|
Anti-Censorship Event April 1 Features Daylong Reading of Controversial Book |
|
|
|
|
Written by Edwin Smith
|
|
03/23/2009 |
OXFORD,
Miss. - Thirty-four years ago, a desperate shoot-out between FBI agents
and American Indians near Wounded Knee, S.D., left an American Indian
and two federal agents dead. Four members of the American Indian
Movement were indicted on murder charges, and one, Leonard Peltier, was
convicted and is serving consecutive life sentences in a federal
penitentiary.
Details of this and other struggles by the Sioux
Indians to maintain their dignity and tribal traditions will be
revisited during an anti-censorship reading April 1 at the University
of Mississippi.
Peter Matthiessen's controversial book "In the
Spirit of Crazy Horse" (Viking Press, 1991) is to be continuously read
aloud by volunteers in front of Bondurant Hall from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. A
discussion is to follow. Sponsored by the Department of English, the
event is free and open to the public.
"Matthiessen's book was
pulled from the shelves of stores and libraries after FBI agents and a
former governor of South Dakota sued for libel," said Griffith
Brownlee, instructor of English and event coordinator. "The courts
eventually upheld the author's First Amendment rights, but the book was
banned for eight years. To this day, it is still considered taboo by
conservative groups that have censored and/or intruded upon free
discourse about politics, religion, sexuality, morality and cultural
differences.
"Hopefully, reading and discussing this book will open people up to discussion about these issues, leading to a better understanding of and appreciation for diverse perspectives."
Patrick Quinn, professor and chair of the UM English department, commended his faculty member for arranging this event as a reminder that this is a free country.
"Professor Brownlee's public readings are a constant reminder to the complacent individual of the contrast between the values inculcated in a truly democratic society and those perpetuated in totalitarian regimes where public opinion is not sanctioned," Quinn said "Because many of us seldom reflect on the nature of this freedom, we need such events to help us realize the importance of the freedoms we take for granted."
Originally published in 1983, the book is a comprehensive history of the Lakota tribe's long struggle with the U.S. government, from Red Cloud's War and Little Big Horn in the 19th century to the shameful discrimination that led to the new Indian wars of the 1970s. A national bestseller, the volume was met with both critical praise and disdain.
"It's the first solidly documented account of the U.S. government's renewed assault upon American Indians that began in the 1970s," wrote Dee Brown, author of "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee."
"Matthiessen presents a convincing case not only for a retrial of Leonard Peltier, but also for a re-examination of the real cost of the American Dream - in human lives, in mockery of justice, in squandered earth," wrote an anonymous USA Today reviewer.
Tim Giago, founder and publisher of the Lakota Times, said, "[The book] has a lot of errors in it and outright lies ... Comparisons of Peltier to Crazy Horse are not only ludicrous but were an absolute embarrassment to David Long, Crazy Horse's great-grandson, who is now deceased."
Brownlee said she sees such tolerance for differences in opinion as hope for a better society.
"An educated person is aware of and comfortable around a variety of cultural perspectives," Brownlee said. "People who push themselves to do the scary task of facing other people's realities no matter what they may look like will eventually find themselves better and stronger for it."
For more information about the anti-censorship readings, call Griffith Brownlee at 662-801-0240 or e-mail her at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
For more information about the UM Department of English, go to http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/English . For assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-7439.
|
