Indians Are People Too by Ruth Muskrat Bronson, published in 1944
Indians Are People Too, was written by Ruth Muskrat Bronson in 1944. Bronson, half Cherokee and half White, was a racial equality and educational activist from the early 20th century until her death in 1982.
As an educator and activist, she was employed by several federal agencies. Her career included being the first Guidance Officer for the Bureau of Indian Affairs; she was also engaged in advocating for better medical services for individuals of First Nations. Having a foot in both cultures, she presents many scenarios that were experienced by individuals that she knew who were either fully Native American or of mixed decent. Her perceptions, as indicated in this work, delineates the travesties and trauma endured by members of the First Nations.
This book challenges the stereotypical perceptions of Native Americans in the United States. It also compares similarities and encourages dialogue and fellowship between First Nation and European-American cultures. Bronson sensitively portrayed the unjust and traumatic experiences of the Native American peoples from the personal perspective of a mixed-race individual. A descendent of the Trail of Tears survivors, Bronson’s writing depicts the collective memory of the enforced migration to Oklahoma. She argues for personal sovereignty and tribal sovereignty in the lives of Native Americans. She recognized that the overtly patronizing and patriarchal control of the federal government caused the destruction of many Native American cultures.
A key foundational element of her advocacy within the governmental agencies in which she served was the need to reclaim personal and tribal identity. She was an advocate for Native American higher education institutions and the development of financial opportunities for Native American students to attend other universities of their choice.
