laura ingalls little house on the prairie

Before we begin to read the book in my classroom I take a few moments to talk about Wilder’s real life and the historical accuracy of her books. Reading Little House on the Prairie with children today requires explanation.

The questions then arise, is this because Wilder is culturally insensitive or is she simply writing from her perspective, having been born in 1867 and writing in the 1930s? Teachable Momentsįifth graders from Cleaveland Traditional Magnet Elementary School in Wichita, Kansas reading Little House on the Prairie. In an article with the jarring title “Little Squatter on the Osage Diminished Reserve”, Francis Kaye states “Wilder, writing as honestly as she knew how, spun a tale that, because of her very decency, makes ‘ethnic cleansing’ appear palatable.”Īs Amy Fatzinger writes in her dissertation Indians in the House, Wilder raises “a great issue that was still problematic in the 1930s, when Little House on the Prairie was written and remains so today: the Euro-American preemption of lands occupied by Native Americans.” And, Wilder uses the voice of 7-year-old Laura to do so. In recent years the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder have been accused of being culturally insensitive and even racist, particularly Little House on the Prairie.

You come across the words “the only good Indian was a dead Indian.” Do you put the book down in horror, shocked by the cultural insensitivity of the author? Do you decry the author as a racist and vow to never read another word? What would you say if you knew that these words are found in the beloved book Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder? Imagine you are reading a book that you loved as a child, perhaps you are reading it to your young child, or that you are reading it for the very first time.

Laura ingalls little house on the prairie