Non-Indian Literature

Desperately searching for information on Indians, a young reader in a library somewhere in the Midwest navigates between the rows of histories, documentaries, and narratives about this unknown and intriguing culture. But as he dives into the shelves, he begins to realize that he can find waves of literature written by non-Indians, but none written the Indians themselves. The boy thinks, How can these people really give me an accurate description of the culture without truly experiencing it themselves? Then, like a gift from the heavens, Louise Erdrich's Tracks drops off of the old wooden bookshelf behind him, and the young reader, realizing Erdrich's Native American background, immediately seizes the book and gulps down each and every Indian word, syllable, and letter. Sadly, non-Indian academics have composed most American Indian literature written to this day, despite the fact that most of them don't truly understand the culture as those who have immersed themselves in it do. …