Wendy Rose facts for kids

Wendy Rose, born on May 8, 1948, is an American writer. She is known for her poetry and writings that explore her own background. Wendy Rose is part Native American and part white. Her work often talks about finding out who you are. She is also an expert in anthropology, which is the study of human societies and cultures. She is also an artist and a social scientist.

About Wendy Rose

Wendy Rose is a talented poet, writer, artist, and teacher. She is also an anthropologist. She uses the name Chiron Khanshendel sometimes. Wendy Rose doesn't like to be put into just one box. She is best known for her amazing poems as a Native American writer.

Her Early Life

Wendy Rose was born Bronwen Elizabeth Edwards on May 7, 1948. This was in Oakland, California. Her father was from the Hopi people. Her mother had some Miwok heritage.

When she was young, Wendy Rose started to make her own way. She left high school and went to San Francisco. There, she joined the American Indian Movement (AIM). She also took part in a protest on Alcatraz Island. During this time, she thought a lot about her background. She also thought about being a woman and what it meant to be an Indian in the world.

Her College Years

From 1966 to 1980, Wendy Rose went to several colleges. First, she studied at Cabrillo College and Contra Costa Junior College. In 1974, she enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley. While there, she married Arthur Murata in 1976. That same year, she earned her Bachelor's degree in anthropology. Two years later, in 1978, she earned her Master's degree. She then started a program to get her Ph.D. During these years, Wendy Rose published five books of poetry. She also finished her Ph.D. in anthropology.

Her Professional Work

Wendy Rose has many roles. She is a poet, historian, painter, and illustrator. She is also an anthropologist. On top of that, she is a teacher, researcher, and consultant. She also works as an editor, panelist, and advisor.

After finishing her studies, Rose continued to work in education. She taught Native American and Ethnic studies. She taught at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1979 to 1983. Then she taught at California State University, Fresno, from 1983 to 1984. Since 1984, she has been at Fresno City College. There, she leads the American Indian Studies Program. She also edited the American Indian Quarterly. Wendy Rose is a member of the American Federation of Teachers. She has also helped groups like the Association of Non-Federally Recognized California Tribes.

Main Ideas in Her Work

Important Themes

Wendy Rose's writings explore many important ideas. These ideas often relate to the Native American experience. Some themes are about her own life. Others are about the experiences of other groups who have faced challenges.

Some of these themes include:

• Colonialism: When one country takes control of another.
• Imperialism: Extending a country's power through force.
• Feeling dependent on others.
• Missing old traditions.
• Respect for grandparents.
• Feeling upset about current conditions.
• The challenges faced by Native Americans on reservations and in cities.
• A sense of hopelessness.
• The power of the trickster (a character in many Native American stories).
• Feminism: The idea that women should have equal rights.
• The pain of making difficult compromises.
• The meaning of things that have been lost, like land.
• The struggle between wanting to bring back the past and knowing that change is unavoidable.
• The arrogance of some white people.
• The challenges faced by people of mixed heritage.

Wendy Rose also explores themes related to her work as an anthropologist. Even though she sometimes says she isn't "really" an anthropologist, her poems often show her knowledge of history and science. This is seen through the images she uses and historical notes in her poetry.

What is Whiteshamanism?

One very important idea Wendy Rose writes about is "whiteshamanism." This idea is clearly shown in her poem "For the White poets who would be Indian."

Geary Hobson, a Cherokee writer, created the term "whiteshamanism." He said it describes white poets who pretend to be shamans. A shaman is like a spiritual leader or healer, often in the form of a Native American medicine man. Hobson said these poets feel being just a poet isn't enough. They claim to have special powers from higher sources.

Both Hobson and Rose see whiteshamanism as a modern form of cultural imperialism. This means one culture tries to take over or misuse parts of another. In her essay "Just What's All This Fuss About Whiteshamanism Anyway?", Rose compares a white person with no real Native American background calling themselves a shaman to someone claiming to be a Rabbi without being Jewish.

Native Americans often see whiteshamans with a mix of humor and disapproval. It's not just that these people are outside their culture. It's that they are showing a false idea of true Native American culture. Rose believes that simply reading about Native American culture doesn't give someone the right to speak for the Native American experience.

She explains that the problem with "whiteshamans" is about honesty and intentions. It's not about the topic, style, or trying new things. Rose is fine with people of other races writing about Native Americans. But she believes it must be from their own point of view. It should not be from a fake "whiteshaman" persona. This fake persona wrongly claims to understand the Native American experience.

In her book Bone Dance (1994), she wrote, "the personal is political." This means that personal experiences are connected to bigger social issues. Scholar David Perron explains that Rose's poetry is about being whole, not about differences. She dislikes "whiteshamans" because they lack this wholeness. Wendy Rose worked hard to find her own identity. She used poetry to express herself. Meanwhile, "whiteshamans" simply took from her culture. Her poetry speaks about unfairness. The "whiteshaman" spoke from a place of privilege. So, while it's hard to sum up all of Wendy Rose's work, her writings on "whiteshamanism" connect many themes in her poetry.

Her Works

Introduction to Her Collections

Each of Wendy Rose's poetry books shows a different time in her life. They also show different experiences. Each book is connected to specific moments that shaped it in a special way.

Other Writings

• Just What's All This Fuss about Whiteshamanism, Anyway? Coyote Was Here (1984)
• Neon Scars, I Tell You Now (1987)
• The Great Pretenders: Further Reflections on Whiteshamanism, The State of Native America: Genocide, Colonization and Resistance (1992)
• For Some It's a Time of Mourning, Without Discovery (1992)

See also

• List of writers from peoples Indigenous to the Americas
• Native American Studies