Red Children in White America

How do Native American children see themselves and their race in the midst of a society dominated by whites? What are the social sources of different racial attitudes in red children? Living and working with three Native American tribes, Ann Beuf studied the effects of interpersonal prejudice and institutional racism on 229 preschool children. Using the technique of doll-play and the projective storytelling test, she found that, even on an isolated reservation where young children have little personal contact with whites, racism in the dominant American culture is in itself sufficient to impart status assumptions to a child.

By directing his or her play with brown- and white-skinned dolls, Beuf explored each child's own self-image and each one's concept of "beauty" and "goodness" in relation to race. Her findings seemingly disprove earlier theories as to how racial perceptions are formed within minority groups.