Unpacks the twenty-one most common myths and misconceptions about Native Americans

In this enlightening book, scholars and activists Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker tackle a wide range of myths about Native American culture and history that have misinformed generations. Tracing how these ideas evolved, and drawing from history, the authors disrupt long-held and enduring myths such as:

Columbus Discovered America
Thanksgiving Proves the Indians Welcomed Pilgrims
Indians Were Savage and Warlike
Europeans Brought Civilization to Backward Indians
The United States Did Not Have a Policy of Genocide
Sports Mascots Honor Native Americans
Most Indians Are on Government Welfare
Indian Casinos Make Them All Rich
Indians Are Naturally Predisposed to Alcohol

Each chapter deftly shows how these myths are rooted in the fears and prejudice of European settlers and in the larger political agendas of a settler state aimed at acquiring Indigenous land and tied to narratives of erasure and disappearance. Accessibly written and revelatory, All the Real Indians Died Off challenges readers to rethink what they have been taught about Native Americans and history.