Native American course in Texas doesn’t need political rancor

Hawana Huwuni Townsley breaks from a American Indian/Native Studies innovative course curriculum committee Zoom meeting for portraits on May 9, 2022 in Richardson, Texas. Artwork from Huwuni's mother and sister decorates the walls of her office at the church.Proponents of a pilot program offering a course in Native American studies to high school students in Grand Prairie hope to gain approval from the State Board of Education so that it may be taught statewide.

That certainly wasn’t the case when the education board was considering creation of curriculum standards for a Mexican American studies high school elective course. The standards were approved in 2018, but not before much unfortunate debate. A similar course curriculum for Black American studies was approved with thankfully less rancor in 2020.

The Grand Prairie Independent School District has been offering a Native American studies elective course this year to high school students as part of a pilot program. The district had led the way in bringing this rich culture to Texas schools. Two years ago, it hosted “The Native American Conversation,” which brought together representatives from more than two dozen tribes and tribal nations and school district officials from Grand Prairie, Dallas and Fort Worth.

Proponents of the program have good reason to believe the state education board will approve their curriculum; current rules allow for approval of such an elective course, as well as others in Latino and Asian Pacific Islander studies. But all is subject to discussion, and we hope the some of the recent state and national debate over social studies in schools doesn’t interrupt what should at this point be a smooth process in Texas.

Certainly, evidence of Texas’ early residents can be found all around us. Waco, Wichita Falls, Comanche Peak, Lake Kiowa, Caddo Lake — all of these refer to just some of the many tribes known to have thrived in this area long before Texas became the 28th state in 1845. Even the name of Texas itself is derived from the Native American word teyshas, a greeting meaning “friend.” The state motto is “Friendship.

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