Letters About Literature Home >> 2008 National Winners and Honorable Mentions >> Level 2 National Winner: Dana Vigue
LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE
Letters of 2008 National Winners and Honorable Mentions
Level 2 National Winner: Dana Vigue
Dear Janet Shaw,
I was always ashamed of my Native American heritage. I looked
different from everyone else in my elementary school. I had a
strong nose, high cheekbones, and long black hair. All of my
friends had freckles, dainty noses with a dip, and light, beautiful
eyes. I was never concerned about my looks. I wasn't abnormally
different. I was just different enough for someone to ask.
When my classmates found out that I was a Micmac Indian, they
made fun of me. It started out as an annoyance but soon transformed
into something close to abuse. They'd bat their hands against
their mouths to make an "Indian" sound whenever they
saw me. They'd call me names and act like I was some kind of
alien, running away whenever I'd show up. My cheeks would burn
with embarrassment but there was nothing that I could do about
it. I couldn't stop being me.
Being a Native American could be fun. My mother would always
take me to pow wows in the summer and fall. I loved them. It
was great to have hundreds of other people who were like me.
We'd dance, sing, play the enormous drums. My mother and I even
joined a drum group called The Red Hawk Medicine Drum. We traveled
around Maine and played at pow wows. We also met other drum groups.
Everyone could act like family together, laughing, talking, and
eating like we'd known each other for years. Eventually, when
the summer came to an end, I had to go back to school. The torture
that I had been dreading when I would return to school was, indeed,
waiting for me. Every morning when I woke up, I'd have a huge
lump in my throat and try to make up an excuse to stay home.
It was like I was living a nightmare.
One day I saw one of your books in my school's library. "Meet
Kaya" it read. The cover of the book was what caught my
eye. Kaya, the Indian girl was standing there with her gorgeous
black stallion. She was an Indian girl? I just had to pick it
up. Kaya's adventures captivated me. I felt like it was me who
was flying through the air on a black stallion. I was the girl
who took care of my dear and very best friend. I was living in
an animal hide Tee Pee in a beautiful field. When I finished
the first book, I quickly went out and bought the entire series.
I read them every night, like a ritual. They opened my eyes to
the beauty of being a Native American. When I realized that,
I began to stand up for myself. I stopped putting up with the
bullying that I was receiving and defended myself. I tried extremely
hard to make friends and forced myself to be less shy. Before
I knew it, my life had been transformed.
Janet Shaw, your book has changed my life. Nobody bully's me
about my heritage anymore. I'm proud of being a Micmac Indian
and I will always take a stand for myself. Thank you sincerely
for the cherished inspiration that you've given me.
Your dedicated reader,
Dana Vigue
Letters About Literature Home >> 2008
National Winners and Honorable Mentions >> Level 2 National Winner: Dana Vigue
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