There are 5.1 million Native Americans living in the United States right now, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite this, when you Google “Native Americans,” here’s what comes up:
There are barely any photos of contemporary Native Americans in the search result. The silencing — and erasure — of Native American stories is one of the reasons Megan Red Shirt-Shaw, a 27-year-old member of the Oglala Sioux tribe, decided to create an online literary publication written for — and by — young Native Americans. MTV News spoke to Megan about the site, called Natives in America, and the importance of amplifying their voices.
“For a lot of Americans, there is this concept that indigenous people no longer exist or don’t have a voice or they died out,” she told us. “It’s time for our nations to have a voice and where better to do that than from the youth, who are on the ground, who are experiencing the issues first-hand, who are learning their languages, who are connected to social media. They’re the next generation – they’re the leaders. And so Natives in America is really a place for young leaders to share their stories and to show American contemporary culture that we are contemporary citizens.” […]
“I thought to myself, we have to figure out a way to share these voices, and it needs to be a consolidated effort,” she said.
Megan, who was a creative writing major at the University of Pennsylvania, said she wanted the site to be focused on writing. “I believe in the power of the written word,” she said. “I want the Natives in America writers to feel empowered that they can talk about something that’s happening in their community that isn’t making national news.” […]
Now, with 20 writers from across the country, the site covers a wide range of topics, from hip-hop to college experiences. “This team is the best team I could have ever dreamed of,” she said. “They’re just the most incredible group of young native people that I could have ever dreamed of, and I’m really thankful to them for that.” […]
“I would also love for us to be able to provide micro-scholarships to our contributors for college,” she said, “because these are students that believe in their own success and I would love to be able to celebrate that success with them.” […]
“[It’s about] having natives students who may be in high school or in college currently and are struggling or facing challenges being able to read other native youth saying ’I’ve had the same challenges, you can overcome this.’”
Source: This Activist Is Connecting Young Native Americans Through The Power Of Words – MTV
Address : http://www.mtv.com/news/2250690/natives-in-america-youth-online-youth-literary-publication/
Date Visited: 18 January 2021
If a man cannot enjoy the return of spring, why should he be happy in a labour-saving Utopia?
George Orwell quoted in Two Cheers for Democracy (London: Penguin Books 1976), p. 76
Learn more about Nature and wildlife | Modernity | Seasons and festivals | Tribal identity >>

https://www.cwis.org/books/biodiversity-wars/
Find publications on these issues by reputed authors including Open Access (free download): Worldcat.org >>
Related posts
- Continents & countries
Africa | America & National Museum of the American Indian
Australia | Canada | Japan | New Zealand | Scandinavia
Tribal culture worldwide - Regions of India – Tribal heritage & indigenous knowledge
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Bastar
Chotanagpur
Gadchiroli
Narmada
Nilgiri Biosphere
Seven Sister States & Sikkim – North Eastern Council
Wayanad
Western Ghats – tribal heritage & ecology - Government of India
Accountability | Adverse inclusion | Assimilation | Illegal mining | Land rights
Democracy | Constitution and Supreme Court
Childhood | Childrens rights: UNICEF India | Residential school | Safe search
Education | Boarding school
Forest Rights Act (FRA) | Legal rights over forest land | Vanavasi
Human Rights Commission (posts) | www.nhrc.nic.in (Government of India)
Particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVT) | Rural poverty
Respect for tribal culture
Tribal freedom fighters
Who are Scheduled Tribes? (National Commission for Scheduled Tribes) - NGOs & United Nations
ACCORD – Action for Community Organisation, Rehabilitation and Development
Atree.org | Community facilities | Freedomunited.org
People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI)
International Days and Weeks (UN) | Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN)
Shola Trust | Survivalinternational.org | Videovolunteers - Resources
“Adivasi”, “Tribals” and “Denotified tribes”: Usage in legal and historical records, in textbooks, scholarly papers and the media – Classifications in different states
Biodiversity | Ethnobotany & ethnomedicine | Hyderabad biodiversity pledge
Books published in India
Casteism and its effect on tribal communities | Customs
Colonial policies | History | Hul (Santal rebellion 1855-1856)
De- and re-tribalization | Globalization | Media portrayal | Misconceptions | Modernity
eBook | Background guide for education
eJournals, eBooks & reports | eLearning: Center for World Indigenous Studies
Forest dwellers in early India – myths and ecology in historical perspective by Romila Thapar
Environmental history and what makes for a civilization by Romila Thapar
Jawaharlal Nehru’s “five principles” for the policy to be pursued vis-a-vis the tribals
Revival of traditions | Sacred grove | Storytelling | Success story | Tribal elders
Tribal history covered in “India After Gandhi” by Ramachandra Guha
Water and development – India’s tribal communities - Tourism
Eco tourism | Nature and wildlife | Tourism