Terminology

Residential Schools, as they're known in Canada, share much of their history with their American counterparts, Indian Boarding Schools. Both systems sought to "kill the Indian, save the [child]," both systems forcibly removed children from their homes, both systems abused and neglected the children in their care, both systems lasted for generations. The mistakes of both systems were quietly swept under the rug.

However, Canada's Peace and Reconciliation Commission (Canada, 2007) has helped bring the history of residential schools to light, in part by encouraging the collection and distribution of residential school survivors. Thus, "the publishing of Indigenous author's picture books has grown over the past decade" (Peterson & Robinson, 2020, p. 2), including picturebooks aimed at introducing this tender topic to young children. The United States has made no such effort yet, which is a big reason many of the texts in this text set were published in Canada. My hope is that with the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative (Secretary Haaland, 2021), the American picturebook market will see a similar increase in stories about boarding schools. Until then, I hope to help promote stories that have already been shared, from whichever side of the border they originate. As Eric Gansworth (2020) illustrated in Apple: Skin to the Core, the border between Canada and the United States is not one Indigenous communities necessarily subscribe to; they make "those distinctions" only when "forced to" (p. 287). They were here long before colonizers drew a line in the dirt.

Depending on where a book was published I may refer to residential schools; other times I will refer to boarding schools. They are, essentially, the same thing. A similar thing can be said of reserves, as they're called in Canada, and reservations, as they're called in the United States. They are, essentially, the same thing but you likely grew up calling them one or the other, depending on which side of the 39th parallel you call home.

In addition to the borders colonizers delineated, the word "Indian is a creation of the European imagination," something "legally inscribed" upon Indigenous peoples "by the federal government" (Borrows, 2008, p. 10), and certainly not a term they chose for themselves. Though Indigenous people were once referred to as Indians in Canada, by the time I was growing up, the term had mostly been abandoned in favour of terms like First Nations, Aboriginal people, or Indigenous Peoples. In fact, calling Indigenous people "Indians" was considered so anathema in the areas I grew up that it's still difficult for me when I hear Americans using terms like American Indians to describe Native Americans or Indigenous Americans, even though some American Indians have expressed preference for that term. It seems like none of these terms is truly preferred.

LeFebvre & Elliot (2017) explain "recent identifiers such as 'Native American,' 'Aboriginal,' and 'Indigenous' are deceptively vague, attempting to contain all of the complexities and differences of each individual tribe under one umbrella term," in an attempt by colonizers to define and control the identity of Indigenous peoples (para. 3). "Before first contact on Turtle Island," say LeFebvre & Elliot (2017), "we Native peoples were simply ourselves" (para. 1) and ask that colonizers, therefore, permit them to "define ourselves" (para. 17). Charron (2019) agrees that "it’s important to remember that Indigenous Nations, communities, organizations, and people are distinct, and to remain sensitive to the respective name, spelling, and identity of each." The National Museum of the American Indians (n.d.) concurs, stating that "whenever possible, Native people prefer to be called by their specific tribal name." Debbie Reese, founder of American Indians in Children's Literature, an excellent resource for Indigenous literature, asks, "American Indian? Or, Native American? Or, Indigenous?! You will find Native scholars using the three terms. It is best to be tribally specific. Example: Instead of 'Debbie Reese, a Native American,' say 'Debbie Reese, a Nambe Pueblo Indian woman.'"

Difficulty arises, however, when attempting to discuss collective experiences, such as those had at residential schools. Children from many different backgrounds were taken away to residential schools; they all experienced similar traumas. How do we talk about these experiences collectively? Charron (2019) notes that "the term 'Indigenous' is increasingly replacing" other terms and is "recognized internationally" (para. 9). Therefore, when I have required the use of collective term, I have most often used "Indigenous." In other instances, I have done my best to refer to specific tribal names when referring to individual authors, illustrators, and characters. Likewise, when an author has used a collective term in their writing, I have honoured that choice and use the same term in my own writing.

In Sharice's Big Voice, the terms Native American and First Nations are both used, showing the preferences of the Native American (American Indigenous) author and the First Nations (Canadian Indigenous) illustrator. Following their example, I’ve adopted a bit of an eclectic approach myself.

Works Cited:

Borrows, J. (2008). Seven generations, seven teachings: Ending the Indian Act. National Centre for First Nations Governance, 1–34.

Canada, G. of C. I. and N. A. (2015, December 14). Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada [Administrative page]. https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1450124405592/1529106060525

Charron, M.-C. (2019, March 6). No perfect answer: Is it First Nations, Aboriginal or Indigenous?. NATIONAL. https://www.national.ca/en/perspectives/detail/no-perfect-answer-first-nations-aboriginal-indigenous/

Gansworth, E. (2020). Apple: Skin to the core. Levine Querido.

LeFebvre, M., & Elliott, A. (2017, October 4). We Didn’t Choose To Be Called Indigenous. The Walrus. https://thewalrus.ca/we-didnt-choose-to-be-called-indigenous/

National Museum of the American Indian | Smithsonian. (n.d.). Native Knowledge 360° | Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved August 4, 2021, from https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/faq/did-you-know

Reese, D., & Mendoza, J. (n.d.). American Indians in Children’s Literature. https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/

Secretary Haaland Announces Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. (2021, June 22). [Press Release]. https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-haaland-announces-federal-indian-boarding-school-initiative