I understand your point and want to clarify my remark. There are few 
historians of color, who have accepted writings about the white American 
experience. By that statement, I mean that their writings are not accepted 
over the writings of those who lived the experience. Within the Native and 
African experiences here in America is seems more acceptable for white 
historians to write our experiences. That is probably unique to America, I 
don't know. My point is not to say that others should not write our history, 
but that we are lacking a body of writing from Native and African 
perspectives. I do like reading from those who are making observations, but 
when they come to conclusions that fit their own bias, well it is hard to 
accept.

I want to thank everyone who has responded for being open to the discussion. 
I am open to everyones opinion, and hope that I am responding in kind.

Anita

>From: "Lyle E. Browning" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history         
>      <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Indian Schools
>Date: Fri, 18 May 2007 13:43:38 -0400
>
>On May 18, 2007, at 12:47 PM, Anita Wills wrote:
>
>>(snip).... I don't believe anyone would try to step in the shoes of  
>>Jewish people, and try to explain away the holocaust.
>>Yet, it seems to be acceptable to do exactly that when it comes to  
>>Natives and blacks in America.
>I don't think that is the case. Anyone with a hint of intelligence  will 
>not be denying what happened. We argue about issues within both,  but not 
>the bigger picture of either. The lack of a substantive body  of historical 
>material written by either group kind of limits things  to later materials 
>in the WPA format with the problems previously  discussed. Sure, there are 
>misguided souls who will argue in the face  of overwhelming evidence that 
>the holocaust never happened, that  Native American culture didn't take a 
>massive hit and/or didn't bring  it on themselves, and that 
>African-Americans were a happy lot working  on the plantations with their 
>basic needs provided. But, you have to  compare their numbers now to what 
>they were 50 years ago to see how  perceptions change due to increasing 
>amounts of scholarship nuking  the old stereotypical arguments. One must 
>also keep up one's guard in  any event lest it be forgotten and repeated.
>>
>>The only people who can describe what happened and its' impact are  the 
>>ones who were affected by the events.
>Now that is just so wrong. No-one owns history. The folks who went  through 
>the holocaust are in general in their 80's and within  probably 20 years 
>all will be gone. It is probably correct to say  that they have a definite 
>stake in their history due to their  immediacy. After they're gone, 
>holocaust publications will  necessarily be written by folks who weren't 
>directly affected.  Sometimes distance provides objectivity.
>
>But, there are no African-American former slaves living and no Native  
>Americans living who were transported. The numbers of Native  Americans, 
>like the holocaust survivors, who went through enforced  acculturation a la 
>Carlisle, are also getting up in years if not all  already gone.
>
>Even those folks who endured the idiocy that was Jim Crow are getting  long 
>in the tooth and will not so much longer be amongst us.
>
>After that, scholars and researchers will beaver away and produce  their 
>works, and that work will be based upon their interests and  what the 
>historical record has for them to interpret.
>
>Ned Heite and I were bemoaning the fact that most archaeologists come  from 
>an urban or suburban background and are out there interpreting  rural farms 
>without any direct experience with and/or knowledge of  them. While not at 
>the same level as folks finding a collection of  milk bottles and 
>interpreting it as a cow's nest, the lack of  experience inevitably means 
>something will be lost because it is not  perceived as meaningful. On the 
>other hand, due to their diverse  backgrounds and interests, people will 
>look at farms from economic  viewpoints and from other viewpoints that 
>provide insight beyond the  straight experiential views.
>
>From a personal perspective, I was an (American) site supervisor on  a 
>Viking (Scandanavian) site off the north coast of (Gaelic/British)  
>Scotland. After generations of European folks digging Viking sites,  it was 
>my meagre contribution to tease out the chronological sequence  of building 
>types for the first time. Contributions to history are  not the sole 
>province of those who lived it.
>
>Lyle Browning, RPA

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