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Helen Thomas, Professional Learning Manager

hthomas@niea.org

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Teaching Tribal Sovereignty through Indigenous Texts Handout

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Teaching Tribal Sovereignty through Indigenous Texts Handout

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The People Shall Continue Teacher’s Guide

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The People Shall Continue Teacher’s Guide

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Affirming Indigenous Sovereignty: A  Civics Inquiry

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Affirming Indigenous Sovereignty: A  Civics Inquiry

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Author Recommendations for Mary and the Trail of Tears

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Author Recommendations for Mary and the Trail of Tears

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When I started writing Mary and the Trail of Tears, I realized I didn't know as much as I thought I knew. A lot of research, along with the help and knowledge from other Cherokees, went into helping me tell a story my ancestors would be proud of.

I hope these ideas will help you and your students learn about the living descendants of the many Native American people impacted by Indian Removal. Questions will come up that you can't answer. Be open and ready to say, "I don't know. Let's find out." Please guide students to credible resources. As teachers know, the Internet can be both a fabulous resource for students and a wealth of misinformation. Stereotypes, inaccuracies, and harmful depictions of Native Americans abound.

Here are a few areas educators can explore as they guide students in learning about the Trail of Tears:

1. Question everything you think you know about the Trail of Tears

When I began researching, I had little understanding of the logistics of moving the entire Cherokee Nation equaling about 16,000 people. I didn't know about the internment camps. I didn't know that many Cherokees died from preventable deaths because of their imprisonment. I didn't know it was a time of drought and I hadn't thought about how access to water would impact people being marched across a continent. In my book, I tried to distill years of historic information into a story that was accurate and that children could understand. In doing this work, I had to unlearn some things I grew up believing.

2. Research all the Indigenous nations impacted by the Trail of Tears and choose a specific one to focus on

The removal of the Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks, and Seminoles are all sometimes referred to as the Trail of Tears. But, I recently learned that the Cherokee word for the removal translates into "When they were driven." The Indian Removal Act impacted all Indigenous people within the borders of the country that is currently called the United States in a variety of ways. Focusing on a specific tribe makes teaching new material more manageable.

3. Learn about the many routes Indigenous people took on the Trail of Tears

Check out one of the National Park Service's printable maps of the Trail. According to their website, "The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail passes through the present-day states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee." Also, from the National Parks Service's website, "[The] National Historic Trail commemorates the removal of the Cherokee and the paths that 17 Cherokee detachments followed westward. Today the trail encompasses about 2,200 miles of land and water routes, and traverses portions of nine states." Is there a portion of the trail in your state?

4. Research the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes

According to the Cherokee Nation website there are 370,000 tribal citizens worldwide, with 141,000 of those citizens residing within the fourteen counties that make up Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. The United Keetoowah Band (also with offices in Oklahoma) has more than 14,000 enrolled members, as does the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina.

5. Don't assume you do or don't have an indigenous student in your classroom

You can't tell who is and isn't Cherokee by looking at them. Being Cherokee is based on citizenship with a federally recognized Cherokee tribe. On that note, don't ask or expect a child or parent to represent either Cherokees or all Native Americans. As my tribe's website states, "There is no universally agreed upon way to express Cherokee culture."

6. Consider how Indigenous people are represented in your classroom

Would a Native person feel welcome in your space? Are Native people shown as contemporary members of society or portrayed as an extinct people? The National Congress of American Indians and many Native Nations have long advocated for no Native people or culture to be used as mascots. Those requests should be honored.

7. Look for good lessons created with input from Indigenous tribes

Examples are the Teaching For Change Native American resources or the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian Teaching 360 site. Whatever resources you use, be aware of who is creating the curriculum and question their connection to and consultation with Cherokee people.

One additional word of caution. I would suggest we not ask students to "play" as if they are an oppressed child. Whether it's pretending to be a person forced onto the Trail of Tears, a person surviving the Holocaust, or an enslaved person treated as property, children shouldn't be asked by adults to do this as a class exercise.

For some children this book is, what Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop referred to as, a window. This is the story of a world neither they, nor their ancestors have experienced. For Native American children, it might mirror the past of their ancestors. For many children, it may reflect some of their greatest fears, the loss of family and social stability, the sadness of losing the place you call home. The most important part of the story, however, is that the Cherokee people survived and now they thrive.

Thank you for sharing Mary and the Trail of Tears with your students. Though the book is historical fiction, the history and traumatic events are real. I applaud your willingness to learn more.

For all you do for our children,
Wado!

Helpful Resources

Books:

Websites:

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7 Ideas for Educators to Consider Before Teaching the Trail of Tears

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When I started writing Mary and the Trail of Tears , I realized I didn't know as much as I thought I knew. A lot of research, along with the help and knowledge from other Cherokees, went into helping me tell a story my ancestors would be proud of.

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National Indian Child Welfare Association Reader Guide for Sisters in the Wind

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National Indian Child Welfare Association Reader Guide for Sisters in the Wind

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Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction from NCAI (2020)

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Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction from NCAI (2020)

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Tens of millions of Indigenous peoples inhabited North America, and governed their complex societies, long before European governments sent explorers to seize lands and resources from the continent and its inhabitants. These foreign European governments interacted with tribes in diplomacy, commerce, culture, and war--acknowledging Indigenous systems of social, cultural, economic, and political governance.

Tribal nations have remained as political powers from the colonial period until todayâ€"engaging in commerce, trade, cultural exchange, and inspiring the principles of freedom and democracy enshrined in the US Constitution. As the United States formed a union, the founders acknowledged the sovereignty of tribal nations, alongside states, foreign nations, and the federal government in the US Constitution.

Tribal nations are part of the unique American family of governments, nations within a nation, as well as sovereign nations in the global community of nations.

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Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction

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Tens of millions of Indigenous peoples inhabited North America, and governed their complex societies, long before European governments sent explorers to seize lands and resources from the continent and its inhabitants. These foreign European governments interacted with tribes in diplomacy, commerce, culture, and war--acknowledging Indigenous systems of social, cultural, economic, and political governance.

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Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations

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Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations

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Treaties-solemn agreements between sovereign nations-lie at the heart of the relationship between Indian Nations and the United States. Native Nations made treaties with one another long before Europeans came to the Western Hemisphere. The United States began making treaties with Native Peoples because they were independent nations. Often broken, sometimes coerced, treaties still define mutual obligations between the United States and Indian Nations. The treaties featured in Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations, on loan from the National Archives and Records Administration, are representative of the approximately 374 that were ratified between the United States and Native Nations.

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Nation to Nation | Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations

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Nation to Nation: Treaties between the United States and American Indian Nations exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. Treaties-solemn agreements between sovereign nations-lie at the heart of the relationship between Indian Nations and the United States.

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Towards Responsibility: Social Studies Education that Respects and Affirms Indigenous Peoples and Nations, 2019. National Council for the Social Studies. 

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Towards Responsibility: Social Studies Education that Respects and Affirms Indigenous Peoples and Nations, 2019. National Council for the Social Studies. 

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Toward Responsibility: Social Studies Education that Respects and Affirms Indigenous Peoples and Nations

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A Position Statement of National Council for the Social Studies Approved March 2018

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Digital Resources for Parents and Teachers - National Indian Education Association

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Who We Are Programs Resources Events Get Involved Other Ways to Give Come Work for Us Teach.NIEA.org Job Board Other Positions in Native Education Log Into Your Member Record Contact Your Senator Contact Your Representative Annual Events 2024 Hill Week 2023 NIEA Convention & Trade Show NIEA Golf Tournament 2022

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I find the materials so engaging, relevant, and easy to understand - I now use iCivics as a central resource, and use the textbook as a supplemental tool. The games are invaluable for applying the concepts we learn in class. My seniors LOVE iCivics.

Lynna Landry , AP US History & Government / Economics Teacher and Department Chair, California

Related Resources

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As sovereign nations, American Indian and Alaska Native tribes develop and manage their own governments. This lesson examines the varied structures and functions of tribal government as well as the relationship these nations have with the United States.

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Indigenous Digital Archive Treaties Explorer

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Indigenous Digital Archive Treaties Explorer

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374 Ratified Indian Treaties visible for the first time Thanks to an anonymous donation, the US National Archives conserved and digitized the Ratified Indian treaties in its holdings. Here you can see the original documents spanning more than a hundred years. Most are now available, and more…

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Sovereignty matters. Native Governance Center

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Native Governance Center is a Native-led nonprofit working to strengthen Native nations’ sovereignty in Mni Sota Makoce, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

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Issue 54: Why Indigenous Children’s and Young Adult Literature Matter

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Issue 54: Why Indigenous Children’s and Young Adult Literature Matter

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Occasional Paper Series #54 - Bank Street College of Education

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Dawn Quigley, PhD, and citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, ND, is an associate professor at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in the Education Department. She taught English and reading for more than 18 years in the K–12 schools along with being an Indian Education program co-director. In addition to her debut coming-of-age young adult novel, Apple in the Middle (NDSU Press), “Joey Reads the Sky” in Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, the chapter book series Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-to-Be Best Friend (Book #1); Jo Jo Makoons: Fancy Pants (Book #2), Red Bird Danced (forthcoming novel-in-verse), and Native American Heroes (Scholastic Books). Dawn has over 30 published articles, essays, and poems. She lives in Minnesota with her family.

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Indigenous Reads Rising - Reviews and Booklists

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Indigenous Reads Rising - Reviews and Booklists

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Indigenous Reads Rising – Book Reading Circle

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We Rise Welcome! Indigenous Reads Rising is a celebration of Indigenous children’s literature of Native Nations, centering those

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American Indian Library Association - Booklists

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American Indian Library Association - Booklists

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AILA - American Indian Library Association

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AILA: Improving library and information services for American Indians

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American Indians in Children's Literature - Book Reviews

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American Indians in Children's Literature - Book Reviews

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This is the time of the year when annual "Best of" booklists come out. AICL has published our own Best Books lists for many years now. We like to make sure teachers have those suggestions as they think about what to bring into their classrooms. And as the winter holidays approach, we want families to know what's new and good in books with Native content, that they can give to the young people in their lives.

The year 2020 has been difficult for us at AICL. We've only been able to create 38 posts. We've read some books that we like and haven't yet created reviews for, but will list them below and when we can we'll get a review done. We also find ourselves in the unusual position of not having been able to get to all the 2020 books by Native creators -- this may be one of most prolific years ever for publications by Native and First Nations writers and illustrators. So we promise to add to the Best Books list as we have a chance to read the ones we may have missed.

In not posting reviews for all books on our Best Books list, we realize we are asking you to trust us but we hope that 15 years of work on AICL demonstrates that our assessments are careful and attentive to children and how they may be impacted by the Native content in a book.

That said, below is AICL's list of Best Books published in 2020. Books are arranged by age of reader but any book in any category can--and should be--read by every reader. Teens and adults can gain tremendously by studying the words and illustrations in a picture book and you can share content of middle or young adult books with younger children.

In parenthesis following the names of individuals, we provide information about their tribal nation. We use information that the individual uses. Some writers say they are an "enrolled citizen" and some say "tribal member." Some only list a nation (or more than one) but due to those nation's determinations of its citizenry, there are people who can't be enrolled or claim to be citizens of any nation. They are, however, recognized by people of those nations.

We hope you share our list with parents, teachers, librarians, caregivers, professors... anybody who works with children and books! Don't miss Best Books of previous years! And if there is a book that we did not list, please submit a comment to let us know.
American Indians in Children's Literature Books by Native Writers or Illustrators Comics and Graphic Novels
Vermette, Katherena (Metis). Illustrated by Scott B. Henderson & Donovan Yaciuk. A Girl Called Echo, Vol. 3: Northwest Resistance. Highwater Press. Canada

Gonzales, Angela Y. ( Koyukon Athabascan). Button Up! Fall in Alaska. Best Beginnings Alaska, US. [Added on December 13, 2020.]

Haayk Foundation, Illustrated by Huk Yuunsk (Tsimshian, Gitsbutwada Clan) [Note: Huk Yuunsk includes his English name, David Lang, in parenthesis.] Wilgyigyet: Learn the Colors in Sm'algyax. Sealaska Heritage.

Robertson, Joanne (Atikameksheng Anishnawbek). nibi is water, nibi aawon nbiish. Second Story Press, Canada.

Yup'ik Upper). Bye-Bye Ice! Springtime in Alaska. Best Beginnings Alaska, US. [Added on December 13, 2020.]

Spiess, Joni (Inupiaq). Mittens and Mukluks! Winter in Alaska. Best Beginnings Alaska, US. [Added on December 13, 2020.]

Toolie-Walker, Yaari (Siberian Yupik). Let's Play Out! Summer in Alaska. Best Beginnings Alaska, US. [Added on December 13, 2020.]

Baker, Darryl (Inuit). Kamik Takes the Lead illustrated by Ali Hinch. Inhabit Media, Canada.

Begay-Kroupa, Jolyana (Navajo). Becoming Miss Navajo. Salina Bookshelf. US.

Brink, Heather (Ojibwe), illustrated by Jordan Rodgers (Lakota). Rez Dog. Black Bears and Blueberries. US.

Callaghan, Jodie (Listuguj First Nation). The Train. Second Story Press. Canada.

Cooper, Nancy (Band member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. E Meshkwadooniged mitig/Trading Tree illustrated by Heather Charles (Member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation), translated by Myrtle Jamieson (Waaseyaankwot Kwe). The Prince's Trust and Clear Water Farm, Canada.

Erdrich, Louise (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians). The Range Eternal, paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher). University of Minnesota Press. US.

Gyetxw, Hetxw'ms (Gitxsan) The Eagle Mother, illustrated by Natasha Donovan. Highwater Press. Canada. [Note: the author includes his English name, Brett D. Huson, in parenthesis after his Native name. For our list, we put an author's tribal nation in parenthesis.]

Lindstrom, Carole (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians), illustrated by Michaela Goade (Tlingit, member of the Kiks.ådi Clan). We Are Water Protectors. Roaring Brook Press. US.

Sammurtok, Nadia (Inuit), illustrated by Lenny Lishchenko (Ukrainian/Canadian). In My Anaana's Amuatik. Inhabit Media. Canada.

Smith, Monique Gray (Cree/Lakota), illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt (Diné), translated by Mildred Waters (Diné). When We Are Kind. Orca Books.

Coulson, Art (Cherokee), illustrations by Carlin Bear Don't Walk (Crow and Northern Cheyenne). The Reluctant Storyteller. Includes "The Energy of the Thunder Beings" by Art Coulson, illustrated by Roy Boney Jr. (full blood citizen of the Cherokee Nation) and "Cherokee Life Today" by Traci Sorell (enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation). Reycraft Books, US.

Day, Christine (enrolled, Upper Skagit). The Sea In Winter. Heartdrum (HarperCollins), U.S. [Note: we read an advanced copy of the book; its official publication date is 2021.]

Engleking, Jessica (White Earth Band of Ojibwe), illustrated by Tashia Hart (Red Lake Anishinaabe). Peggy Flanagan: Ogimaa Kwe, Lieutenant Governor. Wise Ink Creative Publishing. US.

Ferris, Kade (Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Canadian Metis descent), illustrated by Tashia Hart (Red Lake Anishinaabe). Charles Albert Bender: National Hall of Fame Pitcher. Wise Ink Creative Publishing. US.

Hopson, Nasuġraq Rainey (Inupiaq). "The Cabin" in Rural Voices edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter, Candlewick Press. US.

Peacock, Thomas (Ojibwe). The Wolf's Trail: An Ojibwe Story, Told by Wolves. Holy Cow! Press. US.

Pokiak-Fenton, Margaret-Olemaun (Inuvialuk of the Inuvialuit) and C hristy Jordan-Fenton. Fatty Legs (10th Anniversary Edition). Annick Press. 2020.

Rogers, Andrea L. (Cherokee). Mary and the Trail of Tears: A Cherokee Removal Story. Stone Arch Books (Capstone). US.

Sorell, Traci. (Enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation). "The Way of the Anigiduwagi" illustrated by MaryBeth Timothy (Cherokee), in The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love & Truth edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson. Random House Children's Books. US.

Wilson, Diane (Dakota Mdewakanton Oyate enrolled on the Rosebud Reservation), illustrated by Tashia Hart (Red Lake Anishinaabe). Ella Cara Deloria: Dakota Language Protector. Wise Ink Creative Publishing. US.

Boivin, Lisa (Member of the Deninu Kue First Nation). I Will See You Again. Highwater Press. Canada.

Gansworth, Eric (Enrolled member of the Onondaga Nation). Apple (Skin to the Core). Levine Querido. US.

Little Badger, Darcie (Lipan Apache). Elatsoe. Levine Querido. US.

Cross-Over Books (Written for adults; appeal to young adults)

Harjo, Joy. (Mvskoke). When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry. Edited by Joy Harjo. W. W. Norton and Company. US.

Kwaymullina, Ambelin. (Palyku of the Pilbara region of Western Australia). Living on Stolen Land. Magabala Books. Australia.

Rendon, Marcie. (White Earth Anishinabe). What's an Indian Woman to do? In When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry. Edited by Joy Harjo. W. W. Norton and Company. US.

Books by Writers or Illustrators Who Are Not Native
LeZotte, Ann Clare. Show Me A Sign. Scholastic.

*We are grateful to readers who write to tell us about errors we make in our lists. We welcome your emails.

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This is the time of the year when annual "Best of" booklists come out. AICL has published our own Best Books lists for many years now.