GRSJ224/indigenouschallenges

This section on indigenous challenges was created to further build upon issues of Colonialism and Neo-Colonialism (wikis created by peers) as they relate to indigenous groups. This wiki will act as an overview of the topic of indigenous challenges, specifically the racism, prejudice, and negative/incorrect/incomplete views of aboriginals; a synthesis of these major issues.

The first work I will reference is "A Necessary Inclusion: Native Literature in Native Studies" by Renate Eigenford. It can be accessed at this link:https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~rnelson/asail/SAIL2/221.pdf. Eigenford's work acts as a foundation for our discussion of indigenous issues within the context of gender, race, and social justice. Firstly, the importance of "cross-cultural and interdisciplinary scholarship" to understanding native issues is highlighted; though Eigenford discusses this mainly through the importance of the study of native literature, native literature does illustrate clearly some of the deeper challenges that are necessary to obtain a complete picture of these challenges and issues that remain a major issue in the contemporary period. Eigenford also cites a quote from Daniel Heath Justice, "Native writers of poetry, prose fiction, and nonfiction speak to the living realities of struggle and possibility among Indigenous peo- ples; they challenge both Natives and non-Natives to surrender ste- reotypes, committing ourselves instead to untangling colonialism from our minds, spirits, and bodies". This challenge of both indigenous and non-indigenous peoples to surrender stereotypes, while pursuing the complex task of "untangling colonialism" from issues today, is one that I hope to further understand and illustrate via this wiki page. I hope to pursue any further questions or concerns of my peers while creating this wiki page, and create a more accurate and thoughtful overview of major and contemporary indigenous challenges.