History Has the Word Story in It by Tajanae

History Has the Word Story in It by Tajanae - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

Most have heard the expression that “history is written by the winners” but few remember it. Or I should say, few remember it while sitting in class, retaining just enough information to make passing grades. I too was one of these students, my interests lying more in the inventive worlds of literature than the seemingly cut-and-dry offerings of history; but in order to satisfy my liberal arts requirement here at Syracuse, I needed a social science. So I picked Intro to Native American Studies (NAT). However, when my NAT professor challenged us to consider the “master narrative” history as a collection of “better sounding stories,” my interest in the subject piqued. In these past few weeks of this class, I have received similar challenges and more critical- and creative- thinking skills than ever before in a year elsewhere. Through this class I learned that history, more than any other academic subject, needs a more open-minded interpretation than what’s being taught at most institution, and that maybe I could change that.
No one uses the terms “winners” and “losers” in societal discourse. That’s not politically correct, so let’s instead use to the term “dominants” and “minorities.” Among the American minorities are Natives, Asians, Blacks, women, young people, gays, etc, all of whom desire that their narrative be told correctly. But unfortunately minorities oftentimes struggle to receive proper recognition anywhere in history including from textbooks, museums, news coverage, and entertainment platforms. Their stories oftentimes are too complex or too sad or simply “uninteresting” to be allowed room in the “better-sounding stories” culture. Saying that Christopher Columbus discovered America sounds better than Vikings having had and lost long-standing contact with Native which sounds better than modern Europe invading an already-inhabited land for eco-political gain. These minorities are not outright lied about…often. For example, my NAT professor made the analogy that Southern teachers cannot outright lie and say the South won the Civil War; yet they can twist interpretations and say things such as the Civil War was never about slavery, rather ‘states’ rights’, and expect their students to internalize that information. For us as a nation, dominant biases mean we all learn that Native Americans are gone, the Black Panthers were terrorists, and hippies just smoked weed and sang all day, which discredits the essential contributions that each group brings. If only we learn one perspective of our past, we risk becoming a generation that never learns how or where to begin building our future.
I have sometimes heard that one course has the power to make students switch their entire major; but prior to arriving at Syracuse, I didn’t believe that I could be one of those students. I loved English and believed that one day, I would be able to mold the minds of children to love it too. But NAT 105 has convinced that there are beautifully written narratives worth seeking and sharing from the non-fiction world too.