'A Limited and Often Mistaken Understanding of Native American History'

White Man's Land now

Kevin Gover, Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian points out that: 'Beneath the Debate of the Washington 'Redskins' Name is an Underlying Truth: The Vast Majority of Americans Have a Limited -- and Often Mistaken -- Understanding of Native American History'  (Huffington Post 5th May 2015)

Perceptions are reduced to myths and caricatures and to the limited education retained from the American classroom. At best, Americans learn a few stories: Squanto and the Pilgrims, Pocahontas, the Cherokee Trail of Tears, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn are standard fare. Little is learned of King Philip's War, the Pueblo Revolt, the ethnic cleansing of the South and Midwest, or the genocide of California Indians, all more historically significant than the tales Americans are taught.

In some states, disgustingly, I have seen with my own eyes that the historical cultures of the Native Americans are displayed in Natural History museums alongside the shellfish, stuffed birds and pressed flowers.