ABSTRACT
This chapter documents a high school Native youth group’s organizing around issues of cultural appropriation, including a critical literacy activity in which students write a collaborative letter to Spirit Halloween store condemning their sale of Indian costumes. This story then follows one student as she attempts to bring her new knowledge on this topic to her classroom, only to be shut down by her teacher, Sharon, who doesn’t understand “what the big deal is.” While drawing attention to essential knowledge for teachers, this chapter also highlights how even Indigenous educators versed in Indigenous studies may also miss moments in the process of teaching and learning. By describing an educational moment that I missed when I didn’t recognize a Native student’s negative experiences with my own curriculum, this survivance story illuminates the pervasiveness of colonial discourses and how they can even distort understanding between Indigenous peoples, particularly around issues of identity and authenticity. Because students have keen insights into their own experiences, this survivance story suggests teachers should provide avenues for students to give them feedback. Further, this story proposes caring and ongoing relationships with students as a form of accountability for the inevitable moments we miss as teachers.
