A panel of Indian leaders discussed Indian education issues at Central Michigan University on Wednesday.

Sonny Smart, a member of the Bad River Band of Chippewa and a Native American studies professor at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, said Indians are portrayed negatively and left out of in history books. He said this marginalizes indigenous people.

Henrietta Mann, endowed chair in Native American studies at Montana State University and member of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, said Indian people are absent from the school system.

Donna Budnick, an attorney and member of the Little Traverse Bay Band of Ottawa Indians, said there is little diversity in the classroom. She said the Michigan Education Assessment Program has failed to include any Indian-related questions on statewide tests.

The panel was called "Indigenous Survival: Education for the 21st Century."

Get the Story:
Panel: Native culture omitted from textbooks (Central Michigan Life 10/28)

Related Stories:
CMU panel to discuss Indian education issues (10/26)