Book Club Ideas: Indian No More

BOOK CLUB IDEAS

McManis, Charlene Willing. Indian No More. Tu Books, Lee & Low, 2019.

In this engaging novel for 4^th-7^th graders, Regina describes her family’s move from the reservation in Oregon to Los Angeles, as part of the Indian Relocation Act of 1956. She describes the adjustments the family must make to live in a city instead of on the Grand Ronde (Umpqua) tribe’s rural lands. With themes of inclusion, battling discrimination, and finding one’s identity, this gives an authentic view of a Native American experience. Check out the review on Debbie Reese’s blog: American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL): Indian No More (americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com).

A fascinating documentary on Native Americans moved to Los Angeles is “The Exiles,” released in 1961: The Exiles (1961) – IMDb. It was named to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry so it is readily available on many platforms. It is for adults, not kids, but can inform you as the leader of the tween book discussion group since it takes place at the same time and place as our novel Indian No More.

A helpful study guide is available from the publisher: IndianNoMore_TeachersGuide.pdf (leeandlow.com).

Also, check out these teaching suggestions from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde: Curriculum | Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.

Discussion Questions

1. The book begins with a map of the West Coast, showing the family’s journey from Oregon to Los Angeles.  Where do we live on this map?
2. What did Regina appreciate about her old home? How about thing she liked in her new home?
3. Did you find any incidents of bullying in the story?
4. How were some holidays, like Halloween, celebrated in that time? Do you do anything the same or different than the kids did on that holiday?
5. Do you think the government was unfair in moving the family away from their tribal lands?

Related Activities

• Have the group act out one of the stories with puppets, such as the Beaver and Coyote story that Regina told near the end of the book.
• Enjoy berries as a snack, which was a food that was part of the Grand Ronde diet.
• In the story, Chich (the grandmother) makes cattail dolls for Regina and Peewee. They are similar to cornhusk dolls. Here are instructions: How to Make Cattail Dolls Survival skills and bushcraft for the modern survivalist (yostsurvivalskills.com).
• Make and play this Native American stick game, which was popular in many tribal areas of North America: Native American Stick Game – Windsor Historical Society.

                            

Penny Peck, SJSU iSchool