that tells the truth., April 27, 2001

By 

Bob Berkowitz (Miami, Fl) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indians Are Us?: Culture and Genocide in Native North America (Paperback)

Finally! A book that tells the truth of how it was like to a Native American in a racist and bigoted Amerika. This book tells us about what Native Americans went through, how they lived, and how they were dealt with by a country that didn't want them. This is a tell-all book that pulls no punches. It is not for the faint of heart or flag-waving fools that never question Amerika's history. A real eye-opener. Highly Recommended.