"All the Real Indians Died Off": And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans

In this enlightening book, scholars & activists Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz & Dina Gilio-Whitaker tackle a wide range of myths about Native American culture & history that have misinformed generations. Tracing how these ideas evolved, & drawing from history, the authors disrupt long-held & enduring myths such as:

“Columbus Discovered America”
“Thanksgiving Proves the Indians Welcomed Pilgrims”
“Indians Were Savage and Warlike”
“Europeans Brought Civilization to Backward Indians”
“The United States Did Not Have a Policy of Genocide”
“Sports Mascots Honor Native Americans”
“Most Indians Are on Government Welfare”
“Indian Casinos Make Them All Rich”
“Indians Are Naturally Predisposed to Alcohol”

Each chapter deftly shows how these myths are rooted in the fears & prejudice of European settlers & in the larger political agendas of a settler state aimed at acquiring Indigenous land & tied to narratives of erasure & disappearance. Accessibly written & revelatory, All the Real Indians Died Off challenges readers to rethink what they have been taught about Native Americans & history.

Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Confederated Tribes) is a lecturer of American Indian Studies at California State University San Marcos, & an independent consultant & educator in environmental justice policy planning. At CSUSM she teaches courses on environmentalism & American Indians, traditional ecological knowledge, religion & philosophy, Native women’s activism, American Indians & sports, and decolonization. She also works within the field of critical sports studies, examining the intersections of indigeneity & the sport of surfing. As a public intellectual, Dina brings her scholarship into focus as an award-winning journalist as well, contributing to numerous online outlets including Indian Country Today, the Los Angeles Times, High Country…