We Are Still Here

Sorrel's (2021) We Are Still Here introduces a dozen topics that have impacted the lives of Indigenous peoples, noting that "while some of these topics have specific time frames, many are ongoing and all of them still affect Native citizens and Native Nations today" (p. 32). There are a number of topics presented in We Are Still Here that are relevant to the Indian Boarding School program in the United States. Assimilation (p. 6–7), Indian Child Welfare & Education (p. 20–21), and Language Revival (p. 26–27), as well as the sections on Self Determination (p. 18– 19) and Sovereign Resurgence (p. 28–29) struck me as particularly applicable.

The illustration for the assimilation section shows a boarding school classroom filled with Indigenous children dressed in drab, grey outfits. The text is cleverly placed on the blackboard and briefly notes ways the government tried to force assimilation. The Indian Child Welfare & Education section talks about the "importance of our Native children staying with family or other tribal citizens" rather than being seized and placed in foster care (p. 20–21). Language Revival shows much more comfortable and colorful classroom, this time with the Cherokee alphabet on the board and a teacher who I assume to be Cherokee, herself, teaching a diverse-looking classroom. All three of these sections are useful in discussing the devastation caused by the Indian Boarding School program and the effects it has had through generations of families. It also shows incremental steps towards reconciliation—we've moved from "[punishing children] for speaking [their] own languages" (Sorrel, 2021, p. 6) to "[encouraging the] teaching Native languages in schools" (Sorrel, 2021, p. 26).

We still have a long way to go in our reconciliation process, however. Borrow (2008) notes that the seventh generation of children since the creation of the Canadian Indian Act [check years on similar American programs] is coming of age. This is significant because of the "belief held by many Indigenous peoples that the actions and decisions made today will impact the generations to come" (Moran & Bussey, 2007, as cited by Nutton & Fast, 2015, p. 839), thus, "traditionally, no decision was made until it was understood how it would affect the next seven generations" (The Healing of the Seven Generations, n.d., para. 2). The effects of these inhumane acts have torn through seven generations and it will take the next seven generations to heal. Borrow (2008) believes that "the best way" to loosen the grip of the negative impact of these painful policies "is to focus on change and healing, directed towards goodness" (p. 6).

Sorrel's sections on Self Determination and Sovereign Resurgence show some of the steps being taken toward reconciliation, healing, and goodness. The illustration for the topic of Self Determination shows a group of hikers making their way up a mountainside, a powerful image of progress accompanying the text stating efforts to take "more control of our own lives" (Sorrel, 2021, p. 18). The section on Sovereign Resurgence shows Indigenous people marching from the background to the foreground, strongly reinforcing the titular refrain repeated in each section of the book, "We are still here!" (Sorrel, 2021, p. 28–29). Sorrel (2021) lists ways Native Nations can "work together to shape federal and state policies that affect our citizens" (p. 29) to ensure they will have a positive impact on the next seven generations.

While the text itself is rather vague, further information on each topic is offered at the end of We Are Still Here (2021); the timeline being particularly useful. Overall, the text offers a very rudimentary introduction to the issues and policies affecting Indigenous peoples; however, I believe it is a useful place to begin researching any one of the given topics addressed. There are many topics that students (and educators!) may not have been aware of previously. Pages 30– 31 show an Indigenous Peoples Day fair, with various students having set up presentations on each of the topics presented in the book. This would be a beneficial activity for a classroom to execute after reading this book, having the students select a topic to research further and create a presentation to share what they've learned with others.

Works Cited:

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

Nutton, J., & Fast, E. (2015). Historical Trauma, Substance Use, and Indigenous Peoples: Seven Generations of Harm From a “Big Event.” Substance Use & Misuse, 50(7), 839–847. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826084.2015.1018755

The Healing of the Seven Generations: History. (2018, January 18). The Healing of the Seven Generations. https://healingofthesevengenerations.ca/about/history/