Native Americans the first campers

Camping Magazine, Sept-Oct, 2002 by Bonnie Dunn, Denise Frebertshauser

Take a moment and let your mind wander to an evening around a campfire. Imagine looking into the flames of the fire. Let your heart follow the words of the chief, Listen well, my people, for tonight we hold council." Does this bring about memories of an evening at your camp?

Gathering around the campfire is an extensive tradition of many camping programs. Some camps may incorporate Native American imagery into their campfire programs. Indian ceremonies, tom-toms, cheers, costumes, and painted faces may be part of their traditions. But, do we really know why we are including any of these items? What is the reasoning behind each tradition?

Recently, many articles and discussions have condemned the use of Indian imagery or "playing Indian" at camps throughout the United States. Why should camps use Native American imagery in their programs? And when they do, they need to ensure that campers (and staff) learn about Native American history, beliefs, and culture--as well as which traditions in your camping program are Native American and which are simply camp traditions.

When camp staff are asked the question--Do you know why you are using specific Native American imagery?--the most typical response is "tradition. "The second most common response is "that we are honoring the Indian ways."

The fact is that we are not always honoring the Native American peoples' ways. Many traditions at camp include some Native American customs mixed among camp traditions with no distinction between the two. There are many nations of tribes, each very different in many ways. Native Americans are very different in their dress, religious beliefs, and customs--depending on their tribe and where they live. Quite often we mix cultures of Native Americans in our Indian imagery at camp--we may use Midwestern tribal dress with Southwestern crafts, and add in Northeastern history or tribe names. We simply put together the things we like or those customs that work for us at the time.

Honoring Native American Wishes and Customs

If camps use Native American history/culture as a theme, they really need to think about what they are doing and how they are doing it. They need to be able to step past the "it's tradition" syndrome and listen to local Native American's wishes. In order to determine if the use of Indian icons at camp perpetuate the stereotyping of Native Americans or if sacred Native American customs are being misrepresented, camps need to ask several questions.

1. Do you utilize Indian icons at camp (feathers, songs, cheers, council rings, drums, totem poles, tipis, face paint, etc.) that perpetuate the stereotyping of Native Americans? Can these items be presented in a different manner to deter the trivializing of Native Americans?

2. Do you use the Pipe Ceremony to start the campfire? Do you realize that it is a very religious ceremony? Would you start your program with a Catholic, Jewish, or another religious ceremony?

3. Do you include Native American dances around the campfire or at some time during your camp? If so, do you know if they are authentic, the significance of the dance, or how the dance is used? Many Native American dances are for fun, but some are to honor the dead or are for strictly religious purposes.

4. Do you "make up" Indian words or chants ("How How," "Nichienichie," Camp "Algawa")? Do you teach Native American language, hand signals, or painted symbols?

5. Do you know the tribes or nations that were in your area, or are you teaching about those of another region of the country? Do you actually teach about native people or do you just "PLAY Indian?"

6. What do you know about the clothes, headdresses, shoes, etc., that were worn by the tribe whose names you are using? Why did the tribe whose name you are using wear feathers? How did they wear them and what did the feathers mean to the people?

7. What about face painting? Do you know why or when Native Americans painted their faces? Did all tribes do it? If you were teaching about African Americans, would you paint the campers' faces black? Have you really questioned why you do what you do, and if you would do it with another culture or group of people?

8. Are your Native American arts and crafts really Native American? Or do they just look like Native American things? Examples--the small, beaded headdress made with safety pins, talking or rain sticks, headdresses, or headbands?

9. Do you have tribe signs? Do they really represent the tribe you tell the campers they represent? Do you know what each of those "tribe signs" really means?

10. Do you give tribe and/or camper awards like the "golden feather," "spirit sticks," or some other award that has always been a tradition at your camp? Have you done any research on "Indian awards and honors"? Or are these awards merely camp awards made to look like Native American awards?

Examine Your Program

Certainly, no camp ever knowingly shows any disrespect to Native Americans through its camp programming. However, over the years, camps can modify intentions, traditions, and goals without realizing that it is happening. Just like the Native American history has, in fact, been distorted by many different writers of American history; camp professionals may have lost their understanding of camp as a teaching venue -- a venue in which you help your campers learn about a noble group of people -- their customs, their traditions, and their beliefs. Examine your total camp program, your camp goals, and your camp traditions to see if the usage of Indian lore in camp themes truly honors Native Americans.