Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians But Were Afraid to Ask

by Anton Treuer

"I had a profoundly well-educated Princetonian ask me, 'Where is your tomahawk?' I had a beautiful woman approach me in the college gymnasium and exclaim, 'You have the most beautiful red skin.' I took a friend to see Dances with Wolves and was told, 'Your people have a beautiful culture.' . . . I made many lifelong friends at college, and they supported but also challenged me with questions like, 'Why should Indians have reservations?'"

What have you always wanted to know about Indians? Do you think you should already know the answers—or suspect that your questions may be offensive? In matter-of-fact responses to over 120 questions, both thoughtful and outrageous, modern and historical, Ojibwe scholar and cultural preservationist Anton Treuer gives a frank, funny, and sometimes personal tour of what's up with Indians, anyway.

—What is the real story of Thanksgiving?

—Why are tribal languages important?

—What do you think of that incident where people died in a sweat lodge?

White/Indian relations are often characterized by guilt and anger. Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask cuts through the emotion and builds a foundation for true understanding and positive action.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Indigenous, Native American, Race, Audiobook, Social Justice

184 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2012

About the author

Dr. Anton Treuer (pronounced troy-er) is Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University and author of many books. His professional work in education, history, and Indigenous studies and long service as an officiant at Ojibwe tribal ceremonies have made him a consummate storyteller in the Ojibwe cultural tradition and a well-known public speaker. In 2018, he was named Guardian of Culture and Lifeways by the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums. Anton's first book for young adults, Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask (Young Readers Edition), won the SCBWI Golden Kite. Where Wolves Don’t Die is his first novel.

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should have a subtitle: Things I Hadn't Thought of to Ask About Indians, But Now That You Mention It, Thank You For Explaining That.

Very informative, wonderful book, but be sure to read the introduction as well if you choose to delve into this book. He explains a lot about why the book cannot possibly answer every question about Indians and how some of it has to be his point of view or opinion, because the many Native people all have different opinions on different subjects. It makes it easier to read with a grain of salt when he addresses questions like why we should have to atone for the sins of our ancestors. While I don't cop to this line of thinking, and believe we should help Native Americans out of a sense of compassion for fellow human beings and what was done to them rather than out of guilt, it made it a lot easier to understand why others would feel this way, especially among some Native American cultures, in which ancestry and ancestors are extremely important.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I have no idea how the author managed to restrain himself from answering most of the questions with "it's complicated." Indians are such a diverse group with a complex array of histories and experiences that I was a bit surprised anybody would even tackle a project like this.

The "Everything " part of the equation covered a huge range of topics and the answers were short and snappy (I'd say short and painless except reading about genocide is anything but painless for me). The answers came from an Ojibwe-centric viewpoint, which is fine, but it's just something to keep in mind. The book offers a very readable introduction but I was happy the author included a nice list of additional readings for those who want to dig deeper.

[Anne (ReadEatGameRepeat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book although I would also suggest a subtitle of "A bunch of things you would never even have thought to ask about or were unaware of". While this book was super informative and I do feel like I have some better understanding of Native American culture and experience I do feel like this book would be better to read for people who actually live in America. This is just because there is also a lot of (really interesting) discussion on law in specific area's and what american educational system is like which I just have zero experience with and so while I see "hey that's kinda messed up" I feel like its not really up to me to be a judge of that as I'm a complete outsider. I will also say that while the audiobook is excellently narrated I kept having to rewind it a little bit because I wanted to think about the things that were said and process that bit of information, so while listening I would sort of lose focus because I was thinking about other things - I kind of assume that if I read this in a physical copy it would be pretty heavily annotated about now. I think this is a pretty good start if you are at all curious about Indigenous culture and how things work.

I also really appreciate how the author put a lot of emphasis on "these are *my* thoughts and opinions and other indigenous people might feel different".

[Vina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Anton Treuer. I read this book when it was first released and it always seems to be relevant to any year, because native people are often never considered or invited into the discussion of stereotype, racism, or inequality. Truer does a beautiful job on addressing the frequent rising issues, from a personal, Indigenous perspective, on what we as native people face historically and having these issues transcending and impacting our present lives. I recommend this book for those wanting to understand Indigenous issues and communities. Although he states, the book is of his view, but he did a great job on the collective issues and topics we all commonly share, also, highlighting those different tribal perspective on the matter as well.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book, coming from an Ojibwe man in Minnesota, who poses and answers questions that I hear so often, like "Why are native people so upset by mascots?" and "Is it offensive if I say my great-grandmother was a Cherokee princess?" and so on. I really like his simple, smart answers about tricky subjects like treaties and boarding schools and complicated U.S./tribal relations. So much common sense in one book. This should be a series with other misunderstood groups in the U.S., like the Amish.

[~:The N:~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and educational. While I think the book is written specifically for the nonnative in the US/North America, and not for the general population of the world, I do learn something new. It would be interesting to have a similar book about our native people.

I feel like it's time to dig my old CDs by Kauzay.
(Ehhh... Actually, you can listen to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsvas...)

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Native Americans are frequently left out of politics, conversations, culture, and even history, so it was extremely refreshing being able to a read a book devoted to Native issues. The author does a great job of addressing all sorts of questions and topics the reader might have and even explores areas that I myself had never thought about before. Would highly recommend this book to others if you want to get a basic understanding of Native issues within the U.S.

Bonus: It was really cool to listen to the author’s positions on Ojibwe/White Earth issues since he is from there and the fact that I have been up there multiple times before.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is short and to the point. It covers a vast array of topics, but what really stuck with me were the questions about sovereignty. While it does give more examples from the Ojibwe culture (which is understandable since the author is most familiar with his own community), there are a lot of mentions about tribes from both South and North America.

[Clay Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was a very good book up to the last chapters. The author wanted to visit the sins of the white grandparents unto the parents and the grandchildren. No mention of why supernatural powers are called medicine. No mention of the intertribal wars of the Native Americans. No mention of human sacrifice of the Aztecs. No mention of discount tobacco products on Indian land. No mention of Indians selling white or black slaves. No mention of Sacagowea on the Lewis and Clark Corp of Discovery. A lot of pictures to take up space that should have been used to answer these questions.

[Mom · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the most part, I found this book very informative, and it served the purpose of why I wanted to read it. Much of it was repetitious, and while I persevered, it was daunting at times.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this book contains answers to common questions non-Native people have about Native Americans--everything from "What are coming of age ceremonies?" and "Should Leonard Peltier be freed?" to questions that seem downright rude, like "Why do Indians have so many kids?" The questions are answered by the author in a personal tone. He is careful to say that he is answering from his own perspective and that if you ask a different person the same questions, you are likely to get some different answers. The book is divided into chapters on terminology, history, religion and culture, education, politics, etc., so you can skip straight to the topics that interest you, or you can read straight through (like I did).

I enjoyed reading this book. I learned plenty that I didn't know (and that I would have been afraid to ask), and I appreciated Treuer's matter of fact approach to all of the questions he addresses. In fact, I would say this is a gracious book. In his conclusion, he writes, "Don't imagine Indians, understand them. Keep asking questions, reading, listening and advocating for change. Don't tolerate stereotypes, and don't be afraid to ask everything you wanted to know about Indians. And if you're native, give a meaningful response to those questions rather than an angry rebuke. It really does make a difference." This book models that spirit of welcoming honest questions and giving meaningful answers.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glad I picked this up. It ended up being sort of a collateral read when I was researching book titles to focus on for a class project. I didn’t end up going with this title, but having it at home, and reading There There got me curious.
The author makes it clear from the beginning that he doesn’t speak for all Indians (American Indians). A lot of history he provides encompasses the experiences of more than one nation, and it provides a good intro/overview of important topics. I appreciated what he had to say and how he said it. This book was eye-opening and educational, and it’s given me a lot to think about. I’ve seen complaints in other reviews that it’s repetitive, but I was glad that he re-emphasized things and referred back to previous passages. As I get older, I worry about retaining the nonfiction I read, so his style worked well for me.
There’s a long list of recommended reading and viewing in the back of the book for those who want to dig deeper into individual issues. I think this would be great required reading for high schools across the country.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

The intriguing title drew me in. The combination of an academic with a solid connection to his subject matter and a format that allows easy browsing and focus on topics of interest has kept me moving through this book at a good clip.

Truth be told, many of these questions hadn't occurred to me, but I am thoroughly enjoying enhancing my knowledge of Native Americans. This will help as I delve into other works on American history.

Some of the questions seem simplistic but the answers are nuanced and enlightening. I kept coming back for more.

[Randa Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

short book that everyone should read. really no excuse not to 🤷‍♀️

[Heidi Bakk-Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the YA version of the book-- excellent for kids who live on Indigenous land and have questions about what that means. Includes all the questions you've heard, in addition to many you haven't.

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool read. There were no surprising answers, and (again, unsurprisingly) generally the answer is "it depends."

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book so that I could better understand the experiences of others--in this instance, those of Indians. The book is in a question/answer format with a clear table of contents listing the questions, a well-organized index, citations, and an introductory list of resources for further learning. While I found many of the answers informative, as the author acknowledges, you cannot expect them to be exhaustive. I found myself several times wanting more detail, but I understand that, in part, is the purpose of the book. It is a starting point, an introduction.

I would recommend it to others who are likewise seeking to become better educated about experiences outside themselves. (Really, I would recommend it to any reader, but I realize the attitude with which you approach a book or topic often affects your willingness to absorb it, and those who have not questioned their own behavior may find this book's answers droll or redundant).

Perhaps what stands out to me greatest from the book (aside from white guilt, which I will address momentarily), is the need for school curriculum to be inclusive. It makes me even consider that maybe this a meaningful direction in which my career could take me--developing educational content that helps underserved students see themselves and privileged students better understand those around them.

In regard to white guilt--the shame that I feel for my ignorance of the breadth and depth of issues affecting Indians and for the despicable ways the U.S. government and so many of its constituents have acted without repentance-- I cite the author: "The critical challenge of all the troubling history in our country is to turn guilt and anger into positive action" (p. 150).

I have to consider what forms my action will take. Certainly, it will continue to be the reading, support, and recommendation of diverse authors and stories, but beyond that? I hope in the years to come I will be able to point out clear actions and stands I have taken.

[Maggie K · Rating 5 out of 5]

so, i live in an area where there is a large Native population, I used to work on a reservation, and I even had a NAtive American studies as one of my degrees.
So I should know must of this stuff. and if I think about it, I actually do KNOW it, but to see it written in such an humble yet thoughtful manner really made it more...impactful? is that a word?

This book is so sad, so funny, and so so so real. This is really an explanation on why Rez life is the way it is. Why parents will literally lose their housing before they'd ever kick out a child, why people stay on their land despite there not being a meaningful chance of employment, why the dominant cullture's school systems do not work for Native kids, why there are sometimes three or four families all living in one trailer home, why there are so many people in total agony, and why it's so vital to remember... even with the compulsion to make yourself forget.

Prof. Treuer makes all these points in a simple and matter of fact way that does not ask for pity, just 'showing' a path to understanding. We all have a long way to go tomake this country culturally appropriate, but we are not being scolded, we are being let in on the cause and effect.

In these days of the discovery of all the children's bodies in Canada...what surprises me is that people are all shocked and surprised. Anyone who has much contact at all with Native people knows there are mass graves at every single 'boarding school'. A whole generation of people were lost, even if they werent killed. They were basically stripped of their selves. Then the survivors were sent back. Back to family they didnt recognize, language they no longer knew, customs and traditions they had never learned. They pretty much knew the English language, and violence. A whole generation. Process that for a minute.

OK, I am getting too close to the soapbox now....it does seem like this book has me ruminating! I recommend it for anyone with any interest in Native American culture.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Teachers too afraid to teach about Indians are likely perpetuating stereotypes of Indians" My education in current reservation life started with a negative stereotype perpetuated by white people in everyday discourse. Luckily, I knew enough about stereotypes and systemic racism to look further.

It is important to seek out information, listen and learn about the current lives and history of indigenous peoples and their nations and bring these more fully into discourse and mainstream knowledge. Also, to support reparations.

This book is impressive. The author is so earnest and patient and shared much of himself in an effort to get readers to understand issues relevant to Native Americans. It was hard to read through some of the most racist questions... but I'm glad he kept them. The most fascinating parts are those about cultural identity and preservation - something close to the author who worked to learn the Ojibwe language as an adult (I saw he has another book about that) and he is part of a grassroots dual language movement and translates signage to be dual language.

My favorite parts were the politics, economics, education and conclusion. I learned about the various laws and repercussions affecting tribes and nations. I understood more about membership and the complications. I wanted to understand more about poverty, and how it has been eliminated or not and what we know and don't know. This book peaked my interest, mostly centered on the questions about taxes and casinos and the section on education. So, I will look for further reading on it. The effects of No Child Left Behind and other policies are so important to know and heartbreaking.

While I knew about the boarding schools, and see the same things being proposed and applied to refugees, I blithely had little appreciation for some of the full lasting impacts of that horrible practice on people. I hope we avoid repeating these and other mistakes and can provide more than sufficient reparations.

[Patrick Ede · Rating 5 out of 5]

I randomly checked this out from the library on a whim and I’m so glad I did. I’m a white male born and raised Texan and know only one coworker who is apart of a tribe in OK. I had never heard anyone talk about Indian issues before ever, nor had I ever heard an Indian complain about racism so everything in this book was new to me.

I really love the authors view which was that Indian anger and white guilt, won’t bring about results. Indian and White folks should have, open conservations about the truth of the past and the issues in the present in a manner not to dwell in the past but work together to fix things.

I read a bunch of books during BLM about racism in America from an African American perspective and this was really good “cross training” my awareness. Very interesting to see the differences and similarities between Indian issues and BLM issues. I learned a ton about Indian issues but also a more rounded view do issues like BLM.

[Gemini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it, read it, just read it. This book is truly fantastic. I was amazed at how enlightening this book is. The things that have happened over the years really open your eyes to how the gov't has done so little to help Native Americans along w/ how they keep restricting what is rightfully theirs. Some of these questions may sound silly but I imagine it's because they have actually been asked. Learning the struggles that they have gone through w/out any help even still as of today is really unfair. It's almost mind boggling at how the mistreatment of Native Americans is still happening in this day & age. Just so wrong on so many levels. This book really does a good job of bringing various topics to the forefront from money 'made' from casinos on reservations to the lack of job security they have.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books like this--neatly divided into chapters using a question and answer format throughout, it invites you to read randomly--thumbing through to questions that pique your interest. There's compelling historical information--the Aztec capital city was three times bigger than any city in Western Europe at the time. There's humor--fry bread tacos should not be called "traditional"! There's sensitive delineation and explanation of terms--Treuer clearly explains Ojibwe and Anishinaabe, Sioux and Dakota/Nakota/Lakota. A fun, unconventional way to learn more about history, ethnicity, and community.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative with greatly varied questions broken down into sections. Religion, politics, history... Some things you don't even think to ask. It was a good book to read if you want to know more about the politics and some history surrounding Native Americans. I felt most of the explanations given were somewhat common sense. The author does make a point at the beginning to state he tried to stay as neutral as possible, but he does have opinions interjected into the answers too and some of those are just his opinions or observations.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A more accurate title would be "Everything You Wanted To Know About Indians But Didn't Know to Ask". This incredibly thorough, wonderfully educational book addresses questions I would never have even thought to ask. I appreciate that the author makes clear he doesn't speak for all Native people, but even just learning his perspective helps to better understand Indigenous history and culture, as well as break down stereotypes. Understanding is the first step toward restorative justice for the many horrors perpetrated in the name of colonization.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything You Wanted to Knox About Indians . . . is funny, measured, and occasionally defiant - a great mix for a primer on historical and contemporary issues in Indian country. The book is frank, concise, and covers a multitude of topics, and comes with a great set of suggested books and documentaries for anyone interested in reading further. A book I'll definitely assign.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is practically impossible to answer the questions Treuer is trying to answer for every tribe in North America and have it be accurate. He takes a pretty good stab at it though, and this book is a pretty decent representation of questions I have and have ask of me as part of a Native family.

[Kender · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic. Every American should read/listen to this. I listened to the unabridged audiobook from Tantor Media. The library entry says it's suitable for grade 9 reading level; it's appropriate for that age to adulthood, or a little younger for mature individuals. The audiobook is five hours long. The author, Anton Treuer, is an Ojibwe scholar and cultural preservationist.

Although the description starts with the example question, "Where is your tomahawk?" and the author addresses that and other silly questions like "Do you live in a teepee?" "Do you ride a horse?" and other questions that demonstrate that white Americans think Native Americans are stuck in the 1800s, the author does go into some history as well as current issues modern Native Americans are facing. He keeps the tone educational and addresses racism and genocide fairly gently so as not to depress or alienate the reader. He points out that while the civil rights movement has done a lot for African Americans, Native American history is still taught in schools from the pilgrims' point of view. Native languages and cultures are still suppressed. Welfare from the U.S. Federal government to Indians depends on their being "registered," using decades-old and confusing laws, so that many full-blooded Indians living on reservations still don't qualify, and other decades-old laws, in addition to racism, are still keeping Indians in poverty.

As Mr. Treuer says while recounting a time a white auto shop owner spoke to him in Ojibwe, and other shops in town were convinced to set up bilingual signage, learning about Native Americans' languages and culture would be a good way to start to heal the rift between these two worlds. Since Native Americans are now the smallest minority in the U.S. at 2.7 million - fewer even than Chinese Americans and down from 60 million in Columbus's time - it's easy to ignore the problems if you wish to avoid seeing them. There's a long list of interesting and thought-provoking topics here and a lot of things white Americans just don't understand about Indians and about their relationship to the United States. This is a great stepping-stone into the subject; now I'm going to learn more and try to be part of this healing.

[Rach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great, great book. Told in an interview style, it's a series of 120+ questions, broken into categories (economy, culture, religion, etc), that the author attempts to answer fairly and thoughtfully.

The questions, ranging from the most top of mind - like "what is the best term to use these days?" "does the mascot conversation really matter?" "what should schools do with christopher columbus?" - to the more niche and specific, like how the tax system works on reservations - were thoroughly approached. Even the most blatant didn't end with a simple "yes" / "no."

Anton points out in the book that, for most people, the education system in the united states tells the (extremely whitewashed) story of the native americans meeting the european colonists, and then their subsequent massacre - and that's it. Narratively, it feels like they are history, and not living in the present. We don't learn at all about native american history after the trail of tears, or what it's like to be native american today.

For ages, the PopSugar prompt "a nonfiction book about indigenous people" stumped me. I want to read diversely, without everything I read about other cultures being the worst things that ever happened to them. But I also want to learn, and I don't want to pretend the terrible things didn't happen.
This felt like a perfect book. I found it to be highly informative and educational, covering the bad and the good - and even covering information about the people native to Canada, which I knew even less about. 10/10 recommend in general, and definitely 10/10 recommend for PopSugar!

popsugar 2024: a nonfiction book about indigenous people.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for the 2024 Popsugar book challenge, prompt #42 A nonfiction book about Indigenous people

First read of 2024 and it’s far from my normal genre! In general, I just DON’T like nonfiction, it’s one of the reasons I do the Popsugar challenges since they force me to read things I wouldn’t normally pick up.

I have found a ton of great reads by going outside of comfort zone with the challenge but I also hate when the prompt is so specific I can’t find something that genuinely gets me excited to read. I felt this prompt was pretty specific and I initially had a hard time finding something I wanted to read, but I lucked out this book is available not only on Kindle Unlimited, but also the audio is included! I find non-fiction reads much more consumable when I listen to them, I’m not a big podcast listener, but I can normally get behind a well narrated nonfiction, audio.

This one was well narrated and informative although the book itself, I felt fell into that awkward category where it is both to specific into generalized. I feel like this one is a good introduction and start to a very broad and very deep subject, that as the author mentions is greatly skipped over in the majority of the US school systems education.

[Anna Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this eye-opening book this morning. I picked up this book while looking for First Nations books for my kiddos, deciding that I would use this for my own professional development. I am very impressed how fair and non-PC Treuer was in discussing these issues. It is very unlike the pushing-down-throat motions I find in many materials about First Nations people that white people have written. It was refreshing and wonderful to be able to read a book actually written by a First Nations person... or should I say Indian, using the terminology Treuer himself says is preferable. This is only the beginning of my journey to understanding more of First Nations and Indian issues. Let the search for more materials begin. (I would be eternally greatful if anyone could point me towards some Blackfoot materials.) .