In November, when the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes launched a Giving Tuesday book drive for a new Indigenous library, the Horned Frog community quickly stepped up to help. Scott Langston, a religion instructor and TCU’s liaison for Native American nations and communities, emailed colleagues, and book donations soon began arriving at the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes Education Services Department in Anadarko, Oklahoma.
“Almost immediately after Dr. Langston reached out, we started to get more books in,” said Amber Silverhorn-Wolfe, education services administrator for the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, who is handling the development of the library. “In the past couple of weeks, we have averaged almost a book a day, which is exciting for us.”
To date, the drive has collected about 60 books, which includes donations from individuals in several departments at TCU. The drive will continue throughout 2021.
“The Education Services Department is expected to move into a new building sometime in the future, and we hope to use this new space for this book collection. The library would be accessible to the tribal citizens as well as the surrounding community,” said Silverhorn-Wolfe, who also is a member of TCU’s new Native American Advisory Circle.
Organizers are seeking books by Indigenous authors on any topic for school-age and adult readers (K-12 and beyond). Donors are encouraged to purchase from Indigenous-owned bookstores.
“For so long Indigenous peoples have encountered disparaging depictions and stereotypes of our culture and language. Oftentimes our stories are told from a white Western narrative, which does not fully grasp who we are. Even well-intentioned authors and illustrators do not always portray Native Americans accurately and may preserve stereotypes that we do not condone,” Silverhorn-Wolfe said.
“It is important for our youth, young adults and our tribal citizens to see themselves accurately portrayed in the literature so we can relate to the story being told. We need that perspective, and we need to have an Indigenous main character at the center of those stories. Doing so can improve student engagement, college readiness and student achievement, which is part of the overarching goal of our Education Services Department,” she continued.
The book drive is not the tribe’s first Horned Frog connection. TCU worked with tribal leaders to create the Native American monument located on campus between Reed Hall and Jarvis Hall, which was dedicated in 2018.
“At TCU we are committed to developing respectful, mutually beneficial relationships with Native American nations and communities. While those relationships have many dimensions, supporting the Indigenous library is one simple way to show that we at TCU want to learn with and from the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, that we want to give back where we can,” Langston said.
“Many at TCU, understandably, are not directly involved with Native American nations and communities. However, we all benefit from living, working and learning on the homelands of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, lands that were violently taken from them. Supporting the Indigenous library is one way everyone at TCU can show that we are beginning to understand the responsibilities of our privileged history. It is a way that individuals can help create healthy relationships through positive actions,” he added.
To participate in the drive, send books to the address below:
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes
Attn: Education Services Department
P.O. Box 729
Anadarko, OK 73005
405.247.8612
alayna.jackson@wichitatribe.com
Indigenous-owned bookstores: