Wendy Rose facts for kids

Wendy Rose (born May 8, 1948) is an American writer. She is known for her poetry. Her writing often explores her search for identity. This is because she grew up with both Native American and white backgrounds. Wendy Rose is also an anthropologist, artist, and social scientist.

Who is Wendy Rose?

Wendy Rose is a talented poet, writer, artist, and teacher. She is also an anthropologist, which means she studies human societies and cultures. She uses the name Chiron Khanshendel sometimes. Wendy Rose does not like to be put into just one box. However, she is most famous for her work as a Native American poet.

Her Early Life

Wendy Rose was born Bronwen Elizabeth Edwards on May 7, 1948. Her hometown was Oakland, California.

When she was young, she decided to follow her own path. She left high school and moved to San Francisco. There, she joined the American Indian Movement (AIM). She also took part in a protest on Alcatraz. During this time, Rose thought a lot about her background. She explored her identity as a Native American woman in the world.

College and Studies

From 1966 to 1980, Wendy Rose went to several colleges. First, she studied at Cabrillo College and Contra Costa Junior College. In 1974, she started at the University of California, Berkeley.

She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), in anthropology in 1976. Two years later, she received her Master of Arts (M.A.) degree. She then began working on her Ph.D. During these years, Rose published five books of poetry. She also finished her Ph.D. in anthropology.

Her Career as a Writer and Teacher

Wendy Rose is a poet, historian, painter, and anthropologist. She is also a teacher, researcher, and editor.

After college, Rose continued to work in education. She taught Native American and Ethnic studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Later, she taught at California State University, Fresno. Since 1984, she has been at Fresno City College. There, she leads the American Indian Studies Program. She also edited a journal called the American Indian Quarterly.

What Does Wendy Rose Write About?

Wendy Rose's writings explore many important ideas. Many of these ideas relate to the Native American experience. She writes about her own life and the experiences of other groups.

Some of her main topics include:

• The effects of colonialism (when one country takes control of another).
• Feelings about the past and old traditions.
• Respect for grandparents and elders.
• The challenges faced by Native Americans living on reservations or in cities.
• The power of the "trickster" (a common character in Native American stories).
• Feminism (supporting equal rights for women).
• The sadness of losing land and culture.
• The struggle between wanting to keep old ways and knowing that change will happen.
• The problems faced by people with mixed Native American and other backgrounds.

Rose also uses her background as an anthropologist in her poetry. Even though she sometimes says she isn't "really" an anthropologist, her poems often use images and facts from history and science.

Understanding "Whiteshamanism"

One very important idea Wendy Rose writes about is "whiteshamanism." She explores this idea in her poem "For the White poets who would be Indian."

"Whiteshamanism" is a term first used by a Cherokee writer named Geary Hobson. He described it as white poets who pretend to be Native American spiritual leaders or "medicine men." Hobson said that for these poets, just being a poet was not enough. They felt they needed to claim power from a higher source.

Both Hobson and Rose see "whiteshamanism" as a modern form of cultural imperialism. This means one culture tries to take over or use parts of another culture without understanding or respecting it. Rose compares a white person with no Native American background calling themselves a shaman to someone claiming to be a Rabbi who is not Jewish.

Native Americans often feel a mix of humor and anger about "whiteshamans." It's not just about people from outside their culture writing about it. It's about them misrepresenting true Native American culture. Rose believes that simply reading about Native American culture does not make someone an expert. You cannot just claim to speak for the Native American experience.

Rose explains that the problem is about honesty and purpose. It's not about what someone writes about or their writing style. She is fine with people of other backgrounds writing about Native Americans. But 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.

Wendy Rose believes that "the personal is political." This means that personal experiences are connected to bigger social and political issues. Her poetry shows that all parts of her identity come together to make her whole. She dislikes "whiteshamanism" because it lacks this wholeness. While she worked hard to find her own identity, "whiteshamans" simply took from her culture. Her poetry speaks out against unfairness. "Whiteshamans" speak from a place of privilege.

Wendy Rose's Books

Each of Wendy Rose's poetry collections shows a different time in her life. They reflect different experiences that shaped her writing.

Other Works

• 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