What are the implications of a white author (Stephenie Meyer) writing about a...

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...real-life Native American tribe? Do you think this is wrong or right or what? I know she studied a lot of the Quieute legends to write the saga, and that the only one she added was about the Cold Ones. But does a white person have the cultural authority to write that closely about a culture that is not her own, that her own culture forced into submission?

Is her treatment of Native American characters fair and speaks to a commitment (or at least an understanding of) social justice?

And, most importantly, do the Quileutes feel she represented their culture well?

Any answer to any question is welcome.
 
i think she did a good job on it, althought i didnt like that guy on a wheelchair, but it could have been worse. some authors are really racist against native americans, specially in the u.s.
 
She wrote a FICTION book. You don't have to know anything about anything to write one.
 
... R U SRS? .. So let me get u straight: Teh ONLY ppl that r allow'd to write about Native Americans is Natve Americans!? NOBODY else.

So evan though the MAYANs are all dead, noshody can write aboot them because nobody alive is MAYAN ?

..... On da other hand, shes sellin' somebody else' culture 4 her own finacascal gain, which is wrong. Hmm.. ...... She shud donate a potion of her $ to native Americains.
 
There are plenty of black people and other ethnicities who dont know any more than she about their OWN culture. Now what does that tell you?
 
She wrote a fictional book, so you are nitpicking over someone's imagination. She did enough reseach to write what she had to write, however, I don't think her writing is such that you can nitpick over her treatment of Native Americans.

If your concern is her treatment of the Quileute people and their history, then shouldn't you also be concerned with the treatment of other groups in all of fictional writing? When writing a fiction, the writer uses a lot of literary license so you should not necessarily look at a work of fiction as a basis on people's treatment of other cultures and try to find forms of racism or discrimination.
 
OK- As an active Native American myself I have to say your questions are ridiculous. It is a book. She is an author. What does the color of her skin have to do with anything?

What I mean is: Did Mel Gibson have to be part of the Mayan culture to direct Apocalypto?

Do you get my point?
 
Well, she wasn't really writing a book to give information about the tribe....that is why it is listed under fiction. Not true. I think what you are getting at, is trying to create an issue over someone's imagination...kind of silly. I hardly think that she would be offensive to them. What about humans in general? Should we ALL be offended that we were depicted as such helpless creatures, unaware of all that is around us? hmmmm
 
I think she has the authority even though that is not her culture. I believe she did a good job and yeah, she also could have added more legends.
I believe she represented their culture well.
 
I kind of think that you can write about a different culture. But about Steph Meyer, one of my teachers actually thought that she was being kind of racist. Like how she portrays the Quileutes as these wolves and how jacob doesn't really win Bella in the end, and then you see the white vampires like Edwards for example, this great, handsome, civilized, European character that just happens to be perfect and has everything.

I honestly thought it was a bit racist, I don't know about you...
 
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