ABSTRACT
The past of the Native peoples of the USA might seem to an outside observer an obvious and necessary part of historical studies in US schools. That this topic has not traditionally been a part of the curriculum therefore comes as a surprise. The general lack of knowledge of the Native past in the USA is a matter of concern to those of both Native and non-Native ancestry who see in it a mirror of racism in American society. Since the civil rights movement of the 1960s and early 1970s increasing efforts have been made to correct the situation.
