Karen Strum is a licensed tattoo artist and dealer of banned books. In celebration of Tofurkey Day, this month's banned book selection is "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie. Alexie tells a modern day story of growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Sexual allegations and its discussion of alcohol, poverty, bullying, and violence have made this book controversial. It takes a critical look at the treatment of American Indians and the problems they face living on reservations.
For the past 500 years, Native Americans have faced violence and brutality, continuing assimilation policies, forced removal and relocation, denial of land rights, abuses by military forces, and armed conflict. Following Christopher Columbus' arrival in 1492, violence and disease killed 90% of the indigenous population — nearly 55 million people. The population and use of land decreased so much, it triggered a global cooling off period. These factors have led to high rates of violence, suicide, and poverty among Native Americans.
On Tofurkey Day you celebrate Underdogs such as Native Americans. It comes from the 19th century dog fights. In those fights, two dogs attacked each other and the smaller dog was termed the 'underdog'. The bigger dog was the 'topdog'. Underdogs demonstrate grit through unrelenting determination against all odds. The mentality describes a David vs. Goliath situation. Persistence and bravery will often overcome a stronger competitor.
“Fall Landscape with Barn” is an acrylic painting by Karen Strum's favorite underdog -- Sara May. Mouth painting is May's creative outlet after being disabled by Progressive Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis. As a quadriplegic, she paints by holding the paint brush in her mouth. She is represented by Mouth & Foot Painting Artists. The MFPA is an international, for-profit association wholly owned and controlled by disabled artists to help them meet their financial needs. After much resolve and hard work, May has received international recognition and she been featured on television multiple times. Sara May's work is featured on this website.
Want to get into the spirit of Tofurkey Day? The traditional meal to serve on Tofurkey Day is, of course, a Tofurkey. Nearly 46 million turkeys are killed for Thanksgiving every year in the U.S. alone. Slaughtered between 4 to 6 months of age, turkeys suffer unspeakable cruelty during their final hours of life. Tofurkey Day, instead revolves succulent dishes made out of tofu. Karen Strum's mother often held an international vegetarian dinner, in which she tried to make each vegetarian dish from a different country. Whether you decide to make a tofurkey from scratch, or out of the box, they can be quite delicious. Go crazy with stuffing and a glaze. Just don't expect it to look like an actual turkey!
There has been a recent trend in banning Native American literature over the last couple decades in schools on the basis of “age appropriateness”. Books on this website are categorized into 10 main themes but they all have one thing in common – they are disturbing and they cause the reader to think about things that are painful.
Reading about Native American history from their perspective provides an important viewpoint. Native American perspectives expand the social, political, and economic dialogue. When books are banned, the opinions of underdogs, are suppressed. By ignoring underdog view points, you are allowing the topdog to dominate the social and political spectrum. George Bernard Shaw said,
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything”.
In 2018, the #MeToo movement began picking up steam and rumors about author Sherman Alexie began to circulate. NPR correspondent Lynn Neary reported on the accusations--three of the accusers were willing to speak on the record. They described a man whose success had made him a gatekeeper and mentor. For young authors, his recommendation could carry tremendous weight. He leveraged his noteriety to draw in women; then their professional relationship would turn sexual. While consensual, it was coerced. Women allege Alexie preyed on Native American women writers in particular according to Yes magazine. Alexie circulated a statement that confirmed the accusations: “There are women who are telling the truth.”
The knee jerk reaction when something like this happens is to ban the author's books. That is exactly what we shouldn't do. We must remember what George Bernard Shaw said about it being impossible to make progress if we aren't able to change our minds. In order for underdogs to get treated equally their viewpoints need to reach a “tipping” point in society to be accepted. That's why it is critical that books containing their history are in free circulation. It is believed "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" is loosely autobiographical. One may speculate whether the author's behavior on which the sexual allegations were based were a result of the environment in which he grew up. Books shouldn't be banned because they are painful to read.
In celebration of Tofurkey Day, for the entire month of November 2022, items in the Tofurkey Day Specials category are discounted 20% when you use the Coupon Code: tofurkey. The Tofurkey Day collection includes: books about food, Native American literature, books about animals, and holiday art work.