Bearstone

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

Indigenous communities who lived in North American lands for thousands of years experienced a multitude of hardships as a result of European colonization. Based on your knowledge of Native American communities in the US, how did European colonization adversely affect Indigenous communities?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question invites students to consider the history of European colonization and imperialism in North America as it relates to The Native American Identity and Forgiving Oppressors. Hobbs touches upon several of these issues in his novel, including higher mortality rates for infants, low education rates and high illiteracy rates for Indigenous children, and the generational trauma of assimilation schools. As a result, Indigenous communities are more likely to experience higher poverty levels, more mental health issues, and early mortality rates compared to other ethnicities living in the US. Bearstone’s protagonist, Cloyd, represents many of the larger issues through his characterization, as his mother died in childbirth, his father abandoned him at birth, and he is deterred from attending formal school. This Short Answer question segues directly to the Short Activity.

• This overview from The Library of Congress provides a plethora of information regarding the colonization of Indigenous communities by European settlers.
• This article from the U.S. Office of Minority Health offers a detailed breakdown of statistics related to American Indian and Alaska Native health.

Short Activity

Prior to the first European colonial settlement of Jamestown in 1607, there were over 1000 Indigenous communities living in the region later known as the United States. Working in small groups, select one of these communities to share and present with the class. Be sure to include the following information:

• Where is/was this Indigenous community located?
• What was the historical population? What is the present population (if applicable)?
• What languages did/does this community speak?
• What was the effect of colonization on this specific community? Consider factors such as land, war, education, etc.
• How does the US government treat this community today?
• Are there still effects from colonization today in this community? If so, what is their impact?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Activity seeks to orient students with The Hurt You Get Over: Overcoming Adversity, The Need for Family, and The Native American Identity and Forgiving Oppressors as the themes relate to the history of European colonization and subsequent oppression of Indigenous communities in North America. Depending on the level of the class, students may or may not be already familiar with the systematic racism and oppression of native tribes by European and, sequentially, American leadership regimes; therefore, students may use this Short Activity as an opportunity to explore an alternate side of history. This Short Activity links with the main Activity.

• Legends of America shares a comprehensive list of Native American tribes.
• “The American Genocide of the Indians—Historical Facts and Real Evidence” – A 2022 communique from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China presents evidence of the US government’s mistreatment of Native Americans. (Please note: This resource is most appropriate for higher level classes, as it can be discussed from an analytical perspective, as well as incorporated into the Differentiation Suggestion below.)

Differentiation Suggestion: For more advanced classes who are familiar with the principles of imperialism, colonization, and radical white nationalist policies of American governments, the following question may be added to the above Prompt: In which ways did assimilation schools seek to undermine Indigenous populations? Consider the modes and tactics employed in such “re-education” programs. Provide any relevant visuals and media, if applicable.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

What is the meaning of the word “family”? For example, is a family just composed of one’s biological relatives? Or can the word be extended to include other people who love and support one another in a community? Explain.

Teaching Suggestion: This Personal Connection Prompt invites students to consider the theme The Need for Family in their own understanding. For Cloyd, family is an integral part to his life; however, his lack of a traditional nuclear family simultaneously strengthens his longing for a family and increases his tendency to remain closed to outside mentors such as Walter. This Personal Connection Prompt directly segues to the Discussion/Analysis Prompt.