Abstract: I use Bighorse; The Warrior , written by Tiana Bighorse with collaborator Noël Bennett and other culturally relevant texts in college-level develop-mental writing courses to teach students to see connections between colonial history and current sociological problems and to explore Native identities. Gus Bighorse (Diné), the narrator in the Bighorse text, reveals how the Navajo people were oppressed, but also how they survived and moved forward. This story acknowledges the misdeeds of White settlers and illustrates moving forward as a survivor. Moreover, it is a multigenerational story that translates crucial evidence and cultural knowledge from an oral tradition into a written format. This article shows how works by Native authors can be used in writing classrooms as effective, culturally relevant texts.
Ann M. C. Matt (Fri,) studied this question.