Comments on: Helping students

By: Lee Amy

Lee Amy — Wed, 28 Apr 2004 15:22:10 +0000

Interesting site, is all true ?

By: James Frank

James Frank — Wed, 12 Nov 2003 19:59:51 +0000

Whenever I sense indifference or apathy to considering the pain of others I frequently try to hold up a mirror to them with a question, such as, “Can you remember when you were deeply hurt, wronged, or had something of value taken from you?” Most individuals can recall just such a time. Then I ask them how they felt about it, and frequently the response is anger and/or outrage. I remind them that the emotion of anger always has a “cousin” emotion right behind it. That is to say, once they get beyond the anger, usually they are more open to perceiving the cousing emotion accompanying anger. It could be grief, sadness, despair, fear, hopelessness, and a myriad of other human emotions. I would then try and tie that into how Dan felt when he “ranted and raved” about past injustices.

By: Kara Fitzpatrick

Kara Fitzpatrick — Fri, 07 Nov 2003 15:47:42 +0000

Certain things inspire different people. Although I haven’t yet finished the book “Neither Wolf Nor Dog”, what I have read so far has been eyeopening and inspiring. I find myself reading it and thinking “how could I never have thought about this deeply before”. Of course I had thought about the negative effect of white people on Indians, but some of the points Dan makes are so deep, yet so simple. The conversation between Dan and Kent about whether he likes to be called an Indian or a Native American was one of points. Anyway, as far as the high school kids go, maybe some of the kids were inspired and hid it behind their desire to fit in or may be they are inspired by different things. You can’t force everybody to appreciate every work of art, but if enough people respect and are inspired by that particular piece of art, then it has succeeded.

By: beth ignacio

beth ignacio — Thu, 23 Oct 2003 17:41:51 +0000

I agree with the general idea that Dan presents in the book, BUT at some point the blame game/victim mentality of a lot of people, not just the American Indian population has to be rectified if we are to “move on” in our collective consciousness. I think Dan beautifully illustrates this at the end of the book with his words and wisdom and therefore provides what these students seek and what we all may be seeking: forgiveness of wrondoings to many people and healing so we can move forward and grow in a postive way. The book is wonderful in this way and that it makes kids/adults feel uncomfortable is really quite fitting in that they gain another type of perspective. A good lesson that everything is not put in a pretty package all of the time….

By: Renee S. Audette

Renee S. Audette — Wed, 22 Oct 2003 16:26:52 +0000

My first thought was that these are high school students, inherently small and narrow minded, and most of them will outgrow their thinking as they grow and expand their world.

But then I remembered the small mindedness of the “adults” down here in Texas and Oklahoma. Oklahoma has a large reservation population, and they have grown wealthy from the gambling. The Oklahoma government wants to tax this wealth.

Yet that is breaking the legal agreements in place between the U.S. government and the reservations. No one cares about what the Indians do until they make money, then they want it. Greed. It never seems to change.

So be sad that small mindedness will always exist. That “white man’s greed” may always be among us. Dan in “Neither Wolf Nor Dog” was right on the money, even when ranting his point was correct. Indians have suffered appallingly, and continue to suffer, at the hands of the white man. Not much has changed for them.

R.S. Audette