From Powells.com
A selection of pivotal works by Indigenous authors.
Synopses & Reviews
Unpacks the twenty-one most common myths and misconceptions about Native Americans
In this enlightening book, scholars and activists Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker tackle a wide range of myths about Native American culture and history that have misinformed generations. Tracing how these ideas evolved, and drawing from history, the authors disrupt long-held and enduring myths such as:
"Columbus Discovered America"
"Thanksgiving Proves the Indians Welcomed Pilgrims"
"Indians Were Savage and Warlike"
"Europeans Brought Civilization to Backward Indians"
"The United States Did Not Have a Policy of Genocide"
"Sports Mascots Honor Native Americans"
"Most Indians Are on Government Welfare"
"Indian Casinos Make Them All Rich"
"Indians Are Naturally Predisposed to Alcohol"
Each chapter deftly shows how these myths are rooted in the fears and prejudice of European settlers and in the larger political agendas of a settler state aimed at acquiring Indigenous land and tied to narratives of erasure and disappearance. Accessibly written and revelatory, "All the Real Indians Died Off" challenges readers to rethink what they have been taught about Native Americans and history.
Review
"The authors demonstrate that such myths are based in settlers' societal needs to justify the past and present treatment of Native peoples, including the taking of their lands. Everyone can learn from this excellent, accessible text." Choice
Review
"Dunbar-Ortiz and Gilio-Whitaker admirably aim to explode popular, damaging, and inherently limiting myths about Native Americans... Refutations of 21 common assumptions are bolstered by views from academic experts and members of Native American nations, and the book's overarching theme encourages modern readers to abandon the monolithic portrayals so common in popular culture." Publishers Weekly
Review
"This book will be a wake-up call to those who are confident that they understand the Native American experience. Dunbar-Ortiz (An Indigenous People's History of the United States) and journalist Gilio-Whitaker (Indian Country Today Media Network) present a no-holds barred, confrontational discussion of historical misrepresentations, cultural misunderstandings, and racial myths faced by today's Native Americans." Library Journal
About the Author
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz grew up in rural Oklahoma, the daughter of a tenant farmer and part-Indian mother, and has been active in the international Indigenous movement for more than four decades. She is the author or editor of eight other books, including An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, which was a recipient of the 2015 American Book Award. Dunbar-Ortiz lives in San Francisco.
Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Confederated Tribes) is an award-winning journalist and columnist at Indian Country Today Media Network. A writer and researcher in Indigenous studies, she is currently a research associate and associate scholar at the Center for World Indigenous Studies. She lives in San Clemente, CA.
Dina Gilio-Whitaker on PowellsBooks.Blog

For many years now I have been studying, writing, and thinking about what environmental justice means for Indigenous peoples. In my most recent book,
As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice From Colonization to Standing Rock, I take on the topic in very broad but specific ways. I see United States settler colonialism as a history of environmental injustice...
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