Abstract:

This essay addresses how eighteenth-century studies can be more inclusive of Indigenous scholarship and knowledge, and the possibility of decolonizing the field. It follows an autobiographical narrative of undergraduate courses and a research project concerning the oral traditions and history of the Osage Nation. My experience shows that individual professors’ mentoring and their inclusion of Native American literature, authors, and topics in course offerings are crucial to advancing the decolonization and reversal of Indigenous erasure in university settings. In the field of Indigenous studies and literature, the previous work of ethnologist Francis La Flesche, anthropologist Garrick Bailey, and historian Louis F. Burns on the Osages provides a foundation for future scholarship on this tribe. My conclusion is that the willingness of professors to offer courses on Indigenous literature, or considerations of how Native American issues relate to and influence their field of study, are key to developing BIPOC inclusion in literary academia.

摘要：

本文论述了18世纪的研究如何将土著学者的知识和知识纳入其中，以及使该领域非殖民化的可能性。它遵循了本科课程的自传体叙事和有关Osage民族的口头传统和历史的研究项目。我的经验表明，个别教授的指导以及他们在课程中提供的美洲原住民文学，作家和话题对于在大学环境中推进土著化的非殖民化和逆转至关重要。在土著研究和文学领域，民族学家弗朗西斯·拉·弗莱什（Francis La Flesche），人类学家加里克·贝利（Garrick Bailey）和历史学家路易斯·F·伯恩斯（Louis F. Burns）的先前著作为该部落的未来学术研究奠定了基础。