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Racism and anti-Indianness in Little House on the Prairie. What do we do about this?
As children, my sisters and I were read Little House on the Prairie books at bedtime. This “do it yourself” wilderness, self-sufficiency inspired me to construct make-shift sheds in my yard and stick shelters when I walked in the woods. I enjoyed these books. It’s been a while since I cracked open one of these yellow-paged books on my parent’s shelves.
What are the big lessons taught here? Family, hard work, individualism, perseverance. In short, the US bootstrap mentality, both enticing and unreal. A few years ago, I had another idea about these books. I won’t get into the racism, anti-Indian bent, and ties to libertarianism screaming through the Big Wood on every page. Connoisseurs will know that the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award was changed to the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for a reason (Callahan, 2018). Many of her books have been edited and even banned because we can see through them.
The Little House books are not merely apologists for genocide, they are endorsing the removal of Native Americans by the hand of God and White Man. We know this now. But I want to talk about a stickier subject. What are the standards used for deciding when art (artists?) is acceptable?
