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Student Webinar - Free on 10/11 - Black Indigenous Youth

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Student Webinar - Free on 10/11 - Black Indigenous Youth

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Upcoming Student Webinars

Bring the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian to your classroom! Learn about the rich, complex, and dynamic histories and cultures of Indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere from anywhere with our new distance learning programs.

Youth in Action: Conversations about Our Future

Hear from young Native activists and changemakers from across the Western Hemisphere working towards equity and social justice for Indigenous peoples. Topics vary each month. These FREE webinars are targeted to middle and high school students.

New episodes coming soon.

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Native Knowledge 360° | K-12 Distance Learning Programs

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Native Knowledge 360° is the National Museum of the American Indian's national initiative to inspire and promote improvement of teaching and learning about American Indians. Discover standards-compliant, interactive teaching resources for all grade levels. Learn more about our new distance learning programs.

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FARMINGTON - Three Democratic members of Congress are calling for changing the national holiday of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1937 and commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492.

While the holiday is observed on the second Monday in October, momentum for modifying the day has increased in recent years with several states and cities opting to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day.

New Mexico's U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján are sponsoring the bill to have Indigenous Peoples' Day take the place of Columbus Day as well as replacing any mention of Columbus Day in all federal laws or regulations with Indigenous Peoples' Day.
More: Senate approves resolution for National Native American Heritage Month
U.S. Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives.
Video: San Juan College hosts third annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration
"By celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day, we lift up the strength and resilience of America's tribal nations. I'm proud to stand with New Mexico's tribes and pueblos who have led the way to re-frame this national holiday to honor all of the significant contributions and diverse cultures of our native communities," Heinrich said in the joint news release.

Luján said he is proud of the effort and "hopeful" that Congress can make it reality.

"Let this day serve as a celebration of our country's tribal nations and Native communities, and a reminder of the work ahead, to continue to strengthen and improve the federal government's relationship with tribal governments and Indigenous peoples," he said.
More: Farmington High grad, screenwriter will present premiere of new film this week at festival
New Mexico is among 14 states that celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. The state is home to 23 pueblos and tribes.
Noel Lyn Smith covers the Navajo Nation for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4636 or by email at nsmith@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription to The Daily Times.
Among tribal leaders backing the proposal are Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer.

Both leaders submitted letters of support to members of Congress last week, according to their office.

"The Navajo Nation has long been opposed to celebrating Columbus Day. He is credited by many with 'discovering' the Americas, but this characterization ignores the fact that the land was already inhabited by numerous peoples with advanced cultures, technologies and systems of government that rivaled the Europeans at the time," Nez said.

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Sens. Heinrich, Luján sponsor bill that calls for Indigenous Peoples' Day

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FARMINGTON - Three Democratic members of Congress are calling for changing the national holiday of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day. Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1937 and commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492.

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"The most American thing about America is American Indians." -Paul Chaat Smith (Comanche)

T he first documented observance of Columbus Day in the United States took place in New York City in 1792, on the 300th anniversary of Columbus's landfall in the Western Hemisphere. The holiday originated as an annual celebration of Italian-American heritage in San Francisco in 1869. In 1934, at the request of the Knights of Columbus and New York City's Italian community, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared the first national observance of Columbus Day. President Roosevelt and the U.S. Congress made October 12 a national holiday three years later. In 1972 President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making the official date of the holiday the second Monday in October.

Generations of Native people, however, throughout the Western Hemisphere have protested Columbus Day. In the forefront of their minds is the fact the colonial takeovers of the Americas, starting with Columbus, led to the deaths of millions of Native people and the forced assimilation of survivors.

In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples' Day replace Columbus Day. Indigenous Peoples' Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history.

The movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day or Native American Day has gained momentum and spread to states, cities, and towns across the United States. The first state to rename Columbus Day was South Dakota in 1990. Hawai'i has also changed the name of its October 12 holiday to Discovers' Day, in honor of the Polynesian navigators who peopled the islands. Berkeley, California, became the first city to make the change in 1992, when the city council renamed Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples' Day. In 2015 an estimated 6,000 Native people and their supporters gathered at Randall's Island, New York, to recognize the survival of the Indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. The demonstration's success and the worldwide media attention it attracted planted the seeds for creating an Indigenous Peoples' Day in New York City. This year the nation's capital passed a resolution to change the holiday to Indigenous Peoples' Day. Universities and schools across the country are also observing the new commemoration.

These states and the District of Columbia now observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples' Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day. Most of them have followed the lead of their cities and smaller communities, a list that has happily grown too long to include here

▪︎ Alabama
▪︎ Alaska
▪︎ District of Columbia
▪︎ Hawai'i
▪︎ Idaho
​▪︎ Iowa
▪︎ Louisiana
▪︎ Maine
▪︎ Michigan
▪︎ Minnesota
▪︎ New Mexico
▪︎ North Carolina
▪︎ Oklahoma
▪︎ Oregon
▪︎ South Dakota
▪︎ Vermont
▪︎ Virginia
▪︎ Wisconsin

Even so, mythology about Columbus and the "discovery" of the Americas continues to be many American children's first classroom lesson about encountering different cultures, ethnicities, and peoples. Teaching more accurate and complete narratives and differing perspectives is key to our society's rethinking its history. In the last few years, the museum has hosted Indigenous Peoples' Curriculum Days and Teach-Ins at the beginning of the school year in Washington, New York, and this year on line. Teaching for Change, a Washington-based national education organization, and the museum's Education Office work with teachers of students from kindergarten through 12th grade in sessions that range from student activism to defend the environment or abolish Columbus Day; to skills such as critical literacy, art, and facilitated dialogue; to inquiry-based lessons available through the museum's online education initiative Native Knowledge 360°.

In 2018 Sarah Shear, assistant professor of Social Studies Education at Penn State University-Altoona, gave the keynote presentation, based on research on U.S. history standards from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In 2015, Dr. Shear and her collaborators Ryan T. Knowles, Gregory J. Soden, and Antonio J. Castro published data showing that 87 percent of the references to Native Americans in U.S. curricula are in the context of American history before 1900. "The narrative presented in U.S. history standards," they write, "when analyzed with a critical eye, directed students to see Indigenous Peoples as a long since forgotten episode in the country's development." Shear and her colleaguse see serious implications in the way the United States teaches its history:

When one looks at the larger picture painted by the quantitative data, it is easy to argue that the narrative of U.S. history is painfully one sided in its telling of the American narrative, especially with regard to Indigenous Peoples' experiences. . . .

The qualitative findings further illuminate a Euro-American narrative that reinstitutes the marginalization of Indigenous cultures and knowledge. Indigenous Peoples are left in the shadows of Euro-America's destiny, while the cooperation and conflict model provides justification for the eventual termination of Indigenous Peoples from the American landscape and historical narrative. Finally, a tone of detachment, especially with long lists of legal and political terms, dismisses the humanity of Indigenous cultures and experiences in the United States.

In 2019, the co-editors of An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States-librarian and educator Dr. Debbie Reese (Nambé Owingeh) and historian Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz-headlined workshops in Washington and New York. Reese, founder of the highly respected resource American Indians in Children's Literature, describe their work on An Indigenous People's History as shining bright lights on historic episodes that are left out of most books. "As much as we could," Reese says, "we wanted to give readers the kind of information that's known within Native families, communities, and nations. We believe that it is vital that all citizens of the United States know more about the people whom we regard, as a society, as being heroic. There are different points of view."

This year, more than 250 teachers in the United States and around the world attended the 2020 Indigenous Peoples' Day Virtual Teach-In, which focused on Food and Water Justice. Winona LaDuke (member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg of the White Earth Teservation) gave the keynote presentation on the importance of biodiversity, especially in light of climate change and the pandemic. Two rounds of workshops followed, using classroom resources from the museum's national education intitiative, Native Knowledge 360°, and the Zinn Education Project's Teach Climate Justice. Videos of the keynote address and the workshops The Inka Empire: What Innovations Can Provide Food and Water for Millions? and American Indian Responses to Environmental Challenges are available online. (Workshops that included interactive lessons with breakout rooms were not recorded.)

Things are changing. This year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, states, cities, towns, counties, community groups, churches, universities, schools, and other institutions are observing Indigenous Peoples' Day or Native American Day primarily with virtual activities that raise awareness of the rich history, culture, and traditions of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. They do so thanks to Native people and their allies who gathered for decades-and will gather again when we can do so safely-at prayer vigils, powwows, symposiums, concerts, lectures, rallies, and classrooms to help America rethink American history.
Today at 1 p.m. Eastern time, join us online for a special Indigenous Peoples' Day presentation of Youth in Action: Conversations about Our Future. How do our memories of the past inform and influence the current racial and social landscape? Hear young Native activists share their thoughts on history and memory, and how current movements happening across America reflect the tension between different ways of looking at the past. With a performance by hip hop artist Frank Waln (Sicangu Lakota) and an introduction by Kevin Gover (Pawnee), director of the National Museum of the American Indian.

In a companion post on Smithsonian Voices, the museum sharesmore suggestions for celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day from home. Renée Gokey (citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma) is the teacher services coordinator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Dennis W. Zotigh (Kiowa/San Juan Pueblo/Santee Dakota Indian) is a member of the Kiowa Gourd Clan and San Juan Pueblo Winter Clan and a descendant of Sitting Bear and No Retreat, both principal war chiefs of the Kiowas. Dennis works as a writer and cultural specialist at the Smithsonian' s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

This post was originally published on October 7, 2018. It has been updated for Indigenous People's Day 2019 and 2020.

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Rethinking How We Celebrate American History-Indigenous Peoples' Day

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Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! On Monday, more states, cities, and communities than ever will observe Indigenous Peoples' Day in place of or in addition to Columbus Day. They're part of a larger movement to see a more complete and accurate history of the United States taught in our schools and public spaces.

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Though parts of our nation continue to celebrate Columbus Day today, here at The Everymom, we are committed to honoring Native and Indigenous people and their diverse cultures and rich traditions by marking today as Indigenous People's Day. We encourage parents to start a conversation with little ones that center on this country's first inhabitants and acknowledges the painful truth of our intertwined story.

If there's one thing I've learned in my relatively short time as a parent, it's that books are a wonderful entry point into discussing tough topics with kids. They're the foundation we lay today so that tomorrow, even our smallest children can approach the world with a humble heart and open mind.
To begin the work of reframing the narrative for kids, we've compiled a list of 10 beautiful picture books that offer a window into the lives of Indigenous people. Editor's Note: All shopping is linked to Bookshop.org, an online store supporting local, independent bookstores.

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10 Books to Read With Kids in Honor of Indigenous People's Day

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Though parts of our nation continue to celebrate Columbus Day today, here at The Everymom, we are committed to honoring Native and Indigenous people and their diverse cultures and rich traditions by marking today as Indigenous People's Day.

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There are many ways children of all ages can observe Indigenous Peoples' Day. In this post, I share 8 options that can be used with preschool, elementary, and middle school age kids.

Disclosure: For your convenience, this post includes affiliate links. If you purchase items through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
1. Learn about the present day life and culture of a particular Native American nation or indigenous people.

Focusing on present day life is a great option for observing Indigenous Peoples' Day. Why? First, there's a huge problem in the United States with non-indigenous people talking about Native American nations as if they only existed in the past.

Second, if your child is a preschooler or kindergartner, it's important to focus on the present day because of their developmental stage. Young kids often can't separate the past from the present. For example, what happens if you ask a non-Native 4 year old what kind of house an American Indian might live in? They're to say a tipi because of all the stereotypes they're exposed to.

It's also important to tell children the particular Native American nation you are learning about and where there homelands are. Let kids know that every nation its own language, cultural traditions, and history.

Try reading one of these books with 4 - 10 year olds. (I created this list last year, but I just updated it to add some new favorites.)

Two of my favorite chapter books for older elementary kids that Reese introduced me to are Louise Erdrich's (part of the Birchbark House series ) and In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse .

You can also explore the beautiful photographs at Project 562 to show kids the diversity within indigenous peoples' living in the United States . Artist Matika Wilbur , who is Swinomish and Tulalip, spends almost all her time on the road. That's because she's committed to visiting and photographing all 562 of the sovereign Native American territories within the U.S.

2. Listen to greetings from indigenous language speakers from around the world

My kid loves playing with electronic maps, so I know this interactive experience will be a hit in our house.
Answer these 10 questions to determine if portrayals of Native peoples are helpful or harmful.
You'll also get my kids and justice themed resources in your inbox each Tuesday. Don't like it? No problem. You can unsubscribe in one click.

3. Watch an episode of Molly of Denali

I am pretty choosy about children's television. (Even a lot of educational programs don't measure up in my book.)

But I absolutely love the new PBS show Molly of Denali. The show expertly shows how Molly's Native Alaskan culture and history are a crucial part of her life. Molly also plays basketball, vlogs, and has snowball fights with her friends.

The show's producers have involved more than 60 writers and cultural advisers who are Alaska Natives, First Nations, or indigenous to ensure that the cultural content is accurate and meaningful.

My favorite episode so far of Molly of Denali is the very first one: "Grandpa's Drum." The story skillfully and sensitively introduces young children to the history of Native American boarding schools in an age appropriate way. I've watched the episode three times, and each time Grandpa remembers the song he hasn't sung sing childhood, I tear up.

For podcast fans, you can find episodes of the . My 7 year old was riveted!

4. Teach kids about the history of the people whose land you live on

My family lives on land that belonged to the Chickasaw and Quapaw nations. Both tribes were forcibly removed to Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) in the 1830s. I feel angry that even though names including the word Chickasaw are plastered all over our city, the only things I learned about their history was the Trail of Tears.

5. Share an example of indigenous activism with children

Upper elementary and middle school aged kids could look at the entire timeline for themes. They could also dive deep into one of the present day movements described in this Yes! magazine article, The Spirit of Standing Rock on the Move .

6. Learn about the Taino people

While children and youth learn the name Christopher Columbus early on in school, how many ever learn anything about the Taíno people that Columbus misnamed Indians?

The Zinn Education Project refers to this as a "curricular genocide - erasing the memory of the Taíno from our nation's classrooms."

As the article notes, one important thing to share with children is that the Taíno people still live on. Around the time that many non-indigenous people were celebrating the 500th anniversary of Columbus' arrival, descendants of the Taíno began concerted efforts to revive their language and traditions.

My friend Frances has shared about how she taught their son about his Taíno ancestry when he was young on her blog. (See additional posts she created for her Taíno ancestry series here .)

, an excellent resource for elementary and secondary school teachers, includes a section of articles of the Taínos. The book is available in both PDF and print versions.

You'll also get my kids and justice themed resources in your inbox each Tuesday. Don't like it? No problem. You can unsubscribe in one click.
Answer these 10 questions to determine if portrayals of Native peoples are helpful or harmful.
7. Unpack myths about Christopher Columbus

One of the activities in Rethinking Columbus that's available for free online is a mock trial, the People v. Columbus. (It's intended for middle and high school students, but it includes tips on how to adapt the roleplay for an elementary setting.)

[EDIT to original post]: I originally recommended Nancy Schimmel's song "1492" as a way to question what young children may have already learned about Columbus. I'm thankful to Autumn Morning Star for her feedback that this song is potentially trivializing to the horror that the Taíno and Arawak peoples experienced at the hands of Columbus. Therefore, I no longer view it as a helpful resource for young kids.

For 1st through 5th graders, I recommend the irreverent and bold picture book , by Thomas King. It's an unusual book, so I definitely recommend that adults read through it once before they read it to kids. This will give you an idea of what you might want to say before and after reading the story.

With our 7 year old, I took some time to tell him who Columbus was. I shared how many non-Native people celebrate him even though he did many bad things to indigenous people. We stopped periodically in the book to talk more about what was happening in certain pictures. Sometimes we talked about what the author might be wanting us to feel while reading a particular passage.

8. Join the campaign to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day

Abolishing Columbus Day celebrations is just one step in addressing the violence against, and erasure of, indigenous people. But I think it's an important one, especially in our schools. Continuing to observe Columbus Day makes it impossible to teach our children history as it really happened.

You'll also get my kids and justice themed resources in your inbox each Tuesday. Don't like it? No problem. You can unsubscribe in one click.

Additional lesson plans and resources for teachers
Answer these 10 questions to determine if portrayals of Native peoples are helpful or harmful.
There are many great resources for lesson plans and activities which I'll share below.

Most "Native American" crafts that you'll find online are highly problematic. They play into stereotypes that non-Native people have about indigenous people. The crafts are often non-specific to a particular nation, or mix up elements of different nations. Too many of these crafts incorporate items that are sacred (such as feathers) and therefore don't belong in a children's craft.

If you are an early childhood teacher, please read my post:
But first I'll make a plea to teachers of young kids about what NOT to do.
Additional resources and lesson plans for preschool and elementary teachers

Additional resources and lessons plans for middle and high school teachers

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8 ways to observe Indigenous Peoples' Day with children - The Barefoot Mommy

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There are many ways children of all ages can observe Indigenous Peoples' Day. In this post, I share 8 options that can be used with preschool, elementary, and middle school age kids. Disclosure: For your convenience, this post includes affiliate links.

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Check out some of the best Indigenous Peoples Day books for kids! Rather than teach Columbus Day, teach more about the Indigenous people and their struggles and their triumphs. Picture books are a great way to teach about almost any topic. These picture books for Indigenous Peoples Day are a great way to make this day more respectful to all native cultures.
If you're a member of the Picture Book Brain Trust Community, you already have access to EVERY lesson plan and activity for these books! Just click on the Lesson Plans button in the menu! If you're not a member of the Picture Book Brain Trust, you can join for as little as $1 for 30 days to get unlimited access! Click here to join!
Check out the books:

Zonia's Rain Forest by Juana Martínez-Neal

This is the newest book on the list, and it immediately went straight to the top! The author Juana Martinez-Neal's pedigree speaks for itself: Caldecott Honor, Pura Belpre Medal, Sibert Medal. With this book, though, she could finally claim the Caldecott Medal. Just looking at the cover you can see her unique style, but also note the handmade paper used to create the illustrations was with banana bark pulp.

Zonia is an Asháninka girl who lives with her family in the rainforest of Peru. Each morning, the forest calls her and teaches her. She greets each animal family she meets and takes the time to learn from them. This book reminds me of the books Encounter by Jane Yolen and We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom in that it focuses on Indigenous people and how the outside world affects them. So often, rainforest books focus on the impact of humans on wildlife and vegetation but forget about the native people who have lived in the rainforest for generations. This book is not sad, though. It's bright and upbeat, inspiring children to stand up for their communities.

Astounding Details and Easter Eggs

What I love about Martinez-Neal is how intentional she is with almost every detail in her story. As mentioned previously, the illustrations were done on paper handmade from materials from the rainforest. The name of the protagonist Zonia is also a nod to the Spanish name for the Amazon rainforest "AmaZONIA." A detail that many non-bilingual folks may not notice. The back material explains that Zonia was part of the Asháninka people of Peru and provides information about them as well as a translation of the book into the Asháninka language. It also explains the name of each animal Zonia encountered during her day in the rainforest.

This is a must-have book to add to any elementary school library and certainly for every primary grade classroom library. Whether you study the rainforest or are looking for a book to study for Earth Day, this book is a must-read. Even more so because this book is also available in Spanish titled La selva de Zonia.
Get the lesson plan and activities for Zonia's Rain Forest HERE
You can get a sample of the Zonia's Rain Forest lesson plan and activities FREE by signing up here:

We Are Still Here! by Traci Sorell

Twelve Native American kids present historical and contemporary laws, policies, struggles, and victories in Native life, each with a powerful refrain: We are still here!

Too often, Native American history is treated as a finished chapter instead of relevant and ongoing. This companion book to the award-winning We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga offers readers everything they never learned in school about Native American people's past, present, and future. Precise, lyrical writing presents topics including: forced assimilation (such as boarding schools), land allotment and Native tribal reorganization, termination (the US government not recognizing tribes as nations), Native urban relocation (from reservations), self-determination (tribal self-empowerment), Native civil rights, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), religious freedom, economic development (including casino development), Native language revival efforts, cultural persistence, and nationhood.
Get the lesson plan and activities for We Are Still Here!
Encounter by Jane Yolen

When Christopher Columbus landed on the island of San Salvador in 1492, he encountered the Taino Indians. Told from a young Taino boy's point of view, this is a story of how the boy tried to warn his people against welcoming the strangers, who seemed more interested in golden ornaments than friendship. Later, the boy, now an old man, looks back at the destruction of his people and their culture by the colonizers.
Get the lesson plan and activities for Encounter HERE
We Are Water Protectors

Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth's water from harm and corruption. An excellent story written by Native American author Carole Lindstrom in a very lyrical way.
Get the lesson plan and activities for We Are Water Protectors HERE
Fry Bread

This book won all of the awards and honors in 2019. Seriously, check the Amazon page for this book. If they put the medals on the cover, you wouldn't see any of Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal's illustrations. Told in lively and powerful verse by debut author Kevin Noble Maillard, Fry Bread is an evocative depiction of a modern Native American family about fry bread.

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga

The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences. This book was written by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. This look at one group of Native Americans is appended with a glossary and the complete Cherokee syllabary, originally created by Sequoyah.

Bowwow Powwow

When Uncle and Windy Girl and Itchy Boy (her dog) attend a powwow, Windy watches the dancers in their jingle dresses and listens to the singers. She eats tasty food and joins family and friends around the campfire. Later, Windy falls asleep under the stars. Now Uncle's stories inspire other visions in her head: a bowwow powwow, where all the dancers are dogs. In these magical scenes, Windy sees veterans in a Grand Entry, and a visiting drum group, and traditional dancers, grass dancers, and jingle-dress dancers-all with telltale ears and paws and tails. All celebrating in song and dance. All attesting to the wonder of the powwow.

Thunder Boy Jr.

Thunder Boy Jr. wants a normal name...one that's all his own. Dad's name is big Thunder, but Little Thunder doesn't want to share a name. He wants a name that celebrates something cool he's done like Touch the Clouds, Not Afraid of Ten Thousand Teeth, or Full of Wonder.

But just when Little Thunder thinks all hope is lost, dad picks the best name...Lightning! Their love will be loud and bright, and together they will light up the sky.

This book does not come with an Author's Note, but my lesson plan includes information from an interview with author Sherman Alexie about Native American naming ceremonies. DO NOT read this book and have your students choose their own Native American name.
Get the lesson plans and activities for Thunder Boy Jr. HERE
Best Indigenous Peoples Day Books for Kids

Did I miss any great children's books for Indigenous Peoples Day? Let me know in the comments and I'll add them! I'm always looking for new great picture books!

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Best Indigenous Peoples Day Books for Kids - Picture Book Brain

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Check out some of the best Indigenous Peoples Day books for kids! Rather than teach Columbus Day, teach more about the Indigenous people and their struggles and their triumphs. Picture books are a great way to teach about almost any topic.

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Columbus Day Or Indigenous Peoples’ Day?

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More and more places in the United States are dropping Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but the shift isn’t happening without some pushback.

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Celebrate by checking this BrainPop movie, and learning about why some states have decided to change the name of the holiday!

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Celebrate by checking this BrainPop movie, and learning about why some states have decided to change the name of the holiday!

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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The word Indigenous - explained l CBC Kids News

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Monday, October 9, 2023, is Indigenous Peoples Day. Many states and cities recognize this day and even choose to observe it over Columbus Day. This is a day to learn, to observe, to reflect, to create, and to connect through story and creation. It's also a day to move beyond recognition and toward action and accountability.

The history of Indigenous people in the United States is thorny and vast. There is the horrific legacy of entire cultures being violently and systematically eradicated. And then there are stories of survival, fortitude, and deep connection to the environment and other people. Of course, Indigenous history doesn't begin or end with either of these stories.

As educators, figuring out where to start unwinding this huge tapestry can be overwhelming. Every step toward action and accountability starts with inquiry and research. This post will share resources that can help you explore the past and the present lives of Indigenous peoples. There are also a few activities that you can do with your students to bring these notions to life.

First, should Columbus Day still play a role in the classroom?

Columbus Day was established to honor the "discovery" of America and serves as an opportunity to recognize the contributions of Italian Americans. The goal of Indigenous Peoples Day is not to erase and replace Italian American contributions. But it cannot be the only narrative. We now have a chance to examine cultural genocide, the institution of slavery, and the concept of discovery and how these narratives are constructed and at what cost.

Learn more: Stop Celebrating Columbus Day in Schools (Opinion)

Understand the meaning of "Indigenous"

"Indigenous peoples" refers to populations that are the original inhabitants of any given geographic region in the world. "Native American" and "American Indian" are widely used, but remember that the term Indian exists because Columbus believed he had reached the Indian Ocean. The best option is to refer to specific tribe names.

Visit these websites to learn more about Indigenous peoples

Read books by Indigenous authors

Here are some reading materials that can help everyone learn more about Indigenous peoples. Each of these lists includes books by Indigenous authors that tell the stories of specific Indigenous tribes.

Try these activities to observe and celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day 2023

There are many enriching activities you can do with your students to observe Indigenous Peoples Day, to honor Indigenous Peoples Month (November), and to bring a broader understanding of Thanksgiving, American history, and environmental activism to your classroom.

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Honoring Indigenous Peoples Day in the Classroom

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Books, websites, and activities to help you observe Indigenous Peoples Day, Indigenous Peoples Month, and Indigenous culture all year long.

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Native Knowledge 360° | Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian

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Educational resources, lesson plans, teacher training, and strategies to support positive change! Native Knowledge 360° is a national initiative to inspire and promote improved teaching and learning about Native America. #NK360

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Native American Heritage Collection | PBS LearningMedia

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Take a look at Indigenous art, history, and culture as told through the historians, artists, students, and scientists in this featured resource collection.

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Teaching Activity. By S.J. Childs. Rethinking Schools. The author describes how she introduces students to the classic 1953 film, Salt of the Earth, about a miners' strike in New Mexico.

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Teaching Activity. By S.J. Childs. Rethinking Schools. The author describes how she introduces students to the classic 1953 film, Salt of the Earth, about a miners' strike in New Mexico.

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Teaching Activity. By S.J. Childs. Rethinking Schools. The author describes how she introduces students to the classic 1953 film, Salt of the Earth, about a miners' strike in New Mexico. Continue reading Teaching Activity. By S.J. Childs. Rethinking Schools.

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American Indians in Children's Literature

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American Indians in Children's Literature

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American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)

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Designed to help readers develop a critical eye about representations of American Indians in children's and young adult books