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VIDEO TED TALK: Surviving, Disappearance

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VIDEO TED TALK: Surviving, Disappearance

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Matika Wilbur invites us to reimagine how we see each other and in particular, how we see Native peoples. Wilbur says that in the decade between 1990 and 2000, about 5868 major films were released. Of them, only 12 featured Native Americans. And when they did include Native peoples, the films tended to pander to stereotypical depictions.

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Surviving Disappearance, Re-Imagining & Humanizing Native Peoples: Matika Wilbur at TEDxSeattle

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REPORT: How States Are Addressing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

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REPORT: How States Are Addressing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

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Chances are, you probably haven't heard about Pepita Redhair, a 27-year-old Navajo woman who's been missing since March 2020, when she was last seen in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Or of RoyLynn Rides Horse, a 28-year-old who died after being beaten, strangled and set on fire on Montana's Crow Indian Reservation in 2016. Or of the thousands of other Native American and Alaska Native women and girls who ended up missing or murdered in recent years. Media coverage and law enforcement related to missing indigenous women varies from state to state. Here, USNews provides an overview.

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By now, if you're even vaguely following the news, you've probably heard about Gabrielle Petito, the 22-year-old Florida woman who went missing and was later found dead after an ill-fated road trip out West with her boyfriend.

Chances are, you probably haven't heard about Pepita Redhair, a 27-year-old Navajo woman who's been missing since March 2020, when she was last seen in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Or of RoyLynn Rides Horse, a 28-year-old who died after being beaten, strangled and set on fire on Montana's Crow Indian Reservation in 2016. Or of the thousands of other Native American and Alaska Native women and girls who ended up missing or murdered in recent years.

Petito's case "was this huge international story," says Charon Asetoyer, founder of the Native American Community Board on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. "Well, women of color all over this country go missing every day and you never hear about it in the news. All life matters. Her life matters. But our lives matter, too."

For years, Asetoyer and other activists have been demanding that authorities pay attention to what they consider an epidemic of murdered and missing Indigenous women, whose cases they say are often overlooked or dismissed by law enforcement. In recent years they've finally seen some movement, as more than a dozen states with significant Native American populations - including New Mexico, Arizona, Washington and Minnesota - have launched task forces or other efforts aimed at addressing the problem.

Those involved say the initiatives, paired with recent action at the federal level, provide their first glimmer of hope that authorities might be willing to change the systems that have led to so many unsolved murders and disappearances. Others are less optimistic, questioning their design and efficacy.

While data on the exact number of missing and murdered Indigenous women is hard to come by, available statistics paint a grim picture. From 1999 to 2019, homicide was the third-leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls ages 12 to 30, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among white women and girls, it was the fifth-leading cause of death. On some reservations, homicide rates for American Indian women have been more than 10 times the national average.

In 2020, there were 5,295 records for missing American Indian girls and women tallied by the National Crime Information Center, including 578 records that were still "active" by year's end.

Advocates suspect the real number of missing or murdered Indigenous women is far higher than the data suggests, but that systemic racism, jurisdictional confusion and poor data collection leads to underreporting and half-hearted investigations - if an investigation occurs at all.

"Indigenous women, they're subjected to a version of justice that is completely different from everybody else," says Rachel Ward, research director for Amnesty International USA, a human rights group. "Many of these cases slip through the cracks. Everybody spends hours arguing over who has the responsibility to do the primary investigation and meanwhile, days, weeks, months have passed without someone conducting even the most basic investigation."

Native American women have been advocating for stolen loved ones for years, stretching back to the early days of colonization. But a few recent developments helped get their efforts, often dubbed the MMIW or MMIWG movement, a boost.

In 2016, Canada's National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls threw the issue into the international spotlight. Then there was a 2018 report from the Urban Indian Health Institute, a research and advocacy organization focused on health in Indigenous communities, that surveyed cases of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women in 71 cities.

Another tipping point, says Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, was the " historic number of native women across the country running for office and serving in positions" in 2020.

"We are witnessing a new awareness around the issue that's growing across the country," says Flanagan, a self-described survivor and child witness of abuse. "I'm so grateful that we got to the point where decision-makers actually heard it, where we don't need to continue to put our trauma on display to be heard and believed and for action to occur."

State efforts to address the MMIW crisis started to get off the ground in 2019. That year alone, Minnesota, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana and New Mexico each launched a task force or study committee to address the issue; Idaho held a summit; and Oregon and Nebraska directed their state police to study the problem. Wisconsin and Utah established task forces in 2020.

In 2021, South Dakota and Oklahoma moved to create offices to address missing Indigenous people, Kansas passed a law paving the way for relevant police training and Washington state's attorney general announced he will lead a task force.

Lawmakers and attorneys general have played key roles in creation of the task forces. Most have two goals: to address the scope of the problem and make recommendations for how to remedy it. They tend to consist primarily of lawmakers, tribal representatives, law enforcement officials, and advocates and service providers for Indigenous women and girls.

Multiple state groups - including in Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming and Minnesota - have already issued reports. Their recommendations include actions such as increasing funding for services that would help grieving family members and survivors, encouraging memorandums of understanding between tribal law and non-tribal law enforcement, implementing cultural training for police, and mandating data collection and reporting.

Many of those involved in the efforts say they are already seeing positive results.

In Minnesota, Flanagan says, the state is creating an office within the Department of Public Safety that was recommended by the task force. In Montana, lawmakers created a Missing Indigenous Persons Review Commission at the Montana Department of Justice - a move suggested by its task force. And in Arizona, a new law championed by its study group makes it mandatory for law enforcement agencies to promptly report missing, kidnapped or runaway children and have the record updated.

"I'm hopeful the movement is happening in the right direction," says Jennifer Jermaine, a member of the White Earth Nation and the Democratic state representative who sponsored the bill to launch Arizona's study group.

But not everyone is so sanguine.

Many of the task forces are "PR stunts" that have operated on "very fast timelines with very little results," says Annita Lucchesi, a Montana-based expert researcher on missing Indigenous people who worked on the 2018 Urban Indian Health Institute report. A successful task force, she says, is one that provides healing for families and leads to more arrests and fewer cases - none of which she sees happening.

"I think there are well-meaning people with good heads on the task forces who generally want to make a difference," she says. "However, I doubt the efficacy of any system where the people responsible for the problem are tasked with solving the problem."

Lucchesi wants to see fewer members of law enforcement serving on the task forces and more survivors of violence, as well as more advocates and families who have been touched by the crisis.

"People who have been at the forefront of the movement, they're not invited to the table," says Lucchesi, who is also founding executive director of the Sovereign Bodies Institute, which researches gender and sexual violence against Indigenous people. "Instead there is often a very top-down process determining who is at the table, what is the agenda, who are we inviting to listen."

Task force members say they've tried to make the stories of affected family members and survivors central to their work - if not through task force membership then through public testimony - but that the COVID-19 pandemic, which further isolated and devastated some Native American communities just as many task forces started holding meetings, hindered their efforts.

In the case of New Mexico, for example, task force members were only able to hold a few in-person meetings before the pandemic forced them to go online.

"We wanted to host more community events to get testimony from families, but we struggled with how to do this virtually in a manner that would allow us to provide necessary support services to individuals," Stephanie Salazar, general counsel for New Mexico's Indian Affairs Department, tells U.S. News in an email.

Even in normal times, convincing people to share their trauma can be challenging, notes Yolanda Francisco-Nez of Restoring Ancestral Winds, a nonprofit that helped pressure Utah to launch a task force.

"There are some cultural factors that do hinder or dissuade families and survivors from offering their public comments," she says. "Take, for instance, the Navajo tribe, which has beliefs about not speaking about the dead."

She adds: "We have legislators who are interested in hearing stories but it can sometimes be difficult for a person to come forward and repeat that story over and over again because of the trauma that can bring to a person."

Flanagan, Minnesota's lieutenant governor, says she's sympathetic to the concerns about representation on the task forces, particularly when it comes to the involvement of law enforcement.

But, she says, "I also need those folks who are part of perpetuating this crisis to be at the table to hear directly from people who've been impacted and to have some accountability for the changes they need to make within their own institutions to ensure that doesn't happen anymore. If we close the door to them, there's no accountability. And that has to be part of the solution."

Given the complex nature of the crisis, some experts question whether the solution is really in the hands of states at all. Legislation and Supreme Court precedent, for example, have created a complicated web regarding whether the federal government, states or tribes have criminal jurisdiction over particular crimes and offenders.

Ward, with Amnesty International, says it ultimately will take federal action to solve the problem.

"The lack of accountability and impunity is very much rooted in the systems and structures that the federal government has put in place and has failed to address," she says. "Tribal nations - sovereign nations - need to have their inherent authority restored to be able to investigate, collect and gather the evidence and then to prosecute those who are preying on Indigenous women in their community."

It's important that states do what they can to develop interagency partnerships, spread awareness and take other steps, she says. But until the federal government acts, "we may just be seeing fixes around the edges."

There has been some movement at the federal level to address the crisis, but much like the work by states, it's still in its nascent stages.

In April, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history, announced the formation of a new Missing and Murdered Unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The unit would provide "direction for cross-departmental and interagency work" and help put the "full weight of the federal government" into investigating cases, according to a press release.

The efforts are a continuation of work by the Trump administration, which launched a two-year Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives, also known as Operation Lady Justice, in 2019.

Advocates acknowledge the problem is so complex that individual states alone aren't likely to fix it. Still, they say, state lawmakers have a responsibility to address the issue.

"We have Native Americans living all across this country, and particularly in states that have a large population of native people, I think it's important (for lawmakers) to pay attention," Francisco-Nez says.

"We are their constituents. We deserve equal attention to these topics - and we're talking about alarming rates of murder and abduction that really deserve attention."

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'Our lives matter, too.' States Address Violence Against Indigenous Women

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By now, if you're even vaguely following the news, you've probably heard about Gabrielle Petito, the 22-year-old Florida woman who went missing and was later found dead after an ill-fated road trip out West with her boyfriend.

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BOOK: This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving (2019)

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BOOK: This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving (2019)

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We've all sung the lyric, "This land is your land; this land is my land." David Silverman challenges us to rethink that as well as the First Thanksgiving.

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Ahead of the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving, a new look at the Plymouth colony's founding events, told for the first time with Wampanoag people at the heart of the story.

In March 1621, when Plymouth's survival was hanging in the balance, the Wampanoag sachem (or chief), Ousamequin (Massasoit), and Plymouth's governor, John Carver, declared their people's friendship for each other and a commitment to mutual defense. Later that autumn, the English gathered their first successful harvest and lifted the specter of starvation. Ousamequin and 90 of his men then visited Plymouth for the "First Thanksgiving." The treaty remained operative until King Philip's War in 1675, when 50 years of uneasy peace between the two parties would come to an end.

400 years after that famous meal, historian David J. Silverman sheds profound new light on the events that led to the creation, and bloody dissolution, of this alliance. Focusing on the Wampanoag Indians, Silverman deepens the narrative to consider tensions that developed well before 1620 and lasted long after the devastating war-tracing the Wampanoags' ongoing struggle for self-determination up to this very day.

This unsettling history reveals why some modern Native people hold a Day of Mourning on Thanksgiving, a holiday which celebrates a myth of colonialism and white proprietorship of the United States. This Land is Their Land shows that it is time to rethink how we, as a pluralistic nation, tell the history of Thanksgiving.

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This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving

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This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving [Silverman, David J.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving

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VIDEO: A Conversation with Native Americans on Race

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VIDEO: A Conversation with Native Americans on Race

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From The *New York Times* (access may be limited). Native Americans speak out about blood quantum, how they prefer to be described, and other topics.

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transcript

I'm Apache, but really that's the government's name, because they can't say "Dził Łigai N'dee." They will tell me how awesome they think it is that I've decided to be a part of my culture. And it's funny to me. It hits me really weird, and I don't like it. And I didn't know why at first, but it's because I haven't decided to be a part of my culture. I live it every day. I'm more comfortable with the term "native," divorced from "Native American." I know there are people who use "indigenous." If there is one term I do not like to be called, it is "American Indian." And for me, to be indigenous is to have an intimate and interconnected relationship to a homeland. And so that's really important, because land is, you know, tied to every aspect of who we are. Being native in a city is almost a daily reminder of your people's erasure. Of the fact that people don't even remember that you're here and that you exist. But what I did encounter was just this preconceived notion that all Native Americans are dead. I've had older white men come up to me and say, "Oh, man, if this was 40 years ago, I could just do whatever I wanted to you." You know, the cattle outside doing the work and the dog inside the house, those are property. Those are the black folks in America. They are property to white men. Then the exotic antelope on the wall or the exotic - that's how natives are perceived in America. We're treated like animals. They monitor our blood quantum. I mean, besides dogs and horses, I don't know of any other animal that they monitor the blood quantum. The way I explain it to people is, imagine a pizza with different slices, and let's say 32 slices. Of the 32 slices, I'm 28 Apache. That's my particular blood quantum. And Native Americans in the U.S. are the only minority group who have to prove their nativeness on an Indian card. It's used to divide native people against each other, because it can be used as a way to say, I am more native than you. And I was a part of that, too. I used my 4 fourths to kind of make myself feel better against other people. The one drop rule, meaning that one drop of black blood makes you black, that was to keep as many people oppressed or legitimize their oppression as possible. But on the other side, one drop of anything else completely dilutes you as a native person. So if you're a native person, you have the one drop of something else, then suddenly you're less native. So it's the opposite. Traditionally, within the Apache society, you go by the mother. And if the mother is recognized as Apache, she has her clan, the children are unquestionably Apache. Not in the American context, not when patriarchy trumps matriarchy. So what does that mean? My sisters are short 1/16 of a degree. What does that mean? Does it mean their pinkies aren't Apache? What does that mean? You know, being a mixed race person is a whole other side of it, but that's a very common experience in our tribe. So it's not as if we're unusual in that way. What is unusual is the admixture of black. My grandfather actually doesn't want people - if he hears that somebody from the tribe is coming over, he won't come out of his room. Because he doesn't want them to know that he's that complexion, that he doesn't - I guess he doesn't want me to be affiliated with having African-American blood. But I mean, I say it. It's not going to change anything. If it were up to the American government, natives wouldn't be around. Because after a certain time, that blood will dilute. It will go out. And so if there's no native peoples to provide benefits, then we're not obligated to meet these treaty rights. And if we're not obligated to meet these treaty contracts, then the land is available, the resources are available. And I think that that essential point about our claim to sovereignty, our claim to land, our claim to a culture, our claim to resources is one that gets lost if we don't insist upon the fact that we are nations. And we have taken huge steps to decolonizing, and that proof comes from people being able to have the opportunities to speak their language, to be on their ancestral land. But the thing with decolonization is that it's an ongoing process, just like grieving, just like any loss. As much as possible now, I try to tell people that I have a Native American name, and maybe it doesn't mean anything to you, but it means everything to me. My name, maybe, doesn't have a romanticized, Hollywood Indian name, but my name has more meaning than that. My name means that my family survived. My family survived disease. My family survived Catholicism. My family survived settler colonialism, and my family, they survived. I survived. My existence is resistance. Me saying my name is Skiumtalx, that is resistance in and of itself.

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Video: Opinion | A Conversation With Native Americans on Race

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transcript I'm Apache, but really that's the government's name, because they can't say "Dził Łigai N'dee." They will tell me how awesome they think it is that I've decided to be a part of my culture. And it's funny to me. It hits me really weird, and I don't like it.

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This helpful document provides an alphabetical list of some tribes, including a pronunciation guide, photos, and links.

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LIST: 100 Native American Children's Books

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LIST: 100 Native American Children's Books

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This list from 2016 contains books for every children's age group.

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100 Native American Children’s Books - Colours of Us

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UPDATED NOV 2021! 100 Native American Children’s Books (not only!) for Native American Heritage Month! Ages 0 to 18.

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PHOTO EXHIBIT: Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota

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PHOTO EXHIBIT: Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota

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The Sioux tribe has been fighting to protect their clean water and sacred sites from an oil pipeline, and this fight has made people focus on conflict and discord. Photojournalist Josue Rivas captured the peace that still exists there.

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A month and a half ago, I was deeply moved by an urgent plea for support from friends and relatives who are in solidarity with the people of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in North Dakota. As a Native photojournalist, I believe it's important to let our people tell their own stories. That's why I drove 1,545 miles to connect with the protectors of this land and report on what is happening here. This tribe has been fighting to protect their clean water, critical habitats, and sacred sites from an oil pipeline that would cross under the Missouri River.

For the most part I've been documenting the action on the front lines, but there came a moment when I realized I had to take a step back and see something else. I don't consider myself a landscape photographer, so learning how to capture the beauty of the land was a challenge.

One day I sat near the Cannonball River and listened to the water. It was then that the spirits of this land told me to just follow my light. This is what I saw.

Sunrise at the Oceti Sakowin camp near Cannon Ball North Dakota.

Horses roam free near the Cannonball River.

Sunset at the Cannonball River in North Dakota.

Mississippi River near Fort Yates North Dakota.

Tree and clouds on Hwy 1806 near Mandan North Dakota.

Prairie near the Sacred Stone Camp in North Dakota.

Sunset at Sacred Stone Camp.

A tipi stands over night at Sacred Stone Camp in North Dakota.

Unspoiled critical wildlife habitat where the prairie meets the Missouri.

The moon rises at the Oceti Sawokin camp.

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10 Photos That Show the Magnificent Light Shining on Standing Rock - YES! Magazine

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A month and a half ago, I was deeply moved by an urgent plea for support from friends and relatives who are in solidarity with the people of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in North Dakota. As a Native photojournalist, I believe it's important to let our people tell their own stories.

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Practicing Gratitude & Honoring the Real Story of Thanksgiving: A PBS Kids Resource

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Practicing Gratitude & Honoring the Real Story of Thanksgiving: A PBS Kids Resource

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"There is so much we can — and should — teach children about the real, unsanitized origins of Thanksgiving, and we can do so without losing our family traditions. In fact, honoring the true story can amplify and even uplift our celebrations: when we paint a fuller picture of history, we help our children build critical thinking skills, and give them a true understanding of all there is to be thankful for. "

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Thanksgiving: Practicing Gratitude and Honoring the Real Story | Parenting Tips & Advice | PBS KIDS for Parents

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This Thanksgiving, help your child build critical thinking skills and give them a true understanding of all there is to be thankful for.

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Many scholars are telling us that land acknowledgments can be token gestures. To avoid this, the Native Governance Center recommends, "Instead of spending time on a land acknowledgment statement, we recommend creating an action plan highlighting the concrete steps you plan to take to support Indigenous communities into the future. Similar to a land acknowledgment, your plan will include information and research on the land you occupy, but it will primarily focus on action. Is it wrong to write a land acknowledgment statement? No. But if you do, your statement should highlight a strong call to action and action steps; it should encourage your audience to create their own steps, too." View the website for ideas.

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Beyond Land Acknowledgment: A Guide - Native Governance Center

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It’s easy for land acknowledgments to become yet another form of optical allyship. Instead of spending time on a land acknowledgment statement, we recommend creating an action plan highlighting the concrete steps you plan to take to support Indigenous communities into the future. This guide can help…

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Beyond Land Acknowledgment: A Guide

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TEXT SERVICE: Text your zip code to find out who originally owned the land you are now on

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TEXT SERVICE: Text your zip code to find out who originally owned the land you are now on

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Text this number: 9073125085

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LIST: 10 Books to Help Kids Celebrate Native American Heritage

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LIST: 10 Books to Help Kids Celebrate Native American Heritage

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This list was compiled by Erika McLemore. Erika states, "my three children and I are Creek-Seminole and I’m a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma." She collaborated with fellow blogger Cholena Smith-Boyd. Cholena is a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation of Long Island, NY and, as the former Education Program Manager of the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum, she has a unique understanding of the importance of preserving Native cultures.

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November is Native American Heritage Month! This is a special time of year for our family - my three children and I are Creek-Seminole and I'm a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. This month, we have been talking even more about our own heritage as well as those of other Native people and communities. And I know that, like us, many families are looking for high-quality resources to help children learn about and celebrate Native American culture-both this month and throughout the year.

To help you get started, I reflected on the books I've enjoyed reading with my own children, and then I turned to fellow Tinkergarten Leader Cholena Smith-Boyd for more ideas. Cholena is a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation of Long Island, NY and, as the former Education Program Manager of the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum, she has a unique understanding of the importance of preserving Native cultures.

Together, we've selected ten beautiful picture books to help inspire your family's learning journey. All of these books are written by Native authors about Native protagonists, and many feature illustrations by Native artists, as well. We are grateful for these stories told from the perspective of Indigenous people and in their own voices We also encourage you to further support Native American heritage by seeking out Indigenous-owned bookstores, whenever possible. Birchbark Books and Red Planet Comics and Books are two I can recommend for starters.

"Cherokee people say otsaliheliga to express gratitude. It is a reminder to celebrate our blessings and reflect on struggles - daily, throughout the year, and across the seasons." This story takes the reader through all four seasons and introduces children to the individual beauty of each one. From cool breezes and falling leaves, to elders sharing stories and gathering spring's first food, contemporary Cherokee culture is woven throughout the journey.

This book is based on the Thanksgiving Address, a morning prayer message of gratitude for Mother Earth from the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois (Six Nations) people- Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. These words are still spoken at ceremonial gatherings held by the Iroquois.

Written in both English and Diné (Navajo), this beautiful story encourages kindness through simple, loving acts like helping our neighbors and taking care of the earth. Children are also encouraged to think about the acts of kindness from others that help them feel joy, happiness, comforted and loved and the impact our kindness has on one another.

The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story retold by Joseph Bruchac ( Nulhegan Abenaki) , illustrated by Anna Vojtech This Cherokee story tells how strawberries came to be and outlines their significance in Cherokee culture: "To this day, when the Cherokee people eat strawberries they are reminded to always be kind to each other to remember that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries."

Jenna is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and is also of Ojibway (Chippewa/Anishinabe) descent. Jenna hopes to jingle dance at an upcoming powwow, but her dress is not yet complete - it has no jingles. With the love and support of family, friends, and community, Jenna sets out to complete her regalia and dance with the joy shared by generations of her family.

For many Native families, fry bread - and the story and history behind it - holds deep cultural significance. This beautifully illustrated book depicts a modern family making, enjoying, and remembering the rich history of this traditional food and the importance it holds in the community.

Newborn baby Kulu is welcomed into the world and showered with gifts from all of the arctic animals. From seeds, to patience, to tenderness and how to protect what you believe in, baby Kulu is celebrated in true love.

"Water is the first medicine, Nokomis told me. We come from water. It nourished us inside our mother's body as it nourishes us here on Mother Earth. Water is sacred, she said." Inspired by the many tribal nations fighting to protect Indigenous lands and waterways, this story illustrates the power and importance of rallying together to stand for water, land and life.

Based on a traditional Seneca story, this teaching tale is also still alive in oral tradition across many Indigenous cultures. Children will delight in the thrill of the race between a small turtle and a big, strong beaver.

Hungry Johnny by Cheryl Minnema ( Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) , illustrated by Wesley Ballinger ( Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe)

Young Johnny likes to eat and is looking forward to a gathering at the Community Center, but it is a long time to wait. After a long drive and traditional Ojibewe prayer, it is finally time for the feast, and a hungry Johnny must wait for the elders to eat first. Johnny's grandmother gently teaches him lessons about gratitude, patience, and respect for elders and Johnny comes to understand the importance of these when a special guest arrives to join them at the Community Center.

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15 Books to Help Kids Celebrate Native American Heritage

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November is Native American Heritage Month! This is a special time of year for our family - my three children and I are Creek-Seminole and I'm a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. This month, we have been talking even more about our own heritage as well as those of other Native people and communities.

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"As Native people, we're still fighting to crack the 2 percent mark for representation in the field. Two percent of stories published on our own land."

Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Creek Nation) has been an advocate for Native children's literature since the publication of her first book Jingle Dancer 20 years ago. She's continued to champion on behalf of children's literature broadly while furthering her passion for sharing Native stories for young people.

"As a child, I tended to avoid books with covers that hinted at any Native related content, probably because of negative experiences with inaccurate or bigoted depictions across popular mainstream media. I clearly remember watching Disney's Peter Pan at the local drive-in after having spent time with classmates in the little carnival ride area next to the concession stand. I remember being worried that my friends, who were also of course watching the movie, would think that the 'Indians' depicted on screen had anything to do with being Native," she said. "Certainly, I heard stories told informally by Native elders, but I don't recall finding a book authored by a Native person until I was in my 20s. I remember coming across Joe Bruchac's Eagle Song and Heart of a Chief at Borders on Michigan Avenue and tearing up with surprise and a burst of optimism."

In Winter 2021-this coming January-Leitich Smith will launch the first books in her own imprint, Heartdrum, at HarperCollins. The imprint centers Native voices for young readers, with books ranging from picture books to YA novels that explore intertribal experiences.

Heartdrum is the first imprint from a major publisher focused exclusively on Indigenous stories.

Leitich Smith credits Ellen Oh, bestselling author and co-founder of We Need Diverse Books, as the inspiration for Heartdrum's creation.

"[She] first suggested establishing the imprint to me over breakfast at a conference, and I replied that someone more famous or fancy should do it," said Leitich Smith. "Over time, though, I realized I needed to get out [of] everybody's way, myself included. It wasn't really about me. It was about what I could bring to fellow creatives in terms of encouragement and developmental feedback."

Inclusive storytelling is beyond a passing fad. Since the development of We Need Diverse Books in 2014, readers have continued to voice demand for diverse reading that showcase the multidimensionalities of the world. We've seen books by authors of color skyrocket to the top of The New York Times Best Seller list and remain there as fixtures; we've seen more voices of color being honored with some of the most well-revered awards in the industry; we've seen many of these stories go on to be adapted into beloved films; and we've seen the power these books have had in telling young readers they're being seen and that their voices and experiences matter.

It's beyond time for Native voices to see their stories on shelves in ways that represent the myriad traditions, practices, and cultural experiences that make this diverse group so vast.

"We're in the midst of a determined movement to improve the industry mindset and landscape," said Leitich Smith. "There are still influential people dismissing inclusion as a passing trend. I'm wary of that attitude-but Native people are no strangers to adversity. By working together in community, lifting one another up, we can not only survive but prosper in the world of books. That's good news for young readers everywhere, especially Native kids."

#OwnVoices

Created by YA author Corinne Duyvis in 2015, the #OwnVoices hashtag highlights books wherein the creator and main character (or secondary character) share an identity.

"While the concept of 'marginalized characters written by marginalized authors' is in no way new, I think that having straightforward shorthand has made it easier to prioritize and centralize these books within the diversity discussion. It's changed how we talk about representation, in both good and bad ways," Duyvis said in a Publishers Weekly interview five years after its creation. "I've seen lots of marginalized authors feel emboldened by the popularity of the hashtag, saying it gave them the faith that people actually wanted to read the kind of novels they hoped to write."

For Native and Indigenous writers, #OwnVoices is vital in sharing authentic stories that don't fall victim to tropes or stereotypes about Native people-but it's also challenging.

"I think the very existence of this hash tag makes it more likely that readers will be sensitive to the issue. No 'ethnic group' has been more stereotyped, misrepresented, and, quite frankly, used than Native Americans," said Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki), longtime children's and young adult author.

Kim Rogers, author of books for children and teens and enrolled Wichita, notes that #OwnVoices allow for nuance and depth for readers with respectful and accurate portrayals of communities that have otherwise been written poorly by outsiders.

"Identity issues are a common struggle, especially for those of us who did not grow up in our tribal communities or on a reservation," she said. "Some of us wonder if we're qualified to tell our own stories. It's so frustrating when we question this while some non-Native writers continue to take our stories so flippantly without thought to the harm it causes us and readers."

"Wrestling with identity is a result of our ancestors being forced into Indian boarding schools where everything was stolen from them including our languages, clothing, and culture. They were taught to forget where they came from and to assimilate into white culture on our own stolen homelands. They were punished severely if they broke the rules. Those things are passed down and affect many of us to this day in the form of intergenerational trauma. Thankfully, we are healing and we have reclaimed much of what was lost-including our own voices. It's a powerful form of resistance," Rogers said.

Brian Lee Young (Navajo) added that there's additional weight in the challenge when it comes to talking about and promoting #OwnVoices stories like his forthcoming title, while #OwnVoices means the door is open for books like his to thrive.

"With my culture, there are a lot of restrictions of what can and can't be shared. Even those restrictions can be different from cultural participant to participant. So I hear from one person 'you can't talk about this' and another person says 'it's okay to talk about this but this other thing is a big no.' At the end of the day I can't please everyone and I know that some people will be unhappy with how much I share," he said. "And my struggle in depicting my own culture is what #OwnVoices is about. Because, even though this is my culture, it's also my friend's culture, it's my community's culture, it's my nation's culture."

Marginalized authors bear the weight of providing what scholar Rudine Sims Bishop calls "mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors." Their stories serve as a way for young people especially to see themselves, to be seen by others, and to offer a means by which to connect with one another.

This is precisely why the #OwnVoices movement has had such a powerful impact and has created more space for the stories that are missing from shelves-and missing from the hands of readers who most deserve them.

And for Native writers, already among the most marginalized and misrepresented, the weight is especially heavy, though the opportunities to step up continue to encourage more and more storytellers who may otherwise have not found their voices in traditional publishing.

"I think readers are realizing their hunger for our stories. And I think they're learning that most books with 'Native themes,' authored by non-Native folks, don't always provide 'mirrors' for Native experiences. They're often more like funhouse mirrors: misshapen, distorted, and weird," said middle grade and young adult author Christine Day (Upper Skagit). "I think it's important for literary gatekeepers to swap out those funhouse mirrors for the real ones, because fiction is so powerful in shaping how young people make sense of the world around them. We owe them better explanations of Native histories and circumstances. We owe them more diverse, truthful representations of Native people living in the contemporary world."

Lee Young believes that in addition to #OwnVoices being an open door, it's also a challenge to do even better with representation.

"#OwnVoices has been so important and continues to be important. But I think it needs to go further especially with regards the representation of native cultures and stories. I encourage the use of tribally specified voices such as #NavajoVoice to further emphasis that the writer aside from being of indigenous heritage is the heritage that the protagonist is," he added.

Changes and Challenges of Writing Native Stories for Young Readers

The American public education system spends little, if any, time on Native history beyond the colonial, pioneering narratives or the challenging experiences Natives faced on the Trail of Tears. And even among some of the most beloved "classics" in children's literature, little is offered in the realities of Native history or contemporary life. Beloved franchises like Little House on the Prairie become staples in young (white) readers' lives, wherein Natives are depicted in vile, inhumane ways that further harm and misinformation about entire races and cultures of people.

"Our biggest challenges include a mainstream lack of familiarity with Native literary traditions, a lack of mainstream appreciation for the complexity, diversity and nuances of Native life, and misconceptions and misrepresentations that persist in non-Native media and educational institutions," said Leitich Smith. "We also have scant-to-no representation at every link of the industry chain that connects story to kids. No major trade house editors or art directors or literary agents or publicists, and so forth. Our books are largely reviewed by folks who have at best an outsider's knowledge base and by default, still tend to favor stereotypical depictions."

It's these stereotypes, as well as the poor depictions of Native lives by non-Natives in pop culture and beyond, which have hampered embracing one's culture and subsequently, storytelling, for many Native writers.

As a young person attending camp, author Dawn Quigley (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe) was shamed for her love of Native stories, and that experience haunted her for decades to come.

"To alleviate the feelings of being homesick I brought my favorite book. It was a Winter's count tale, which is a traditional Lakota pictographic retelling of a battle or hunting story. This book was read over and over by me and my mother, yet I still found something new each time I read it-a phrase, a drawing, a lesson. After returning from camp dinner one night I opened the cabin door to find my bag had been riffled through and on the bunk were my cabin mates-one girl held my book and was, in a melodramatic voice, reading my book in a stereotypical 'Injun talk' voice. My bunkmates were holding their sides in laughter. I made excuses of why I brought the book, and hid it away for the rest of camp-along with my identity as a Native person for many years, when I walked in and about school settings. After I returned home from camp, I gave my treasured book away, and hid my Native identity for many of my school years. I wish I could remember what I did with this book," she said.

Quigley continued, "My camp experience motivated me when I became an adult. I came to realize that too many Native American schoolchildren must also hide from their identity while having to endure biased, racist, and stereotypical literature taught by too many teachers- even today. My own children have brought home books with phrases claiming, '...those dirty Indians...,' '...the squaw brought him food...,' and even false notions that 'Indian people did not know how to tell time.' Now I study how non-Native teachers can create a ripple effect to open minds and hearts to appreciate Native literature, so no child needs to be ashamed of seeing books which reflects themselves."

Mankato, Minnesota, Quigley's hometown, was home to the largest execution in U.S. history, but despite 12 years in the public school system, she never learned about in the classroom or in any books. It was her parents who taught her about the December 1862 massacre of 38 Dakota men.

"The town of Mankato did not want to recognize this fact. It wanted to sweep the history under the rug," she said. "We must know and teach the history, language and culture of the original people, particularly by those who have the Native-lived experience. Educators must especially learn about Native America (past and present) in order to break the biased and problematic notions of Indigenous people."

For author Traci Sorell (Cherokee), who calls herself a "latecomer" to writing, her desire to publish stories came from studying picture books and seeing first-hand the lack of representation of her own people-and how her son deserved those stories, told by Cherokee people.

"It prompted me to figure out how to write these stories because I knew other Cherokee families as well as educators and librarians must be having the same challenge. We're still here and need to have our contemporary lives reflected in books," she said.

Her experience growing up was filled with storytelling, both within her family and in the community around her.

"Besides growing up in a family that could always spin a good story, I loved hearing my third grade teacher (a fellow Cherokee Nation citizen) read Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of the Monkeys to my class after lunchtime. Both books are written by Wilson Rawls, also a Cherokee Nation citizen," she said. He was the only Native author she remembers reading as a young person. Every year in Tahlequah, Oklahoma-the tribal capital-there's a Red Fern festival to celebrate Rawls and his work.

Despite not reading a wide range of Native stories growing up, Sorell wasn't confronted with some of the books that depict Natives in harmful ways.

"I also didn't read Paul Goble, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Scott O'Dell or other well-known authors who've penned inaccurate representations of Native people in books for young people. I'm so grateful for that!"

Angeline Boulley (Chippewa), whose debut YA novel Firekeeper's Daughter hits shelves next spring, didn't see herself in the books she read growing up, and as a result, found herself determined over a decade ago to write the story she desperately wanted to read.

Her love of reading was fostered by parents who took her to the library every week.

"I loved mysteries and thrillers-Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Shirley Jackson, and Lois Duncan. But it wasn't until I was a senior in high school that I read a book with a Native protagonist!" she said. "None of the books I read growing up reflected my identity as an Ojibwe girl with a Native father and non-Native mother."

"To be seen as the hero in a story-and that what I knew about my culture and community might be my greatest strength-would have been a revelation to me!" said Boulley.

"So about 11 years ago, I decided to write the 'Indigenous Nancy Drew' mystery/thriller that I had wished to read as a teen."

Navigating The Industry While Native

The publishing industry is very white. Lee & Low found in their research that, as of 2015, 79% of those working in publishing identified as white, followed by a scant 7% Asian, 6% Latinx, 4% Black, and a staggeringly painful under 1% identifying as Native.

Given the lack of education about Native history and contemporary Native life, it's not surprising that a white industry has perpetuated tired stereotypes and problematic portrayals of Natives in books for young readers.

Native authors experience this first hand. As Lee Young, a newcomer to the industry noted, feedback about his first book was particularly painful.

"When getting feedback from Healer, there is still one comment that disturbs my mind. I was told that my main character needs braids and to wear a feather in his hair otherwise the audience wouldn't know that my main character was native," he said. "My main character of Healer, Nathan, has short hair, wears glasses, and play video games."

"[A]ll too often our editors and publishers do not speak the same language we do-both literally and figuratively," said Bruchac. "A few years ago, Eric Gansworth and I were part of a conversation at the New York Public Library with our editors about problems non-Native editors sometimes face in understanding things we are talking about in our books and the time we, as Native writers, need to spend educating them. My terrific editor at Tu Books, Stacy Whitman, talked about how she could not understand the reference I made to 'snagging' in one of my novels. She thought I had misspelled 'snogging' and had wondered why I was using a British slang term for 'making out' until I explained it was a contemporary Pan-Indian term for trying to hook up."

Bruchac noted that it's exciting when an editor wants to engage with that new knowledge, rather than change or challenge it.

Sorell noted that she can't name a single Native person at a Big 5 publisher, and despite the challenges of navigating an industry without leaders who share her heritage, she's been pleased with how open and welcoming to these stories the people she's worked with have been.

"I spend a lot of time educating. Without Native people in their family or close circle of friends, and usually not having studied/read/been exposed to Native Nations after 1900 (given that's when we generally disappear from school curriculum and texts), folks come with information and images from white mainstream movies, TV, and pop culture. A very limited and problematic place to be. That said, I haven't worked with anyone yet who hasn't listened, been willing to learn and to help make the work the best it can be. That's comforting on many levels," she said.

And like anyone else who writes, Native authors struggle with the realities of modern life and finding the time to sit down to create. Balancing life with writing, as well as finding a community of like-minded, passionate, and writers that understand the unique challenges one can face navigating the publishing industry while Native, is one of the reasons Boulley cites for her debut taking 11 years to complete.

Boulley took part in a 2018 writer's retreat for Native creators, wherein she realized the power of finding fellow Native creators passionate about sharing their stories.

"[I]t felt like we had known each other forever. They just understood what it was like to write about your community and the balance of what you should include and what needs to be left off the page. [The] Native kid lit community is so supportive of each other!" she said.

Leitich Smith's Heartdrum marks a huge step for Big 5 publishing: not only is Leitich Smith the face for an imprint that highlights Native voices, but she is deeply involved in the editorial process itself. She's responsible for reading submissions, offering feedback on acquisitions, sends revision requests, and is able to offer insight in every step of the publishing process.

Early Leaders and Contemporary Writers to Know

While Leitich Smith's Heartdrum is the first Native-focused imprint from a major publisher, it's far from the first publisher of books by Native writers and/or focused on reaching Native readers. Native writers have published as long as any other group of writers, despite the vast swaths of volumes that may occupy libraries and bookstores.

"When I was a young reader there were no books for people of my age by Native authors readily available. Or, for that matter, books for readers of any age. Yes, there has been a long tradition of writing by Native Americans in both English and Spanish-beginning with such books as The Florida Of The Inca (1605) by the Andean writer Garcilaso de la Vega, the son of a Conquistador and an Inca woman. But most of the books by Native American writers were either out of print or not in the local or school libraries when I was growing up in the 1940s and '50s," said Bruchac.

"As my friend Geary Hobson pointed out over two decades ago, there had been periods when Native American writers were being published, followed by years of disinterest in the publishing world for anything other than as-told-to books such as Black Elk Speaks," Bruchac added. "As a result, it was only on my own that I began in my early 20s to discover such books by Lakota and Dakota writers as Zitkala-Sa's Old Indian Legends (1901), Charles Alexander Eastman's My Indian Boyhood (1931) and Luther Standing Bear's Stories Of the Sioux (1934)-all of which I would have loved to read as a kid."

He noted hearing several Native storytellers outside his family growing up as well.

"Several Native authors have paved the way for us," said Rogers. "Louise Erdrich's The Birchbark House came out in 1999. The series is a great alternative to Little House on the Prairie. I wish I would have had Louise's novels when I was a kid! And there's Joseph Bruchac. He's published 120 books for children and teens."

Christine Day feels excitement for this moment in Native literature for young people and what's about to come.

"I think more publishers are acquiring stories from Native writers. I think more literary gatekeepers-teachers, librarians, and booksellers-are seeking out #OwnVoices titles. And I think more readers are realizing just how hungry they are for our stories. This shift is so important, because it will hopefully lead to more diverse Native writers rising throughout this industry," she said, adding that Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, a middle grade anthology set to publish in February 2021, is one she's particularly excited for both as a contributor and as one to share with young readers.

"[W]e all wrote intersecting short stories and poetry set at the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow at the University of Michigan. I think it's safe to say that this book is a huge passion project for all of us. I can't wait for folks to read it. This collection showcases diverse Native perspectives, and a staggering amount of talent."

Sorell, in her work studying picture books, notes that the last few years have seen a positive shift in the books published featuring Native main characters. This includes both #OwnVoices stories and the growth of Native authors and illustrators for children and those who may not be Native but who are doing the work and the research to move away from harmful stereotypes and depictions.

Likewise, the breadth of stories is noteworthy.

"First, there are a growing number of stories beyond the traditional stories being shared. That's critical. Native Nations and their citizens need to be seen across nonfiction and fiction for all ages-birth to age 18. While there are still problematic books published about Native people for children and teens each year, they usually get attention for their shortcomings, which helps minimize their presence in classrooms and libraries," said Sorell. "On the flip side, more stories demonstrating the creators have done the work necessary to share culturally accurate representations of Native people are being published every year. That makes me incredibly happy. I want our young people and their peers to have a wide range of choices in nonfiction and fiction to read and enjoy. Connected to that, the number of Native authors and illustrators creating those works is growing. This delights me every day!"

Bruchac sees the contemporary landscape for Native and Indigenous writers optimistically, too, thanks in part to the tremendous force of those passionate about these books and stories. What was once relegated to the one or two books to represent such a vast experience, with loads of inaccurate books about Natives by non-Natives, is changing.

"It was smaller publishers, such as Fulcrum Books, who truly led the way by both publishing Native authors and doing a great job of selling those books. And astute literary critics-such as Debbie Reese-kept pounding away at that wall," he said.

"The result is that today we have more authentic Native voices appearing in print than at any time before this in history, so many of them that I am constantly seeing new names appear in print. There are people in that new generation of writers-such as Traci Sorell-doing incredible work of providing information and encouraging other authors. Plus, and this brings a big smile to my face, Cynthia Leitich Smith now has her own imprint for Native kid lit-Heartdrum."

Leitich Smith feels blessed to have found her way into publishing during the early '00s alongside other Native writers like Shonto Begay, Joseph Bruchac, Floyd Cooper, Louise Erdrich, and Michael Lacapa, and she looks forward to welcoming more newcomers to Native children's literature, including Michaela Goade, Kevin Noble Maillard, Traci Sorell, as well as YA author Angeline Boulley and picture book writer Patricia Buckley.

"We're in the midst of a determined movement to improve the industry mindset and landscape. While the need for more quality books remains pressing, we remain grateful for those early, influential voices/visions who persisted, those who joined them along the way, and we're also welcoming a rising wave of exciting newcomers," she said.

Finding Native Books for Children and Teens

It's been primarily small, independent, and academic presses publishing Natives stories. With the launch of Heartdrum, as more readers seek out Native stories, finding those books can be a bit tricky.

Heartdrum's first titles will launch this winter and include Christine Day's sophomore novel The Sea in Winter. Day is one of the contributors to another book on Heartdrum's initial list, Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, an anthology edited by Leitich Smith set during the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The collection includes contributions from Eric Gansworth, Kim Rogers, Tim Tingle, Monique Gray Smith, and more.

"The concept is that the stories (and many of the characters) intersect at the two-day event. It was a highly collaborative project, co-written through an online message board, emails, texts and phone calls," Leitich Smith said.

Three of Leitich Smith's earlier works will be repackaged and republished as well, including Jingle Dancer, Indian Shoes, and Rain Is Not My Indian Name.

"That initial list will be a bit of a springboard as we've acquired quite a few upcoming titles, which are now in various stages of revision and production, notably including Jo Jo Makoons: The Used to Be Best Friend by Dawn Quigley, illustrated by Tara Audibert, which will launch a humorous and adorable chapter book series, and Healer of the Water Monster by debut novelist Brian Young with a cover by famed artist Shonto Begay," she said.

Readers itching to dive deeper will do well exploring the catalogs of publishers such as Charlesbridge, Kokila/Penguin, Lee & Low, Levine Querido, Native Realities, 7 th Generation/Native Voices, Reycraft Books, and Salina Bookshelf.

Leitich Smith also says to look for tribally published books like Anthony Perry's Chula The Fox from White Dog/Chickasaw Press; small-press titles like Bowwow Powwow: Bagosenjige-niimi'idim by Brenda J. Child, translated by Gordon Jourdain, and illustrated by Jonathan Thunder from Minnesota Historical Society Press; and university-press releases like Johnny's Pheasant by Cheryl Minnema, illustrated by Julie Flett.

She also encourages readers to explore the lists at Pemmican Publications and Inhabit Media.

And of course, as the United States and Canada are both settler nations, it's vital to remember that Native and Indigenous literature are not only not a monolith, but they're not relegated to a single modern country or experience. There is a world of Native and Indigenous children's book set across the globe.

"Many wonderful books have been written by our First Nations friends in Canada. Those that come to mind are The Marrow Thieves, a young adult novel published in 2017 written by Cherie Dimaline, and anything by the talented author/illustrator Julie Flett. I love her latest picture book, , publishedin 2019. Don't miss books by Monique Gray Smith, Richard Van Camp, Jenny Kay Dupuis, and David Alexander Robertson," offered Rogers.

Boulley offered a powerful array of favorites, too.

"I love The Marrow Thievesby Cherie Dimaline. The Night Wanderer (about an Anishinaabe vampire) by Drew Hayden Taylor was originally published in 2007 and then released as a graphic novel in 2013. Strangers by David A. Robertson is another good one, as is Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson, which is now also a Canadian television series (YAY!!!) called Trickster," she said.

Leitich Smith notes that she's surprised to be unable to name a single current Native Hawaiian children's author but is excited to pick up Malulani Moreno's debut An Island Without You (2021). She also recommends the work of Ambelin Kwaymullina from the Palyku people of Australia.

Readers will find much to enjoy perusing the American Indian Youth Literature award winners, as well as the lists curated by Leitich Smith herself.

"One thing that we all must do is advocate and search for Native-authored books. Look at great websites like Cynthia Leitich Smith, or the American Indian Library Association, but also to seek to understand who is writing a Native book. Start asking: is this person connected to a specific tribal community?" said Quigley. "Explore these sites, seek recommendations because there are so many Native books out there!"

The future of Native children's literature glows bright-and it's on us as readers to continue to read these stories, share these stories, and advocate for even more richness to this tapestry of lived experiences.

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"Readers Are Realizing Their Hunger For Our Stories": Native Literature for Kids and Teens

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"As Native people, we're still fighting to crack the 2 percent mark for representation in the field. Two percent of stories published on our own land." Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Creek Nation) has been an advocate for Native children's literature since the publication of her first book Jingle Dancer 20 years ago.

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Did you like this padlet? Visit our Equity Reading Room for others.

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Cooley, E. Lei, R. F., and Ellerkamp, T. (2018). The mixed outcomes of taking ownership for implicit racial biases.

"One potential strategy for prejudice reduction is encouraging people to acknowledge, and take ownership for, their implicit biases."

"Among those low in IMS [internal motivation] owning high implicit bias backfired, leading to greater overt prejudice."

"We conclude that taking ownership of implicit bias has mixed outcomes--at times amplifying the expression of explicit prejudice."

Kellogg Insight (2021). Six evidence-based strategies for improving diversity in your organization.

"Trainings are only the beginning of the efforts needed to improve diversity in an organization. ... Additionally, some trainings just don't work or backfire."

Strategy #1: Prepare for bad reactions.

Strategy #2: "Facilitate intergroup contact -- but also create dedicated spaces for underrepresented groups."

Strategy #3: "Messaging matters, but action matters more."

Strategy #4: "Treat diversity as you would any other organizational goal."

Strategy #5: "Collect and analyze data on diversity programming."

Strategy #6: Recognize that it on't be easy and it won't happen overnight.

Kellogg Insight (2020) White Americans overestimate racial progress. But certain attempts to remedy that could backfire.

Experiments showed that reading about racism caused White people to reshape their perceptions of the past, but did not change their perceptions of the present.

"Many Americans hold dear a national narrative of continual triumph over injustice -- 'essentially, linear racial progress, unending from slaery through Jim Crow to our first Black president.'"

Ngo, N. (2021). No more 'master' bedrooms: Minnesota real estate listings aim for inclusivity.

"There's a hidden discriminatory piece that galls when you say 'master' bedroom."

Phrases like man-cave, mother-in-law suite, and Jack-and-Jill bathroom are also being eliminated.

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Cooley, E. Lei, R. F., and Ellerkamp, T. (2018). The mixed outcomes of taking ownership for implicit racial biases. "One potential strategy for prejudice reduction is encouraging people to acknowledge, and take ownership for, their implicit biases." "Among those low in IMS [internal motivation]

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Enter your zip code into the Native Lands app and an interactive map will tell you the area's original land and tribal ties.

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You cannot find a corner of this continent that does not hold ancient history, Indigenous value, and pre-colonial place names and stories. And every place we occupy was once the homeland for other people, most of whom didn't leave willingly.

Whose land are you on? Start with a visit to native-land.ca. Native Land is both a website and an app that seeks to map Indigenous languages, treaties, and territories across Turtle Island. You might type in New York, New York, for example, and find that the five boroughs are actually traditional Lenape and Haudenosaunee territory.

On the website and in the app, you can enter the ZIP code or Canadian or American name for any town. The interactive map will zoom in on your inquiry, color-code it, and pull up data on the area's Indigenous history, original language, and tribal ties.

The project is run by Victor Temprano out of British Columbia, Canada. A self-described "settler," he said that the idea came to him while driving near his home-traditional Squamish territory. He saw many signs in the English language with the Squamish original place names indicated in parentheses underneath. He thought to himself, "Why isn't the English in brackets?"

Temprano emphasizes that Native Land maps are constantly being refined by user input, and he welcomes data submissions. On the website, he also cautions about the nature of mapping. "I feel that Western maps of Indigenous nations are very often inherently colonial, in that they delegate power according to imposed borders that don't really exist in many nations throughout history. They were rarely created in good faith, and are often used in wrong ways."

Reorientation to the Indigenous perspective, though, just might offer an entirely new way to experience this continent.

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This App Can Tell You the Indigenous History of the Land You Live On - YES! Magazine

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You cannot find a corner of this continent that does not hold ancient history, Indigenous value, and pre-colonial place names and stories. And every place we occupy was once the homeland for other people, most of whom didn't leave willingly. Whose land are you on? Start with a visit to native-land.ca.

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Kate's presentation without the YouTube videos

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Kate's presentation without the YouTube videos

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MATC history professor Kate Erickson discusses how the first Thanksgiving has been (mis)represented in popular culture. Studies show that when this false narrative is repeated in schools, the self-esteem of Native children falls significantly. This video is presented without the YouTube links. Scroll down in this column to view those videos.

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The First Thanksgiving videos removed.mp4

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Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native Americans

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Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native Americans

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Created by Matika Wilbur, Project 562 is a multi-year national photography project dedicated to photographing over 562 federally recognized tribes in The United States resulting in an unprecedented repository of imagery and oral histories that accurately portrays contemporary Native Americans. This creative, consciousness-shifting work will be widely distributed through national curricula, artistic publications, exhibitions, and online portals.

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Matika has visited members of over 300 sovereign nations throughout 40 states, from Tlingits in Alaska to the Pimas in Arizona, Pomos in California to Wampanoags on Cape Cod. Through her lens, we are able to see the diversity, vibrancy, and realness of Indian Country, and in seeing, challenge and su…

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More than 80 essays, poems, interviews, historical vignettes, and lesson plans reevaluate the myth of Columbus and issues of indigenous rights. Rethinking Columbus is packed with useful teaching ideas for kindergarten through college.

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The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was formed by Native educators in 1969 to encourage a national discourse on Native education. For 47 years, NIEA has hosted an annual convention to provide a forum for collaboration.

NIEA adheres to the organization's founding principles-

to bring Native educators together to explore ways to improve schools and the education of Native children;

to promote the maintenance and continued development of Native languages and cultures;

and to develop and implement strategies for influencing local, state, and federal policy and policymakers.

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The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was formed by Native educators in 1969 to encourage a national discourse on Native education. For 47 years, NIEA has hosted an annual convention to provide a forum for collaboration.

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WEBSITE: US Dept of the Interior - Indian Affairs

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WEBSITE: US Dept of the Interior - Indian Affairs

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Official websites use .gov
A.gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

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A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

We maintain government-to-government relationships with Indian tribes, and facilitate support for tribal people and tribal governments. We promote safe and quality living environments, strong communities, self sufficient and individual rights, while enhancing protection of the lives, prosperity and well being of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Indian Affairs provides services directly or through contracts, grants, or compacts to 574 Federally recognized tribes with a service population of approximately 2.5 million American Indian and Alaska Natives. While the role of Indian Affairs has changed significantly in the last three decades in response to a greater emphasis on Indian self-governance and self-determination, Tribes still look to Indian Affairs for a broad spectrum of services.

This announcement follows the decision to designate the college as a voter registration agency under the National Voter Registration Act.

Resources will support Tribal fishing rights and economic development

Funding will provide Indigenous youth with opportunities to engage in meaningful public service projects on federal and Tribal lands.

Looking for U.S. government information and services?

Visit USA.gov

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Official websites use .gov A.gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock (Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

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MUSIC DOCUMENTARY: *Rumble: Indians Who Rocked the World*

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MUSIC DOCUMENTARY: *Rumble: Indians Who Rocked the World*

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They tried to ban, censor and erase Indian culture from rock and roll history but Native American influence is wrapped into modern music's DNA. RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World is an electric look at Native American influence in popular music, going deep into the Indigenous foundations of rock. MORE

traces the melodies, rhythms, and beats of traditional Native music as they took different forms across the spectrum of 20th-century American rock. Native Americans such as Robbie Robertson and Buffy Sainte-Marie helped to define its evolution, while Native guitarists and drummers such as Link Wray -- the electric guitar pioneer whose titular instrumental hit was banned from the radio, Hall of Famer Jimi Hendrix, who was part-Cherokee, Jesse Ed Davis, and many more forever changed the trajectory of rock and roll. Their stories are told by some of America's greatest rock legends who knew them, played music with them, and were inspired by them, including George Clinton, Taj Mahal, Slash, Jackson Browne, Taboo, Buddy Guy, Quincy Jones, Derek Trucks, Tony Bennett, Iggy Pop, Steven Tyler and Stevie Van Zandt.

Telling a missing chapter in rock history, RUMBLE is essential viewing for music fans.

has brought her signature enthusiasm and passion for storytelling to countless documentary, drama, comedy and interactive media projects, notably the Peabody Award-winning documentary ) about Native stereotypes in Hollywood films. Her role as director on Catherine Bainbridge Reel Injun ( Independent Lens RUMBLE encapsulates her love and devotion to music, history, politics and bringing important Indigenous stories to the mainstream.

B ased in Montreal, Alfonso Maiorana's DP experience on Hollywood films, independent features, MOWs, and television series brings a distinctive look and feel to the films he shoots. His directing credits include The Big World which premiered at the Montreal International Film festival. LESS

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RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World | Films | PBS

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They tried to ban, censor and erase Indian culture from rock and roll history but Native American influence is wrapped into modern music's DNA. RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World is an electric look at Native American influence in popular music, going deep into the Indigenous foundations of rock.

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This site offers some tools for studying and learning the Oneida language.

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This site offers some tools for studying and learning the Oneida language. Here you can:

learn a little about the language, its speakers, and its traditions - About the Oneida Language.

download a teaching grammar that includes sound files so you can hear how the language is spoken as well as how it is organized - Oneida Teaching Grammar

access a dictionary database to look up words or find out how root elements of the language are used - Oneida Dictionary

view some sample texts - Sample texts

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This site offers some tools for studying and learning the Oneida language. Here you can: learn a little about the language, its speakers, and its traditions - About the Oneida Language.

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Land Acknowledgment

Northwestern is a community of learners situated within a network of historical and contemporary relationships with Native American tribes, communities, parents, students, and alumni. It is also in close proximity to an urban Native American community in Chicago and near several tribes in the Midwest. The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. It was also a site of trade, travel, gathering and healing for more than a dozen other Native tribes and is still home to over 100,000 tribal members in the state of Illinois.

It is within Northwestern's responsibility as an academic institution to disseminate knowledge about Native peoples and the institution's history with them. Consistent with the University's commitment to diversity and inclusion, Northwestern works towards building relationships with Native American communities through academic pursuits, partnerships, historical recognitions, community service and enrollment efforts.

About the design

Artist Statement

Long before skyscrapers and more recent city life spread across the region, these Indigenous Nations have been in relationship with the land and, with that, carry responsibilities. As a small snapshot of life and the landscape then, you can see a canoe resting along the shore of Lake Michigan, surrounded by pine trees. Canoes, made often times using birch bark, are representative of the historic and sustained presence of Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes area, prior to the arrival of settlers and continued to this day. Adorning the lake are wild rice and wild onion, both of which hold a special place within each tribe. The onion plant is native to the Chicago area and can be attributed to its naming. Wild rice is a sacred plant and food to Great Lakes tribes, tied to migration stories. Wild rice, which is actually a grain and not a rice, is highly nutritious but has been threatened by fracking, pipelines, mines, and proposed genetic engineering. Both plants represent this area, food sovereignty, subsistence, and treaty rights.

Today, Indigenous peoples continue to protect and remain in relationship with these relatives and will do so until the end of time. It is vital to honor these beginnings and recognize the ongoing dedication and importance of Indigenous culture within our communities and within the land that we gather, live, learn and work on.

Artist Biography

Western Wisconsin based artist, Brittany Tainter, is a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe of Ojibwe. Originally starting her career as a Graphic Designer, her work now crosses many disciplines and often references Indigenous identity and place.

She owns Giizhig Design Company, a small creative agency that offers graphic design, copywriting, and other services. Since starting the business in 2017, she has expanded her services and now creates and sells custom beadwork. Learn more by visiting www.giizhig.com

Resources

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Land Acknowledgment: Native American and Indigenous Initiatives - Northwestern University

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Northwestern is a community of learners situated within a network of historical and contemporary relationships with Native American tribes, communities, parents, students, and alumni. It is also in close proximity to an urban Native American community in Chicago and near several tribes in the Midwest.

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VIDEO POEM: "Brown Eyes" by Nadia McGhee

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VIDEO POEM: "Brown Eyes" by Nadia McGhee

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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From Co-Creators and Executive Producers Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, Reservation Dogs is a half-hour comedy that follows the exploits of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma who steal, rob and save in order to get to the exotic, mysterious and faraway land of California.

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A half-hour comedy that follows the exploits of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma.

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Tribal Histories | Wisconsin First Nations

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Recorded in the natural settings of the regions that native people have called home for centuries, Tribal Histories feature tribal members sharing the challenges, triumphs and time-honored traditions that have [more]

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Native facts, news, history, and culture

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The rare total solar eclipse on April 8 is a spectacle for many to look at but for some Indigenous people it's a sacred observational time

The emergency declaration stated that the tribe had exhausted its available resources searching for the two individuals

You may know Tommy Orange from "There, There." Now, the award-winning author is out with his second novel. Plus, Black Lung disease on the Navajo Nation points out inequalities in health care. And, we have Naiomi Glasses who is a seventh generation weaver and skateboarder.

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Native American facts, Indian news and American Indian service, plus Native history and culture.

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Books for, by, and about indigenous people.

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Book art from We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

illustration ©2020 by Michaela Goade

Our world is experiencing a social and political reckoning. In such turbulent times, literature can serve as a tool of enlightenment and escape. Whether you are a media specialist seeking excellent additions to your collection or titles to recommend, or an educator seeking gold for both remote and in-person learning, you'll find plenty of options here. Most importantly, the accurate and authentic books here are by and about Native Americans and First Nations people.

According to a Diversity in Children's Books 2018 infographic, one percent of books published in the United States and Canada in 2018 had content about, or depicted characters with, Native American/First Nations backgrounds. Of that one percent, 40 books were by Native American/First Nations people and 56 were about Native American/First Nations people. This data does not reflect the quality of those representations, only quantity. Many of the books published each year about Indigenous people contain misrepresentations of Native people and cultures. While the number of books by Native American/First Nations authors released by U.S. and Canadian publishers has slowly increased over the past decade, with this past year signaling perhaps a watershed moment, there is a long way to go.

In-person, remote, and hybrid instructional models this year will all yield even less actual teaching time than previous years. To maximize time with students, the titles we use must meet high standard: They must serve as instructional resources, they must be accurate and authentic, and they must be engaging enough to return to time and again as mentor texts.

The featured picture books, board books, and graphic novel are for all ages. These titles showcase beautiful language and a higher vocabulary, and can be used with multiple levels of readers. They also explore prevalent themes and important concepts, which can be used across subject areas.

Additionally, these books transcend standards for pre-K-12 learning. They can be used in reading, writing, and language instruction. Some are appropriate for social studies and even science. They can also serve as mentor texts and touchstones, which provide continuity for students while saving instructional time by using familiar books. The best part? They will ignite curiosity and keep readers engaged.

Bowwow Powwow by Brenda J. Child

illustration ©2018 by Jonathan Thunder.

Picture Books for All Ages

CHILD, Brenda J. illus by Jonathan Thunder. tr. from Ojibwe by Gordon Jourdain. Minnesota Historical Society. 2018. ISBN 9781681340777.
Gr 2-4 -This recipient of the 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Award for Picture Books is an Ojibwe dual-language celebration of "the history of Ojibwe song and dance, past and present," according to the author's note. Intriguing illustrations that blend historical with contemporary powwows depict Windy Girl, her uncle, and her dog Itchy Boy dancing, enjoying food, and bonding with friends at a summer powwow. Windy Girl falls asleep that night and dreams of a different powwow, the kind Itchy Boy would love.

illus. by author. Greystone Kids. 2019. ISBN 9781771644730.
Gr 2-7 -Set against the backdrop of the four seasons and sprinkled with Cree words, this gorgeous tale-and 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Honor Award winner for Picture Books-follows young Katherena as she and her mother move from the city to the country, and as she and Agnes, her elderly neighbor, forge an unusual friendship. How Katherena deals with Agnes's health is just one of the lessons she learns throughout the year.

Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

illustration ©2019 by Juana Martinez-Neal

LINDSTROM, Carole. We Are Water Protectors. illus. by Michaela Goade. Roaring Brook. Mar. 2020. ISBN 9781250203557.
Gr 2-4 -This multilayered picture book was written in support of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, who protested the Dakota Access Pipeline. It can be used on a surface level with younger children and on a deeper, more informed level with older students. The author's and illustrator's notes provide valuable information, and there is a pledge children can sign to protect the environment.

MAILLARD, Kevin Noble. Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story. illus. by Juana Martinez-Neal. Roaring Brook. 2019. ISBN 9781626727465.
Gr K-4 -Fry bread is so much more than a food! It is shape, sound, color, flavor, time with family, and tradition. Weaving history and the strength of Native people into the story of fry bread, this picture book showcases Indigenous diversity of appearance and nation. Don't miss the author's note and recipe in the back.

PEACOCK, Thomas. The Forever Sky. illus. by Annette S. Lee. Minnesota Historical Society. 2019. ISBN 9781681340982.
Gr 3-5 -So many Native people share stories within families, clans, and tribes to strengthen ties with each other and to ensure the stories will live on through generations. This beautiful picture book follows that tradition for the Ojibwe, using a traditional story-within-a-story structure to tenderly answer young Niigaanii's question: Where does Grandmother's spirit go when it leaves this world? Lee's stunning illustrations depict the northern lights and all the relatives dancing in the circle of the Forever Sky. A 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Honor Award winner for Picture Books, this is an exceptional book that deals deftly, comfortingly, and culturally with a challenging time for young people.

ROBERTSON, Joanne. The Water Walker. illus. by author. tr. from Ojibwe by the author. Second Story. 2019. ISBN 9781772601008.
Gr 3-8 -This is the new dual-language edition of the story of Josephine Mandamin, an Ojibwe grandmother, and the Water Walkers, who walked around the Great Lakes to raise awareness of the need to protect the water. With contemporary references and illustrations, Robertson creates a call to action for environmental issues.

SORRELL, Traci. At the Mountain's Base. illus. by Weshoyot Alvitre. Penguin/Kokila. 2019. ISBN 9780735230606.
Gr K-5 -Native American women and men have served at high rates in all branches of the military. A 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Honor Award winner for Picture Books, this lovely poem is a tribute to them and their loved ones back at home. Glimpses of daily life through the lens of a World War II pilot and a fictional Cherokee Nation family illuminate this era in history.

VAN CAMP, Richard. Kiss by Kiss. illus. by author. Orca. 2018. ISBN 9781459816213.
Gr PreS-K -This delightful rhyming counting book in Cree and English will have the youngest learners asking for it over and over. Beautiful close-up photography of faces will entrance, while the rhythmic words will pull kids in.

VAN CAMP, Richard. Welcome Song for Baby. illus. by author. Orca. 2018. ISBN 9781459820104.
Gr PreS-K -This dual-language book is a poem, a lullaby, a declaration, and a pledge to every child reader. Lyrical language describes the value of each child, each identity, while exquisite photos capture the diverse beauty of babies and adults.

VANDEVER, Daniel W. Fall in Line, Holden! illus. by author. Salina Bookshelf. 2017. ISBN 9781893354500.
Gr K-12 -This is one of those rare, multilayered picture books that can be used with all ages of students, from the tiniest readers to high schoolers. On the surface, younger readers will delight in the imaginative Holden's impatience for recess and difficulty standing still in line. But the text serves as an allegorical tool to open discussions of Native boarding schools, a "grim period in American history." From the first paragraph to illustrations of mouthless students, this book is a treasure complex enough for secondary students and accessible and engaging for primary students.

Graphic Novel

AKULUKJUK, Roselynn & Danny Christopher. Putuguq and Kublu and the Qalupalik! illus. by Astrid Arijanto. Inhabit Media. 2019. ISBN 9781772272284.
Gr 1-3 -This graphic novel for newly independent readers will have students in stitches as Putuguq's imagination runs away with him. He and his big sister, Kublu, listen to their grandfather's story of the qalupaliit-strange creatures that live under the sea ice and snatch children. Grandpa tells them to be extra careful on their way and listen to the sea ice. Told with humor, modern-day relevance, and traditional story-within-a-story structure, this gem uses an attractive graphic novel format to show a grandfather's care to keep children safe and aware as they cross the ice.
Kara Stewart, an enrolled member of the Sappony Tribe, is a literacy coach and reading specialist in the public schools of Orange County, NC.

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Native Perspectives: Books by, for, and about Indigenous People | Great Books

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Whether you are a media specialist seeking excellent additions to your collection or titles to recommend, or an educator seeking gold for both remote and in-person learning, you'll find plenty of options here, with accurate and authentic booksby and about Native Americans and First Nations people.

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This is a list of 12 books.

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Indigenous Peoples Day is today, a reclamation of what is still too often known as Columbus Day. Instead of celebrating Indigenous genocide and white settler colonialism, it behooves US citizens, especially white ones, to make a point to read Indigenous authors today and every day. Here's a list of books that came out this year by Indigenous writers you can read in order to help decolonize your bookshelf.
Poetry
In her latest collection, 2019 US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo returns to the Southeast where her ancestors, the Mvskoke people, were forcibly removed under the Indian Removal Act of 1830 to west of the Mississippi. The book opens with a map-a depiction of a line across land, one of many trails of tears. As Harjo explores the grief and mourning of this forced exile, she also tells a story of erasure and survival, of personal and intergenerational loss, and of a new sunrise. Harjo is extremely skilled at using short, deceptively simple lines and stanzas to create imagery that swells with emotion and will not look away from either pain or beauty. We as a nation are blessed to be alive in her time, in the same room as her writing-which is also her warning, her insight, and her voice.

A collaboration between celebrated poet, novelist, nonfiction writer and editor Lee Maracle (Sto:lo) and her daughters-playwright, director and performer Columpa Bobb and actor, playwright and poet Tania Carter-this poetry collection is a pleasure to read. The three wrote poetry together from the time Bobb and Carter were children, and this book brings together their multifaceted writing styles. Joyful and sad, charting colonial and familial beginnings, it sings with hope and reconciliation in its verse. Hope Matters is a welcome addition to the Maracle library, and to literature as a whole.

This debut collection from Skeets (Diné) is striking in every way. From the photograph on the cover-an image of his uncle, who was killed not long after it was taken-to the stark, gorgeous lines within, Eyes Bottle Dark With a Mouthful of Flowers is brimming with engrossing imagery and gripping syntax. In content and in form, Skeets brings both queer and Indigenous ways of thinking and being to living, breathing life, challenging western linguistic habits. It cracks and glitters on every page, and marks the emergence of a major new poetic voice.
Fiction
This debut collection of contemporary writing from writer and scholar Dr. Beth Piatote (Colville Confederated Tribes) ranges in form from short stories to poetry to plays (the final chapter is a reimagining of Antigone). Some of the stories are historical fiction, including a story about an 11-year-old girl during the 1960s Fish Wars in the Pacific Northwest, and one about a mixed French-Lakota and a French boy who are college roommates in Boston in 1890 when the massacre at Wounded Knee occurs. No matter what form Piatote takes in her storytelling, the fiction here is gripping and utterly readable. From migrant workers on their own land, to a woman recounting a broken relationship to her niece as she teaches her beadwork, the stories here are wide-ranging but encompass many perspectives of Indigenous people in North America.

Melissa Michal's debut short story collection centers on people of Seneca descent mostly living in what is now called upstate New York, but also in New York City mansions, Nebraska footpaths, BC islands, and rural Tennessee. The stories and characters vary widely in point of view, and as the title implies, they dance along borderlines, along a constant reckoning with a colonialist and racist society. But in addition to their broad experiences and world views, the characters all deal with themes of family, history, tradition, and intergenerational trauma.

The familial relationships here are strong and tender, no matter who they bond: long-lost siblings, grandparents and grandchildren, spouses and friends, the dead and the living. Melissa Michal has created potent stories around all of them, with disturbing and beautiful elements all at once. All of the characters, even in the shortest stories, are full of depth and nuance, making this one of the more underrated short story collections of the year.
Memoir and Nonfiction
What does it mean to be both Black and Indigenous in America? What does it mean to be of tri-racial descent? Shonda Buchanan dives deep into her identity and inheritance in this shining memoir. Raised as a Black girl but told stories of her multiracial heritage throughout her childhood, Buchanan calls her book "an attempt to expand, reclaim, and celebrate narratives of the African American experiences as well as the American Indian experiences" that inform her sense of self. In stunning, poetic prose, across landscapes and cultural sagas, Buchanan travels back into her family lineage to see what she can unearth. In examining the stories of Indigenous people and formerly enslaved Black migrants marrying and making families, her European heritage, and all the beautiful and troublesome aspects of what is ultimately American history, Buchanan explores where, and with whom, her family itself is rooted. The result is both a poignant personal narrative and a broader cultural one. In these pages, Buchanan has gifted the world an exquisite and totally engrossing memoir that traverses the meanings of family, legacy, and identity.

Tiffany Midge is the award-winning author of the poetry collections The Woman Who Married a Bear and Outlaws, Renegades & Saints; a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe; and the poet laureate of Moscow, Idaho. In this collection of short essays, Midge uses humor to examine complex identity, feminism, privilege, and politics, through both the personal (losing her mother) to the seemingly mundane (the existence of pumpkin spice everything). From Tweets as Assigned Texts for Native American Studies Course ("White people. The original manspreaders. Manspreading the North American continent since 1492″) to a takedown of The Handmaid's Tale that really should be discussed more in the mainstream, the pieces here strike a strong balance between the insight and and intuitive sense of humor required for great comedy. This book is not a 101 lesson on Indigeneity for white people. It is incisive and smart, and the writing will make you laugh, think, and feel deeply, no matter what your identity markers.

This book is truly a life story; narrated in first person by McLeod (Cree), it is told from his perspective, but includes many other characters who are deeply rendered with care and empathy. The narrative starts with an account of his mother Bertha's time in, and dramatic escape from, a Canadian residential school along with her sisters and cousins. This is an important setup, as it immediately establishes the theme of the ingrained, pervasive, and evil legacy and trauma of colonialism and white supremacy inflicted on Indigenous people of North America. McLeod writes about Catholicism throughout, first finding meaning in it, then rejecting it as white brainwashing that erases Indigenous cultures through fearmongering, forced loss of language, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. This itself is very powerful, but it's far from the only pillar of this story. As he grows from a curious, loyal, and happy child in rural Alberta hearing stories from his grandfather and loving the outdoors, McLeod's life blooms and withers in turns. Through violence and abuse, love and joy, McLeod drifts in and out of close contact with his family members, and meanwhile explores/struggles with his own sexuality and the gender transition of both his sibling and cousin. He writes poignantly about how whiteness and Catholicism drastically-and negatively-changed how gender nonconforming, trans, and sexually fluid people are viewed and treated in Indigenous communities, even within the span of a single generation.

This new collection of essays from established and emerging contemporary Indigenous writers is stunning both in depth and scope. With pieces from such well-known writers as Terese Marie Mailhot, Tiffany Midge (whose Bury My Heart at Chuck E Cheese's is on this list), Eden Robinson, Alicia Elliott, Laura Da´, Ernestine Hayes, and Deborah A. Miranda, this book has more than enough literary cred to be an automatic must for most readers. But the collection, expertly curated and structured by writer and Cowlitz Indian Tribe member Elissa Washuta (whose incredible essay Apocalypse Logic also appears here) and literary scholar Theresa Warburton, shines in every piece and in its existence as a whole. In fact, the whole is the point: the editors employ the art of basket weaving in their approach to crafting the book, emphasizing the mutually dependant ideas of form and function, of the basket and the essay as vessels whose craft is as important as what it contains. Naming the four sections of the book after basket weaving craft-Technique, Coiling, Plaiting, and Twining-the pieces within it are experimental and innovative, lyrical and world-building. In these pages, storytelling is a way of developing new Native nonfiction literary possibility.

Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Confederated Tribes) is the co-author with Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (who also appears on this list) of " All the Real Indians Died Off" and 20 Other Myths About Native Americans; the policy director and senior research associate at the Center for World Indigenous Studies; and a college professor. In this short but dense primer, Gilio-Whitaker brings her vast knowledge and experience to the page as she charts the history of environmental (in)justice (EJ) in North America since colonization. The book opens with a detailed account of Standing Rock and moves outward, highlighting the ways in which western colonial expansion, the Industrial Revolution and its legacy, and the mainstream EJ movement continue to exclude, marginalize, harm, indeed kill, First Nations people. Drawing connections between Indigenous health, sacred sites, and the essential leadership of Indigenous women, she illustrates capitalism as a manifestation of settler colonialism that is fundamentally incompatible with Indigenous ways of thinking/being and, therefore, with environmental justice. Gilio-Whitaker makes a comprehensive, urgent and compelling argument for the indigenization of the EJ movement.

Author, educator, facilitator, editor, and speaker Suzanne Methot (Nehiyawak) uses data as a jumping-off point for this beautifully written book about strategies for healing from intergenerational trauma. Indigenous communities have higher rates of depression, addiction, and other chronic illnesses than other North Americans. The first sentence of the book reads, "Indigenous people do funerals really, really well." Methot contends that amidst the individual and collective trauma that manifests these discouraging facts, healing comes from Indigenous ways of knowing-"respect, responsibility, reciprocity and relationships." She discusses damaging, toxic patterns of behavior, thought, and physical illness as a direct result of unresolved grief and loss from colonialism and genocide, including the residential schools that fractured and isolated families and communities. Methot points out the importance of storytelling in both perpetuating trauma and in healing from it, and distinguishes between the linear stories of white settlers and the spiral stories of First Nations peoples. These spiral stories, she writes, have a more transformational, emotional narrative that can facilitate healing. It will be messy, emotional, and imperfect, she says, but necessary. In crystal-clear prose, Methot has written a book that is both easy to follow and crucial to read.

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz's An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States won the 2015 American Book Award and is a pillar text in the decolonization of the whitewashed historical narratives of most American education. This year, it got its adaptation for YA and middle grade readers from Debbie Reese (Nambe Owingeh educator and founder of American Indians in Children's Literature) and Jean Mendoza (curriculum specialist focusing on representation of Indigenous people in children's and YA literature). This is a wonderful example of how to write history in a way that is accessible to young readers without sacrificing nuance. The book opens with a straightforward and elegant explainer about implicit bias in language, such as the othering that occurs when words of an Indigenous language are written in italics. The book also uses images to great effect, from maps to photographs of Indigenous art and Indigenous resistance and activism. Importantly, they are put in context that contributes to unlearning the typical US history textbook of white supremacist and colonialist propaganda. The book as a whole deftly illustrates the history of colonialism and Indigenous communities, including pointing out that the democracy within Indigenous communities inspired key parts of the US Constitution. While it mostly covers history since colonization, the book includes pre-colonial history as well. With "Did You Know" boxes and exercise questions, An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People reads like a very accessible textbook and a wonderful introduction to Indigenous history of North America for young readers.

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12 Books by Indigenous Writers to Read this Indigenous Peoples Day

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Indigenous Peoples Day is today, a reclamation of what is still too often known as Columbus Day. Instead of celebrating Indigenous genocide and white settler colonialism, it behooves US citizens, especially white ones, to make a point to read Indigenous authors today and every day.

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This list was created by the New York Public Library.

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Books by Indigenous People

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"Indigenous Futurisms" is a term that was term was coined by Dr. Grace Dillon, professor in the Indigenous Nations Studies Program at Portland State University. It's inspired by Afrofuturisms, a movement that explores speculative fiction through an African diaspora lens. (That is a very, very basic explanation for a huge concept spanning philosophy, history, and literature that I can't do justice here.) Depictions of Indigenous people in mainstream media has often placed them in a historical context, not recognizing the Indigenous cultures and individuals of today, never mind the future. Indigenous Futurisms imagine Indigenous people into every context: space travel, fantasy worlds, alien invasions, and more.

I am definitely not an expert in Indigenous Futurisms, and I am approaching these books as a white settler reader, but I did want to highlight some speculative fiction titles by and about Indigenous people: some of them I've read and loved, some are on my TBR. Most of these are from North America, but I'd love to hear about more Indigenous SFF authors from South America. Feel free to reach out on social media if I've missed one of your favorite Indigenous speculative fiction authors!

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Anthologies & Short Story Collections

Comics

Poetry

Find it in the Fiction Section

Science Fiction

Young Adult & Children's Books

This is far from a complete list of speculative fiction by Indigenous authors! If you have a recommendation for Indigenous Futurisms books that I missed, please reach on social media! I stuck to science fiction and fantasy for this post, but for Indigenous horror, definitely check out Stephen Graham Jones's books! Indigenous Futurisms brings a much-needed perspective to a genre that is often uncritically colonial, whether it's fantasy rooted in Medieval England, or space travel that celebrates conquering new worlds. I hope to see even more Indigenous Futurisms books in the near future, but for now, just writing this post has definitely expanded my TBR.

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25 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books by Indigenous Authors

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"Indigenous Futurisms" is a term that was term was coined by Dr. Grace Dillon, professor in the Indigenous Nations Studies Program at Portland State University. It's inspired by Afrofuturisms, a movement that explores speculative fiction through an African diaspora lens.

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The Disproportionality Technical Assistance Network, or "The Network," is offering a unique opportunity for all participating school staff, equity teams, and partners to continue our personal and professional racial equity work, with a focus on the American Indian student experience... Join us in a Study Circles Online Conversation and the exploration of the selected book.

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We are the first storytellers on this continent. But despite the increasing visibility of Native and First Nations today, many readers are still new to our ways of making sense of the world through literature.

Our stories often feature distinct, Indigenous literary styles and cultural references. Joyfully, the community of Native and First Nations writers creating books for children and teens keeps growing. With each publication season, an ever-expanding body of Indigenous youth literature is available.

Meanwhile, as more Native writers make inroads into publishing for children and teens, it is imperative that non-Native adult readers work to see the heart of these stories-and recognize and set aside their internalized misconceptions about Native life, people, and nations. Getting books by our authors into the hands of Native kids-one of their primary audiences-and non-Native kids is important. But equally so is the gatekeepers' commitment to examine how they experience and understand our ways of storytelling.

How can readers mindfully enter this conversation? What should they take into consideration while moving forward?

Native writing styles

To start, the literary devices reflecting Native values, customs, oral traditions, linguistic patterns, and day-to-day sensibilities must be respected as such. On the page, some of these stylistic choices may seem disconcerting to those unfamiliar with them. But young readers benefit from exposure to writing informed by lived experience and Indigenous worldviews.

We all grew up reading books written primarily by non-Native authors for non-Native kids, like Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson and Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. We understand their shape and substance, and modern Indigenous writers often embrace a hybrid literary approach. But we must raise up our own literary traditions, too. We must advocate for them in a society where Native and First Nations people have been pressured-at times through force, legislation, and oppressive U.S. and Canadian governmental boarding and residential schools-to abandon our cultures, including our myriad approaches to the literary arts.

On the page, that may translate into a heightened emphasis on daily life, on the desire line of a community (rather than of an individual), on an absence of connective tissue in nonlinear narratives, on an everyday personification of the natural world, or on a seamless integration of traditional characters, among infinite other possibilities springing from hundreds of different cultures and languages.

On a related note, Native fiction writers' decisions to incorporate or leave out cultural details, references to Indigenous language(s), and historical context reflect artistic perspectives and specific stories' needs. Non-Native educators and literary experts may long for narrative framing more within their comfort zones. But ultimately, this cheats Native and non-Native kids.

A Native-centered process facilitates an authentic Indigenous worldview. It can also lead to confusion, especially among non-Native adult readers who have minimal experience with these texts, Native Nations, or citizens. Rather than dilute our authenticity, we ask for nuanced reflection on Native writing to build appreciation.

[READ: Native Perspectives: Books by, for, and about Indigenous People | Great Books]

T oday's Native and First Nations books offer multiple opportunities for study. An Indigenous writer, for example, may have a first-person Native protagonist offer a bit of illuminating cultural commentary. In Christine Day's I Can Make This Promise, a middle grade novel about the ripple effects of a baby's adoption away from her Native family and tribal community, protagonist Edie and her mom discuss federally recognized tribes of the Pacific Northwest and the treaties they signed.

Or, a character may make only a passing mention of a cultural reference that doesn't readily translate to non-Native readers. Charlene Willing McManis deftly accomplishes this by coupling Native humor with a reference to Sasquatch in Indian No More, a poignant middle grade novel that shines a light on tribal termination and relocation in the 1950s.

In such cases, the writer's choice about what to convey and how to do so may depend on the protagonist's voice, character, mood, internal and external arcs, or backstory. Likewise, a Native fiction writer's choice to expand on topics is a matter of discretion. Some authors maintain that a story should stand on its own. Others prefer to speak from the heart through themes. Virtually all will remain silent about cultural subtexts that aren't typically discussed in mixed company. And the degree of factual disclosure from nonfiction to fiction will vary dramatically.

Young readers

It is abundantly othering for Native kids to read stories in which characters who are supposed to reflect them are nothing more than info-dumping paper dolls. It sends the message that books may be about them-or about an outsider's vision of them-but are never for them in a deeply meaningful way.

In contrast, consider how, in his middle grade novel In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse, Joseph Marshall III uses Grandpa Nyles's stories about Crazy Horse while on a road trip with his bullied grandson to interweave the historical and the contemporary. Likewise, Cheryl Savageau's picture book Muskrat Will Be Swimming employs an intergenerational relationship very familiar to Native readers to deliver a similar message to younger children about remembering the strength of their culture amid the taunts of schoolmates.

Think of tree ring patterns. The kids who are most directly mirrored by a protagonist should be centered by the writer in terms of the target audience. It's what makes the most sense in terms of character agency, desire line, voice, world building, humor, and every other element of story.

An adventure driven by, say, a 12-year-old contemporary Cherokee boy should reflect a culturally compatible literary approach. This includes the context, the voices of the narrator and secondary characters, the central theme, and the shape of the story. Some Native books may offer additional layers of nuance appreciated by only certain Native readers. That's OK, as long as the story is still cohesive, resonant, and accessible to other kids, too. Still, not every young reader needs to "get" every joke for a Native story to be funny to everyone.

That said, Native fictional stories aren't educational texts, and their quality shouldn't be based on how much content informs non-Native readers. Put another way: They're not better if the Native experiences are bulked up to serve a curriculum-or thinned out so cultural content is served in bite-size chunks. Rather, that level of content should be driven by what serves story and the author's sensibility.

Natives (re)claiming our space

The world is saturated with misconceptions about First/Native Nations and peoples, so any stories by Native creators about Native characters tend to offer positive educational benefit. Simply sending the message that we exist as human beings-not boogeymen on the prairie or supernatural creatures or feather-dripping Yodas-is an improvement.

We come from hundreds of distinct tribal cultures and intersecting identities with our own storytelling traditions. Today, we're successfully working within hybrid forms, alternative formats, and speculative fiction, paying tribute to the voices and visions of our communities, and nodding to mainstream influences.

[READ: Strategies for Teaching Seven Native-Centered Books to K-12 Students]

Consider the way Eric Gansworth blends his stunning visual art, love of the Beatles, and excellent wordsmithing in his young adult novel Give Me Some Truth to make us feel as if we're right there on the Tuscarora reservation with his characters in 1980. Or, turning to fantastical fiction, in "The Legend of Skeleton Man" collection, Joseph Bruchac centers the traditional agency of Native women through his protagonist Molly in two modern, entertaining middle grade horror stories. It doesn't matter that most readers won't immediately-or perhaps ever-absorb all the subtleties in these works. With commitment, patience, and time, we'll all come to better understand one another.

For those new to the Native literary conversation, we give the same advice we offer to beginning writers. Read. Broadly. Extensively. Frequently. Read a wide array of Native voices. Realize that while patterns will emerge, individual approaches vary. They may conflict and evolve. Err on the side of questions. Become comfortable with discomfort. Recognize gaps within your global expertise. Earn knowledge and insight through sustained effort.

Blessedly, it's easier for young readers to navigate these dynamics. They don't have to unlearn as much. They're more open to the unfamiliar. Their expectations are fluid.

Whether Native or not, young people read fiction for story. What's important is that we hold their attention and engage their hearts. What matters is that, through an authentic artistic experience, they connect with a narrative that makes them care enough to keep turning pages.
Cynthia Leitich Smith is a Muscogee Creek Nation citizen and award-winning children's and YA writer. Traci Sorell is a Cherokee Nation citizen and author of award-winning poems, fiction, and nonfiction for young people.

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How Native Writers Talk Story: Honoring Authentic Voices in Books for Young People

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We are the first storytellers on this continent. But despite the increasing visibility of Native and First Nations today, many readers are still new to our ways of making sense of the world through literature. Our stories often feature distinct, Indigenous literary styles and cultural references.

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This list contains 21 new books by Native American writers.

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November is National Native American Heritage Month in the United States, and it's the perfect time to read a new book by an Indigenous writer. For this article, we selected books published within the last few years (since 2017) that were written by Native American authors and that span genres from memoir to mystery, from history to horror, and much more!

You're sure to find a book here that perfectly suits your reading mood, and perhaps you'll discover a favorite new author in the process.

Don't forget to add the titles that pique your interest to your Want to Read shelf!

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November is National Native American Heritage Month in the United States, and it's the perfect time to read a new book by an Indigenous writer. For this article, we selected books published within the last few years (since 2017) that were written by Native American authors and that span genres from memoir to mystery, from history to horror, and much more!

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This interactive time-lapse map shows how the US took more than 1.5 billion acres from Native Americans. Created by historian Claudio Saunt

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This interactive map, produced by University of Georgia historian Claudio Saunt to accompany his new book West of the Revolution: An Uncommon History of 1776, offers a time-lapse vision of the transfer of Indian land between 1776 and 1887. As blue "Indian homelands" disappear, small red areas appear, indicating the establishment of reservations. (Above is a GIF of the map's time-lapse display; visit the map's page to play with its features.)

The project's source data is a set of maps produced in 1899 by the Bureau of American Ethnology. The B.A.E. was a research unit of the Smithsonian that published and collected anthropological, archaeological, and linguistic research on the culture of North American Indians, as the nineteenth century drew to a close.

While the time-lapse function is the most visually impressive aspect of this interactive, the "source map" option (available on the map's site) offers a deep level of detail. By selecting a source map, and then zooming in to the state you've selected, you can see details of the map used to generate that section of the interactive. A pop-up box tells you which Native nation was resident on the land, and the date of the treaty or executive order that transferred the area to the government, as well as offering external links to descriptions of the treaty and of the tract of land.

In the site's "About" section (reachable by clicking on the question mark), Saunt is careful to point out that the westward-moving boundaries could sometimes be vague. Asked for an example, he pointed me to the 1791 treaty with the Cherokee that ceded the land where present-day Knoxville, Tenn. stands. The treaty's language pointed to landmarks like "the mouth of Duck river," a broad approach that left a lot of room for creative implementation. When dealing with semi-nomadic tribes, Saunt added, negotiators sometimes designated a small reservation, "rather than spelling out the boundaries of the cession."

This vagueness benefited the government's purposes in crafting treaties and executive orders. "Greater legality and more precision," Saunt argues, "would have made it impossible to seize so much land in so short a time."

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Interactive Time-Lapse Map Shows How the U.S. Took More Than 1.5 Billion Acres From Native Americans

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This interactive map, produced by University of Georgia historian Claudio Saunt to accompany his new book West of the Revolution: An Uncommon History of 1776 , offers a time-lapse vision of the transfer of Indian land between 1776 and 1887. As blue "Indian homelands" disappear, small red areas appear, indicating the establishment of reservations.

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ORGANIZATION:  Wisconsin Indian Education Association

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ORGANIZATION:  Wisconsin Indian Education Association

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The Association has seven regions throughout the State. Each region elects/appoints two representatives as WIEA Board members for a two-year term.

Each Region's Board members are responsible for hosting a meeting in their region throughout the year to share and gather information for the Board to either act upon or disseminate to all other WIEA members.

The Board meets every month except December. Meetings are held in the various regions throughout the state in an effort to get input from the general membership regarding their issues and concerns.

A Message From Our President Mr. Brian Jackson

Boozhoo (Hello),

Welcome to the Wisconsin Indian Education Association's website! Here you will find a plethora of information and resources on Native American Indian Education.

First things first - some simple "Indian" (Native American) rules of etiquette: We do not pass judgement. We all experience the ups and downs of life, and the best way to make all of our lives better is through compassion and tolerance. Secondly - the terms "Native American," "Indian," "Indigenous," "Native," "Tribal" and "American Indian" are most always interchangeable. In today's progressive world, it's good to know the most acceptable and respectful way to address each other. Third - all Indians are NOT the same. Each tribe, each community, even each family, may have a unique set of values, traditions and customs that guide their beliefs and systems. Although we do share many great things among our tribal cultures, each tribe (or band) has specific customs and beliefs that shape their collective tribal culture. We have a mixture of tribal affiliations and cultures here in Wisconsin but for the most part, the tribes indigenous to the state are Woodland People.

A common misconception is that all Indians lived in teepees. Not so. The Sioux (Lakota/Dakota/Nakota) people lived in teepees, which are indicative of the Plains Cultures (the Sioux moved to the plains from the woodlands, where they once lived). These dwellings were conical and made of long tree poles and buffalo hides. For the most part, Woodland People such as the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk and Oneida lived in dome shaped dwellings, of which the frames were constructed of saplings and covered with the wood, bark or fiber of local trees (and some tribes even used animal hides as coverings). As Indian people, we respect and honor each other's customs and beliefs, and in that, we are bound by more similarities than differences. Fourth - there are 11 federally recognized tribal nations living today in Wisconsin and one nation that is still pursing federal recognition. They are the Ho-Chunk, Ojibwe/Chippewa (which consist of six separate bands; Red Cliff, Bad River, Sokaogon (Mole Lake), St. Croix, Lac du Flambeau and the Lac Courte Oreilles), Menominee Indian Tribe, Potawatomi (Forest County), Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, Oneida Tribe of Indians and Brothertown Indians. Fifth - if a Native person offers you something to eat or drink, please kindly accept. This is a long held tradition among American Indians and a great sign of respect when accepted.

Our communities are often the largest employers in the counties in which they are located and provide jobs, critical infrastructure services and resources to both Indian and non-Indian people. One popular belief is that all Indians have casinos and therefore are "rich." While we are certainly rich in our culture and heritage, our gaming revenues are largely funneled back into our communities to support tribal government and those critical infrastructure services previously mentioned. Our communities often have unmet needs, which create special challenges for our people. As Indian people, we hold dear to our traditional ways while trying to balance the progress of 21st century living.

In today's world, we as tribal nations believe in providing the best opportunities for our children, young adults, working and single families, professionals and our elders. This includes education and the ability to pursue the "American Dream." Our mission at WIEA is to advocate for the advancement of our tribal members and descendants through legislation, political avenues and legal approaches with education at the heart of our effort.

I hope you take your time looking around our website and are open to learning about our organization and the people we serve. I guarantee with you'll be pleasantly surprised with how rich and colorful our culture and people are.

Until we see each other again.

Kindest regards,

Brian Jackson
President,
Wisconsin Indian Education Association

Statement of Support to End the Use of Native American Mascots by Wisconsin School Districts

The Wisconsin Indian Education Association (WIEA) supports the recent Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) resolution recommending the elimination of Native American mascots from all Wisconsin schools and calls upon school districts still employing the use of American Indian referents to take action and develop change plans to discontinue their further use.

Since 2005, the American Psychological Association has asserted that the use of Native American mascots is detrimental to all students, regardless of background. Indian mascots interfere with student ability to develop comprehensive understandings related to human diversity by creating, supporting, and maintaining overly simplistic and inaccurate views of Indigenous peoples throughout North America and perpetrating derogatory stereotypes -also causing harm to the social identity development and self-esteem of American Indian students.

For 34 years, the Wisconsin Indian Education Association has advocated on behalf of children and tribal communities through encouraging the implementation of best practices in education that contribute to positive educational outcomes for students of all backgrounds. WIEA encourages district and school administrators across the state to support the WASB resolution, including advocating for the creation of state legislation that provides compensation to assist districts with implementation of changes by defraying associated costs such as changing logos on facilities, uniforms, and other associated items.

Our children are our future. We must be proactive and work to maximize educational development opportunities that foster our children's growth and development, particularly those efforts that focus on creating and maintaining inclusive learning environments conducive to understanding and respecting differences, both inside and outside of the classroom. The elimination of stereotypes is a key milestone on the path to building a better future for all of our children, and continued education and open dialogue will underscore our success.

It is time that we end the use of Indian mascots in Wisconsin school districts and unite under our shared goals of teaching our children respect, understanding, and love.

Respectfully submitted by the WIEA Board of Directors.

Brian Jackson
Board President,
Wisconsin Indian Education Association

2020 Conference "Indigenous STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math"

The 2020 WIEA Conference titled Indigenous STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math will bring the best in Indian education together to share the latest in Native science, technology and engineering!

This year's conference will take place April 16-18 at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, WI.

Make sure you register early for this year's conference to receive early bird pricing! Early bird rates have been extended until March 11! Click here to register.

Conference participants are encouraged to stay at Potawatomi Hotel at the significantly reduced rate of $109 per night. Make sure to use the following conference code WIE04162020 when you book your room online! You can visit the Potawatomi Hotel website here.

Additionally, we have overflow hotel accommodations at the Hampton Inn in Franklin, WI. Take advantage of Hampton Inn's partnership with WIEA for this year's conference and pay only $99 for your room as part of your conference experience! Simply visit the Hampton Inn's WIEA conference page by clicking the following link to reserve your room today! http://bit.ly/HamptonInn-WIEA2020

Conference rates are as follows:

Adult full conference Early bird rate $300 ($350 after March 11)

Students 10-18 yrs/College Student Early bird rate $200 ($250 after March 11)

Elders & Veterans rate $150

Organization Group Early bird rate (groups of 6 or more) $275 ($350 after March 11)

Register for the state's biggest American Indian conference of the year! Click here to register now!

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The Association has seven regions throughout the State. Each region elects/appoints two representatives as WIEA Board members for a two-year term. Each Region's Board members are responsible for hosting a meeting in their region throughout the year to share and gather information for the Board to either act upon or disseminate to all other WIEA members.

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More Than A Word analyzes the Washington football team and their use of the derogatory term R*dskins. The documentary also examines the history of Native American cultural appropriation.

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"More Than a Word makes crystal clear that the fight against Indian mascots is a central part of the wider struggle of Indigenous people for political, educational, and socio-economic justice today. From the Washington football team to Standing Rock, this important documentary shows that Indigenous activism and artistry are alive and well, and getting stronger by the day."

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More Than A Word | Just another WordPress site

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"In its final act, More Than a Word winds up - for my money - in one of the most important places we can find, and that's to say: what's next for indigenous people? What would happen if they took control over their own representations?

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WEBSITE: Native American Military Service

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WEBSITE: Native American Military Service

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Information from the Smithsonian Institute

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This link will take you to a YouTube channel featuring a series of videos beginning with "Introductions in Ojibwe"

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ojibwe "native american" puppet muppet show lyons minnesota podcast

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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This interactive time-lapse map shows how the US took more than 1.5 billion acres from Native Americans. Created by historian Claudio Saunt

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This interactive map, produced by University of Georgia historian Claudio Saunt to accompany his new book West of the Revolution: An Uncommon History of 1776, offers a time-lapse vision of the transfer of Indian land between 1776 and 1887. As blue "Indian homelands" disappear, small red areas appear, indicating the establishment of reservations. (Above is a GIF of the map's time-lapse display; visit the map's page to play with its features.)

The project's source data is a set of maps produced in 1899 by the Bureau of American Ethnology. The B.A.E. was a research unit of the Smithsonian that published and collected anthropological, archaeological, and linguistic research on the culture of North American Indians, as the nineteenth century drew to a close.

While the time-lapse function is the most visually impressive aspect of this interactive, the "source map" option (available on the map's site) offers a deep level of detail. By selecting a source map, and then zooming in to the state you've selected, you can see details of the map used to generate that section of the interactive. A pop-up box tells you which Native nation was resident on the land, and the date of the treaty or executive order that transferred the area to the government, as well as offering external links to descriptions of the treaty and of the tract of land.

In the site's "About" section (reachable by clicking on the question mark), Saunt is careful to point out that the westward-moving boundaries could sometimes be vague. Asked for an example, he pointed me to the 1791 treaty with the Cherokee that ceded the land where present-day Knoxville, Tenn. stands. The treaty's language pointed to landmarks like "the mouth of Duck river," a broad approach that left a lot of room for creative implementation. When dealing with semi-nomadic tribes, Saunt added, negotiators sometimes designated a small reservation, "rather than spelling out the boundaries of the cession."

This vagueness benefited the government's purposes in crafting treaties and executive orders. "Greater legality and more precision," Saunt argues, "would have made it impossible to seize so much land in so short a time."

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Interactive Time-Lapse Map Shows How the U.S. Took More Than 1.5 Billion Acres From Native Americans

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This interactive map, produced by University of Georgia historian Claudio Saunt to accompany his new book West of the Revolution: An Uncommon History of 1776 , offers a time-lapse vision of the transfer of Indian land between 1776 and 1887. As blue "Indian homelands" disappear, small red areas appear, indicating the establishment of reservations.

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By Vera L. Stenhouse

Illustrator: Eric Hanson

Illustration: Eric Hanson

In 2006, an Atlanta newspaper ran several photos with captions describing the celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday. The first picture featured a 5-year-old girl wearing a precision-cut fringe vest made out of a brown paper bag from a local grocery store (as identified by the store name and tagline detailed prominently in big blue letters on the vest). On top of her head sat a multicolored feather headdress made of construction paper. The caption under the picture read: "Feathers in her cap. Ava adjusts the headdress of her American Indian costume for a Clairemont Elementary School Thanksgiving feast. More photos from the feast are on page J9."

Page J9 includes three additional pictures-one showing a group of Pilgrims (with white paper collars and hats) and Indians (as identified by their feather headdresses, of course). A second picture shows students in "costume" working on a coloring project and a third captures a student showing off his "homemade American Indian costume." Between the pictures it reads: "Clairemont Elementary School studied American Indians and Pilgrims in preparation for today's big holiday. Last week, they re enacted the first Thanksgiving and dressed in costumes for a feast with family members." In the center is the phrase "Thanks for the lessons."

What lessons did they learn? Between Columbus Day in October and Thanksgiving in November, Native Americans [the "official" curricular name in Georgia] play a key role in the mythology of U.S. history as taught in schools. As someone who works with pre- and inservice elementary teachers, I see firsthand how these happy stories maintain children's ignorance and reinforce stereotypes.

The traditional first Thanksgiving story recounts Pilgrims from Europe settling in the wilds of the New World and celebrating their survival by sharing their bountiful feast with the Indians. As my students learn, this version of Thanksgiving is inaccurate. The Pilgrims did leave Europe and comprised 35 out of 102 colonists traveling on the Mayflower, eventually settling in 1621 at Patuxet-aka Plimoth. The "new" and "wild" world to which they arrived was neither new, wild, or unnamed, thanks to the Wampanoag, the indigenous people who lived there. Given the Pilgrims' ignorance of the "new" land, their survival was made possible through indigenous knowledge, labor, harvest traditions, and trade. Most significant to the first Thanksgiving story: According to the Wampanoag and the ancestors of the Plimoth settlers, no oral or written account confirms that the first Thanksgiving actually occurred between them in 1621. The Wampanoag, however, did participate in daily and seasonal thanksgivings for thousands of years prior to the Pilgrims' arrival.

Beyond the inaccuracy of the first Thanksgiving story itself are its omissions: Colonists initially stolebushels of corn buried and stored by Wampanoag families for their own use, robbed graves and homes, and left diseases that devastated (albeit unintentionally) Native American communities, subsequently enabling European settlers to overtake Indian land.

The traditional Thanksgiving story is continuously retold through plays, activities, worksheets, and children's books, perpetuating misinformation and stereotypes that maintain a deep misunderstanding of American Indian history and current issues. Thanksgiving Day, for example, is considered a Day of Mourning by many American Indians-a time to acknowledge the ongoing painful legacy of removal from their homelands, enslavement, and deaths from diseases. Thanksgiving images further negate significant cultural and sacred distinctions among indigenous peoples. Long feather headdresses and tipis are not part of an accurate portrayal of Northeast Coast Native Americans. Thanksgiving pictures tend to depict garments and housing of Plains Indians, whom the Pilgrims would have not met.

As a teacher of teachers, I attempt to engage students in a more accurate, inclusive, and culturally respectful approach to a time in history that began to set the pattern for U.S. race relations. I choose to critique the first Thanksgiving story because of its familiarity, inclusion in so many schools' curricula, and persistent misrepresentation of Indians and Pilgrims.

Flipping the Script on the First Thanksgiving

Before launching into the myths and omissions surrounding the "first Thanksgiving," I ask my teacher education students what they already know about the event: Who celebrated the original Thanksgiving and when? What was celebrated and for how long? Who initiated the celebration? Why? Where did the event take place?

My students find the details difficult to recall. Generally, their contributions reflect a disjointed recollection: Pilgrims and Indians; something about religious persecution; the Mayflower; Jamestown, Va.; an abundant harvest after tough times; the Pilgrims' generosity toward the Indians; and three days of fun, games, and eating popcorn, turkey, and pie. Sometimes students suggest names of actual "Indians" like the Sioux or Cherokee nations or people such as Sacagawea, Squanto, or Pocahontas.

I challenge my students' knowledge about Pilgrims, Indians, and Thanksgiving through a series of exploratory activities using elementary-appropriate materials. I designed activities meant to model how they might introduce a critique of Thanksgiving to their own elementary students that also identifies stereotypes about Native Americans and explores the events surrounding 1621. The activities require my students to work first within and then across small groups to compare and contrast the histories of the "Indians" and "Pilgrims," separate fact from fiction about the Thanksgiving story, and uncover new information concerning Native Americans past and present.

For one activity, I divide a set of students into "Indians" and "Pilgrims." Both groups visit www.plimoth.org/education/olc/index_js2.html#, a website elementary teachers and students could use that offers an interactive timeline with key dates in the history of the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims. I send the students to the "path to 1621" for their respective group's story. The "Indians" follow the Wampanoag ancestor Ahsaupwis' story and the "Pilgrims" follow English ancestor Remember Allerton. In the penultimate phase of the activity, I combine the "Indians" and "Pilgrims" and tell them to create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting what they learned.

Other student groups work to determine the facts, fictions, and omissions of the first Thanksgiving story using a selection of traditional first Thanksgiving picture books. To add to their critique, students receive additional texts that provide perspectives and information often distorted or omitted in traditional texts.I send the students to partner-read their selected books with questions: From whose perspective is the story told? Whose voices are active and passive? What words are used to describe the groups? Whose story has the most detail? What details were offered or implied in the text or illustrations about Thanksgiving and each group's lifestyle (e.g., food, clothing, beliefs, and traditions)? Are the illustrations accurate? How do you know?

After partner-reading, students read the short version of Judy Dow and Beverly Slapin's article " Deconstructing the Myths of The First Thanksgiving." I tell them to mark new and surprising information. Typically during this activity, as students read and discuss, I'll overhear one say, "So there was no Thanksgiving at all? I'm confused." I clarify that although the Thanksgiving story as told is not historically accurate, Native Americans and Pilgrims had thanksgiving traditions exclusive of each other.

When the groups reconvene as a whole class, I ask each to report what they learned and to share what they believe to be the main points of their activities. It is clear from their reactions that in most instances, the activities presented different depictions from what they had previously believed or known. As Lorrie said, "I remember learning about a huge friendly feast between 'Pilgrims' and 'Indians.' It was taught almost as though it was a culmination of a friendship that had been building from day one."

Charlie commented, "I remember making the feather headdress for Thanksgiving. I had no idea it could be inaccurate, let alone inappropriate." Students often remark on the cultural disrespect implicit in illustrating Thanksgiving stories with clothing that the Wampanoag didn't wear.

By the end of our re-examination of Thanksgiving, students grow anxious and begin to consider if and how they might integrate a more critical perspective of Thanksgiving with their own students. As Iris later wrote:

So, how do we go about talking about Thanksgiving now that we have all of this new information? How should we treat it with our students? Truly, it is not a day of Thanksgiving for all people in this country. I am at a loss now. I think that we could approach it with the new information that Ms. Stenhouse gave us and debunk some of these myths for our students, but I'm beginning to question what the bigger message should be. Is the holiday real? Is there really something to celebrate? I mean, sure, I'm glad to be here, and I'm thankful for the blessings in my life, but am I celebrating at the expense of others? If I do teach my children that the coming of the settlers was at the indigenous people's expense, will they want to continue celebrating this day? Will their parents thank me if I do? I am not sure how to proceed.

My response to Iris' conundrum and to students who ask "now what?" starts with prompting my students to generate alternative ideas for teaching Thanksgiving. I want them to start thinking about how they might use or adapt our activities or their underlying concepts with their students. I notice that, as they share their ideas with each other, they introduce a variety of ways to reframe Thanksgiving based on what they experienced in class (for example, book critiques or use of the two-voice poem, as described in Rethinking Our Classrooms, Vol. 1) and begin to consider tactical approaches to parents' and administrators' potential concerns. Given my students' focus on the repercussions from school authorities, I also ask them to imagine for a moment what the first Thanksgiving story means for Native American children in their classes. And based on their own experiences, I ask them to keep in mind the lasting impressions about Indians and Pilgrims from their own schooling. I further encourage them to first find out what their students already know, which is how I started with them.

More recently, I have also begun showing a video clip of Monty, a former student of mine, who discusses how he addressed Thanksgiving with his 1st graders. After witnessing parents, students, and teachers delight in a Thanksgiving re-enactment held at his school, he determined he needed to provide his students with a more complex perspective of Native American-Pilgrim relations. Monty shares candidly the steps he took (including a trip to his principal's office) and the process he went through to teach his students about fairness through a lesson on the consequences of colonial encroachment on indigenous lands. Watching Monty adds a perspective to our discussion other than my own about the possibilities, relevance, and power of teaching critically at any grade level.

I know that what I am asking my students to consider is unsettling to many of them; however, I'm convinced that it is necessary in order for them to be the teachers they wish to be. In addition to our in-class discussion, I ask my students to continue thinking, problem-posing, and talking with me and each other through the class blogs and journals.

Waiting for Later to Disrupt the Status Quo

As preservice teachers, my students are overwhelmed by learning to teach the prescribed curriculum and consumed by their university schoolwork. They work in schools they assume are not populated by indigenous students or other students for whom it is relevant to know the unpleasant details of historical events. Why trouble a good story?

Silent in most discussions about indigenous peoples are the current realities of Native American life, including widespread poverty; relegation to reservations; the persistent political, social, and economic disregard for things cultural or sacred by the dominant U.S. society; and the advocacy necessary for linguistic, cultural, economic, and territorial sovereignty. I use the Thanksgiving story to provide an opportunity for my students to ask themselves, "If not me, who?" and "If not now, when?" as it relates to challenging the status quo.

In terms of measuring progress, we have come a long way from learning how to count to 10, one "Indian" at a time. Yet national multimillion-dollar franchise sports teams retain derogatory "Indian" names, logos, and chants; commercial products still utilize "Native" names and imagery as brands; and we still have the enduring uncritical portrayal of the first Thanksgiving. I believe a connection exists between the unwillingness to "give up" the beneficent 1621 Thanksgiving story and the ongoing appropriation of the imagery, spirituality, ceremonies, sovereign rights, and identity of this country's indigenous peoples. Students from all racial and cultural backgrounds learn early that it is OK to play Indian. They learn that Indians wear "costumes," feathers define cultural features for all Indians, and sacred cultural artifacts are crafts to be made from brown paper bags, paper towel rolls, paper plates, and construction paper. And after Thanksgiving, crafts and all, the "Natives" disappear back onto the shelf.

Confronting racism, injustice, prejudice, and stereotypes through a consciousness-raising education is a far cry from the fun-filled, feel-good activities characteristic of how schools approach holidays. With respect to indigenous peoples, I want my students to acknowledge the diverse and unique traditions among Native American cultures and to explore the historic and contemporary legacy of colonial intrusion, brutality, and cultural ignorance. As a teacher educator, I seek to invite my students on a journey of interrogating the fallacy of the "standard" curriculum as neutral and push them to develop an understanding of official knowledge as politically constructed and contestable. Critiquing received fact, such as the first Thanksgiving, is an integral piece of an overall critical approach to teaching and learning. I want my students to recognize that the histories of indigenous peoples have been subverted, silenced, and misrepresented in the curriculum. Equally important: I want my students to recognize that we can do something about it.
RESOURCES Evaluating resources about Native Americans:
Boston Children's Museum. Evaluating Resources: The Wampanoag in Teacher Resources on Native American History and Culture. ( www.bostonkids.org/educators/wampanoag/html/evaluate.htm)

Seale, D., and Slapin, B., eds. (2005)
A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children. Lanham, Md.: Altamira Press.
Cultural appropriation in books for children. Evaluates hundreds of books for children and teenagers published from the early 1900s through 2004.
"Evaluating Children's Books for Bias." Integrating New Technologies into the Methods of Education. (www.intime.uni.edu/multiculture/curriculum/children.htm)
Wampanoag information past and present:
"Mashpee Wampanoag Timeline." Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Website. ( mashpeewampanoagtribe.com/timeline.html)
Timeline of events from precolonial times to current federal recognition.

Boston Children's Museum. "People of the First Light." Teacher Resources on Native American History and Culture. ( www.bostonkids.org/educators/wampanoag)
Information and suggested activities about Wampanoag origins and life before, during, and after 1620; survival; and current day.
Teacher and student resources on Thanksgiving, Native Americans, and colonists:
Dow (Abenaki), J., and Slapin, B. " Deconstructing the Myths of The First Thanksgiving." Oyate. ( www.oyate.org/resources/longthanks.html)
Facts and fiction about the first Thanksgiving story, including critiqued excerpts from popular books.

Oyate. Primary Sources from a Colonialist Perspective. ( www.oyate.org/resources/booklistcolonialist.html)

Oyate. Recommended Books About Thanksgiving. ( www.oyate.org/resources/booklistrecommended.html)
Recommended books, links, and videos:
Goldstein, K. "As American as Pumpkin Pie." Plimoth Plantation.
( www.plimoth.org/discover/thanksgiving/pumkin-pie.php)
How, when, and why the "first Thanksgiving" came to be known as such.

Boston Children's Museum. Teacher Resources on Native American History and Culture. ( www.bostonkids.org/educators/wampanoag)
Wampanoag voices, information, and suggested activities.

Seale, D., Slapin, B., and Silverman, C., eds. (2001) Thanksgiving: A Native Perspective. Berkeley, Calif.: Oyate (available at www.oyate.org). Historical and contemporary information about Thanksgiving. Context and counterstories for a critical cultural approach to Thanksgiving.

Jones, G., and Moomaw, S. (2002) Lessons from Turtle Island: Native Curriculum in Early Childhood Classrooms. St. Paul, Minn.: Red Leaf Press.
Problems and appropriate alternatives to addressing Native peoples' experiences.

Loewen, J. (2007) Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. New York City: Touchstone Press.
Detailed information on the first Thanks-giving based on primary resources.

Bigelow, B., and Peterson, R., eds. (1998) Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years . Milwaukee: Rethinking Schools
Essays, poems, historical vignettes, and lesson plans.

Slapin, B., and Seale, S., eds. (2006) Through Indian Eyes: The Native Experience in Books for Children. University of California Press (available at www.oyate.org). Stereotypes and myths in children's literature.

Rethinking Schools. (2008) Unlearning "Indian" Stereotypes (DVD). Milwaukee: Rethinking Schools (available at www.rethinkschools.org). Introduction to Native American history through the eyes of children. Includes teaching ideas and resources.

Rosenstein, J. (1997) In Whose Honor? American Indian Mascots in Sports. New Day Films (available at www.oyate.org).
Examination of the use of racist logos, nicknames, and caricatures as "mascots" in college and professional sports-and the impact of this practice on Indian families and communities.

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Rethinking Thanksgiving: Myths and Misgivings - Rethinking Schools

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By Vera L. Stenhouse Illustrator: Eric Hanson In 2006, an Atlanta newspaper ran several photos with captions describing the celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday. The first picture featured a 5-year-old girl wearing a precision-cut fringe vest made out of a brown paper bag from a local grocery store (as identified by the store name and tagline detailed prominently in big blue letters on the vest).

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*Addams Family Values* Thanksgiving play video clip

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*Addams Family Values* Thanksgiving play video clip

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This is the video we showed at the first pause in Kate's presentation.

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Addams Family Values, Thanksgiving Play at Summer Camp, Full Scene

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Ask yourself, “Does my curriculum teach students to identify with Columbus, European colonizers and settlers?” If so, create opportunities for students to identify with Native Americans.

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Ali Michael, Ph.D., is the co-founder and director of the Race Institute for K-12 Educators, and the author of "Raising Race Questions: Whiteness, Inquiry and... Full profile →

When I invite teachers to rethink how they teach Columbus at our semiannual UnColumbus Day Symposium in Philadelphia, many teachers think it's not for them. "I don't teach about Columbus. I don't even mention him." They tell me. "I just say, 'I'll see you Tuesday!'"

This, I think, is a mistake. It definitely seems better not to mention Columbus than to honor and hero-ify him. But not teaching about Columbus does not erase him from the calendars, the history books and, frankly, the unconscious minds of most Americans who could recite the second stanza of "In 1492 ..." without blinking.

We are raised on Columbus, the Nina, the Pinta ... and on the myth of Thanksgiving. We believe it, we want to believe it and our nationalist pride is tied to it. Meanwhile, most people have very little knowledge of the actual history that occurred, or the fact that there is a group of Native people who gather annually at Plymouth Rock on the day of Thanksgiving for an "annual day of mourning" while most of the country is celebrating America with football, Macy's and turkey.

This story-this one-sided story-which leads to a singular day on which some citizens party while others mourn-is part of what accounts for the massive fractures in our understanding of one another, how we got here and how to move forward. It is rooted in the way this story is told-or not told-in schools.

The mainstream history which is taught in most U.S. schools and in U.S. culture, even when we simply try to "ignore Columbus," sets up students to have an understanding of history told from the perspective of the colonists, a history that celebrates Columbus, a history that erases the indigenous people who lived here-and those indigenous people who still live here.

This is important to me because this is the history that I learned. Starting with "sitting Indian style," wearing feathers in a construction paper headdress, counting 1 little, 2 little, 3 little Indians in kindergarten, to a love affair with the " Little House on the Prairie "series by Laura Ingalls Wilder in which I learned to identify with a White child who was the child of settlers and see Native people as "other," to the Oregon Trail in fifth grade!

In the Oregon Trail Game-a highlight of fifth grade for many students then and now-I was a wagon train leader who led my team on an expedition out west, facing dangerous snakes, food shortages and "Native Americans," all the while stopping in cities and passing landmarks that each (I know now) had multiple names-and for which we only used the Western colonized names, most of which continue to appear on official maps today. I learned to see Native people as dangerous, savage, objects, stereotypes, irrelevant and extinct.

I don't pretend to be an expert on this. I have spent the last 20 years of my life unlearning mainstream history in order to be able to connect with and understand the perspective of Native friends and colleagues. The journey is ongoing.

With my own children, I hid multiple copies of "Little House on the Prairie"in my "offensive books drawer," along with " Skippyjon Jones" and " Little Miss Trouble " before my daughter consumed the entire series during library at school. I couldn't prevent her from reading it-it's too ubiquitous (and my daughter may be-even unconsciously-resistant to my heavy-handed censorship). But it did motivate me to provide a counternarrative.

Together we read the five-book " Birchbark House " series by Ojibwe and German American author Louise Erdrich, who writes compellingly about an Ojibwe girl named Omakayas, whom readers follow from a life only tangentially impacted by colonialism, through forced migration, to a life bound and restricted by the mandates of the U.S. government.

My daughter and I both fell in love with Omakayas and ached with her and her family for all that colonialism destroyed-not just the personal lives of individuals (though that was a huge part of it), but also the collective knowledge systems and ways of being that could possibly offer answers to some of the hardest questions human beings ask today, as we face the certain unsustainability of capitalism and consumerism. Through her storytelling, Erdrich gave us an ability to see history with a lens other than the mainstream one that is otherwise so easily accessible to us that we don't even realize it's there.

Compared to the size of the problem, UnColumbus Day-and even this blog-felt small. Only 3 hours. Only one blogpost. But in those 3 hours, we created a space in which we could think about a topic that is critical to understanding our country and ourselves-and we were able to critically analyze our lenses for viewing the world, lenses that are so pervasive, we often don't even see them.

I don't say this to justify our meager efforts or make them seem loftier than they are. I say it because I imagine there are teachers out there who think the small efforts they might make to change a book this year, do a land acknowledgment at a faculty meeting or use different language next year might pale in comparison to another teacher's effort to get her town to adopt "Indigenous People's Day" in place of "Columbus Day" or have local tribal members help shape the curriculum. I say it because even a small beginning can help lead to a shift in consciousness-for you and for your students.

I encourage you to join me in taking one step forward, however small it might be compared to the enormity of the shift that is required because it will take each of us breaking the silence and beginning to recognize and honor the existence of Native people on this land to begin to make change.

Listed below are a few of our suggestions for how to begin shifting how you teach about Columbus and Thanksgiving:

Teach Only Truth

Teach about both Columbus and Native Americans. Do not suggest that they were friends.

If your students are too young to learn about genocide, don't teach them about genocide. But don't teach them falsehoods that they will have to later unlearn. Falsehoods that go in early form the template of our assumptions and common knowledge, and are very hard to unlearn.

For older grades, read the truth about Columbus in age-appropriate ways.

Teaching untruths about the racial history of the U.S. alienates people of color from school, especially history/social studies. It widens the performance gap.

De-Center Columbus and Make Native People visible

Teach enough about Columbus to help students be willing and able to make the choice not to honor him. Rather than being didactic or dogmatic, present the facts and help students think for themselves.

Some schools, districts and counties have changed the name "Columbus Day" to "Indigenous People's Day". Introduce the idea to your school board, your town council or your students.

Invite Native people from your area to come speak.

Ask yourself, "Does my curriculum teach students to identify with Columbus, European colonizers and settlers?" If so, create opportunities for them to identify with Native Americans.

Do your books and novels other Native Americans, or help students see from the perspectives of Native People?

Columbus was not the first to "discover" North and South America. These lands were already inhabited when he arrived. There had been explorers who came before him, whose impact is not remembered as well because they were not there to "conquer." Columbus was not merely an "explorer," he was an "exploiter."

Do Not Dress Children as Native Americans

This practice perpetuates stereotypical notions of Native Americans.

This practice teaches children to appropriate from other cultures.

Using Native American images and icons as mascots is a form of dehumanization; it objectifies Native People. Some teachers ban "Redskin" paraphernalia in their classrooms because it's a racial slur.

Rather than costumes, some schools offer black armbands to students who want to honor the Native Americans who died at the hands of Columbus and his sailors.

Teach About Native Americans Today and in the 500 Years Since Columbus

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attended the Cannon Ball Flag Day Powwow in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, on June 13, 2014. Obama White House Archives.

Show your students the incredible TED talks and photography by Matika Wilbur, Swinomish and Tulalip photographer who is documenting images and stories from the 562 Tribal Nations in the U.S. today. Join her mailing list.

Invite students to respond to Matika Wilbur's challenge to learn the names of the almost 600 federally recognized Tribal Nations in the U.S. today.

Challenge students to learn the names of 50 Tribal Nations near you. Who was there before you?

Help students understand: it was not a weakness of culture on the part of Native Americans that led to their exploitation by Europeans, it was a disrespect for Native people and their cultures on the part of the Europeans.

Educate Yourself

Identify and Root Out Stereotypes From Your Curriculum and Materials

In ABC books, is "E" for Eskimo or "I" for Indian? Are children shown "playing Indian"?

Are Native people shown as savages or primitive people rather than as human beings who are members of a highly complex society?

Are Native people always shown the same, without regard for the cultural, religious and language differences among tribes?

Are Native people described with racist imagery, such as "half-naked," "brutal" or "bloodthirsty"? Do the Native people speak in short, inarticulate sentences such as "Me go. Soldier make fire. We now hide."?

Is Native culture depicted in a condescending way in which, for example, religious beliefs are "superstitions"? Is there a paternalistic distinction between "them" and "us"?

Make Thanksgiving about Giving Thanks

For younger children, Thanksgiving can be about giving thanks rather than reinforcing stereotypes.

Many Tribal Nations had stories about giving thanks that can be read around this time. See "Thanksgiving: A Native Perspective" (a collection of stories of giving thanks.)

We do need spaces and times to learn about Native Americans and Thanksgiving can be one of those times. But it shouldn't be the only time.

Create Ways Students Can Take Action

Offer the option of wearing black armbands on Columbus Day to acknowledge the genocide of Native People.

Write letters to teams with Indian mascots to protest the stereotypical depictions.

Start a campaign to rename "Columbus Day" as "Indigenous People's Day."

Conduct research on issues that impact Native Americans.

Follow the lead of Native American activists, such as those at Standing Rock.

Classroom Ideas

Compare representations of Columbus in different books (Contrast "Encounter" by Jane Yolen with more mainstream texts, such as the magazines produced by Scholastic). Scan images onto the Smartboard and have children discuss the differences in what they're seeing.

Mark offensive stereotypes in texts with post-it notes and ask children to do the same, so they can start to recognize them and keep track of them.

Design a game for students to act as "Mythbusters" like the TV show, and to locate myths in popularly available Thanksgiving and Columbus Day materials.

Resources

Cities and Universities That Have Renamed "Columbus Day" as "Indigenous Peoples Day"

TED Talks
This blogpost was developed in consultation with Wendy Thompson, and is based on a workshop that I run every other year in collaboration with Toni Graves Williamson and Deborra Sines Pancoe. I hope you might join us in 2021 in Philadelphia! See www.raceinstitute.org for details.
Indigenous Youth Wellness

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Here's How You Can Talk About Christopher Columbus in Your Classroom

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Ali Michael, Ph.D., is the co-founder and director of the Race Institute for K-12 Educators, and the author of "Raising Race Questions: Whiteness, Inquiry and... Full profile → When I invite teachers to rethink how they teach Columbus at our semiannual UnColumbus Day Symposium in Philadelphia, many teachers think it's not for them.

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Native Americans Review Children's Books about Thanksgiving

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Native Americans Review Children's Books about Thanksgiving

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This is the video we play during the second pause in Kate's presentation.

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Native Americans Review Thanksgiving Storybooks

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Discussion of Dawnland

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The University of Connecticut is built on the Indigenous lands of the Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Nipmuc and Lenape peoples. While it is easy to regard Charles and Augustus Storrs as the first landlords of the place we now refer to as Storrs, Conn., we must remember that the land was first cared for by generations of Native Americans whose descendants no longer inhabit their homeland.

As American citizens, we often know very little about the atrocities committed against Native Americans, especially those that occurred after the period where Native peoples were removed to make way for white settlement. While it is easy to think that these sins were from a distant past, many atrocities have been committed by the U.S. government over the past 100 years, yet these incidents never seem to make an appearance in American history textbooks. This is exactly what the film, "Dawnland," sought to uncover.

While it is easy to think that these sins were from a distant past, many atrocities have been committed by the U.S. government over the past 100 years, yet these incidents never seem to make an appearance in American history textbooks.

Yesterday evening, the Human Rights Institute and the Dodd Human Rights Impact sponsored a panel discussion moderated by Glenn Mitoma, director of Dodd Impact and associate professor of human rights and education. The panel brought together collaborators of the film including Maine-Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commission co-chair gkisedtanamoogk of the Mashpee Wampanoag, and member Gail Werrbach. "Dawnland" co-director Adam Mazo, and Upstander Project Learning director Mishy Lesser were also in attendance, discussing the importance of the issues brought forward in the film.

The Emmy award-winning film "Dawnland" was released in 2018 and shares the untold story of the American government's forced removal of Native American children from their families and the transfer of these children into white households. White, middle-class social workers would go into the Indigenous communities of Maine and deem parents of the Wabanaki "unfit guardians" with no legitimate legal justification besides their "different" culture. This occurred as early as the 1870s with Wabanaki children being forced to attend schools that sought to break the children's ties with their cultural roots. Through the 1950s, '60s and '70s, Native American children began being placed into white homes to orce the children to adopt the values of white America.

The Official Trailer for Dawnland. Trailer retrieved via YouTube.

The film focuses on the effects these government actions had on the lives of the children removed from their families. Many of the children, now adults, still remember the traumatic moments of being torn from their parents and being placed into the custody of adults who had no respect for their way of life. One woman in the film recalled bathing with her sister in bleach so they could turn white and finally gain the respect of their adopted parents. For many, their clashing cultures created an identity crisis they still face today.

Mishy Lesser described the project as "a film about the abuse of state power, and people's resistance to that, definitions of that, trauma from that, and process of healing."

"a film about the abuse of state power, and people's resistance to that, definitions of that, trauma from that, and process of healing."

The film tells a practically unknown story that evokes the "Why didn't I know this?" reaction from its audience. Lesser said this is not a coincidence, but rather the effect of predatory capitalism.

The dominant narrative of American history and American ideology is something we must "unlearn."

"For those of us who are non-Native, we have to unlearn a lot, we have to face the twisteries and we have to educate ourselves," Lesser said. "Without that, we can't take that next step."

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'Dawnland' discussion sheds light on Indigenous child removal in the U.S.

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The University of Connecticut is built on the Indigenous lands of the Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Nipmuc and Lenape peoples. While it is easy to regard Charles and Augustus Storrs as the first landlords of the place we now refer to as Storrs, Conn., we must remember that the land was first cared for by generations of Native Americans whose descendants no longer inhabit their homeland.

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VIDEO: Word Associations by Native Americans when they hear "Thanksgiving"

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VIDEO: Word Associations by Native Americans when they hear "Thanksgiving"

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This is the video we played during the third pause in Kate's presentation.

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Thanksgiving | Native Americans | One Word | Cut

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Indian mascots and nicknames have historically been first draft picks in American sports. But for Charlene Teters, a Spokane Indian, transplanting cultural rituals onto the field is a symbol of disrespect. Jay Rosenstein follows Teters’ evolution from mother and student into a leading voice against the merchandising of Native American symbols — and shows the lengths fans will go to preserve their mascots.

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Save

This groundbreaking 1997 PBS documentary launched the movement against American Indian mascots to a new level, getting reviewed in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune, and even a "person of the week" spot about the film's subject Charlene Teters by the ABC World News.

"In Whose Honor?" takes a critical look at the long-running practice of "honoring" Native American Indians by using them as mascots and nicknames in sports. In this moving and award-winning documentary, Native Americans speak out about the hurtful and harmful effects of stereotyped sports images on both Natives and non-Natives alike.

The program follows the remarkable story of Charlene Teters, a Spokane Indian and mother of two, and her impassioned transformation from a graduate student into a leader of a national movement. Along the way she is spit upon, threatened, even assaulted, yet she never wavers in her mission to protect and preserve her cultural identity for her children. Her commitment earns her enough respect from her community to be called by some "the Rosa Parks of American Indians."

"In Whose Honor?" examines the issues of racism, stereotypes, and the powerful effects of mass-media imagery. It captures the passion and resolve articulated by both sides of this contemporary controversy, and also shows the extent to which one community, that of Champaign, Illinois, will go to defend and justify its mascot.

Written and produced by Jay Rosenstein.

"This story is about more than an inappropriate mascot. It's about culture, identity and how we are all capable of making a real difference."
-Eric Kaler, President, University of Minnesota
( Read President Kaler's complete comments)

"A fascinating case study of free speech and culture clash."
-the Tampa Tribune

"A graphic and eloquent examination of racism in sports and so called 'higher education'. Catching bigotry at its most virulent, this film requires no interpretation - it speaks directly to the problems without blinking. A masterpiece of camera art and realism."
-(the late) Vine Deloria, Jr.
Professor of Native American History
University of Colorado, Boulder

"This film is a prerequisite for anyone wishing to understand the plight of Native Americans today."
-John Lewis Orendorff
Los Angeles Am. Indian Education Commission

"Powerful in showing the struggles of Native American groups, and the reactions of those who don't understand what is so wrong with the Cleveland Indians logo, the name Washington Redskins, and others."
-Chicago Tribune

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In Whose Honor? American Indian Mascots in Sports (1997)

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Save This groundbreaking 1997 PBS documentary launched the movement against American Indian mascots to a new level, getting reviewed in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune, and even a "person of the week" spot about the film's subject Charlene Teters by the ABC World News. "In Whose Honor?"

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Seven films to illuminate diverse experiences

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For too long, the stories of Native and Indigenous people have been told by Hollywood through the eyes of everyone but us. It's an exciting time in film and television, with more Natives writing, directing, and developing content. We're challenging images and stereotypes and wiping the war paint off the lens.

These are the films, shorts, and documentaries that Native storytellers have shared with us in the past 20 years. A celebration of diverse voices within our community - as you'll see, our tribes and experiences are all different from each other.

For Native American Heritage month, here is a selection of films, documentaries and shorts to seek out.

"Four Sheets to the Wind"(2007) - by Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Muscogee)

This coming-of-age-film by Sterlin Harjo follows a young American Indian, Cufe, played by Cody Lightning, who leaves the reservation after his father dies. His father's death prompts Cufe to seek life beyond the reservation and explore this life outside.

Sterlin Harjo's feature debut will always be one of my favorites. He is an incredible storyteller and the performances of actors, especially Tamara Podemski who plays Cufe's sister, Miri, resonates. I don't remember enjoying a film so much about contemporary Native life since 1998's "Smoke Signals."
Watch "Four Sheets to the Wind" on Prime Video
"Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner" (2001) by Zacharias Kunuk (Inuit)

This film was historic in so many ways. It's the first feature film to ever be written and acted in the Inuktitut language. It also features an almost entirely Intuit cast. This film is based on ancient myth. Set in the Canadian arctic, the epic drama tells a story of love, crime, murder and ultimately family and justice.

This film blew me away. And as a storyteller, Kunuk's filmmaking and authenticity of capturing the Intuit people had a huge impact on the Native and Indigenous communities.
Watch ""Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner" on iTunes
"Trudell" (2005) - By Heather Rae

"Trudell" follows the extraordinary life of Native American poet and activist John Trudell. This documentary from Heather Rae traces Trudell's impoverished childhood in Omaha to his leadership in the American Indian Movement (AIM).

Rae captures the tragedy that followed after Trudell burned the American flag at the FBI headquarters when his pregnant wife, children and mother-in-law were killed in an arson attack on the reservation.

Rae uses old Super 8 film, video footage and 16mm to paint this portrait of a man whose spirit never waned and a man who rose as an acclaimed musician and spoken word poet.

John Trudell is a fascinating and complex political artist. This is a revealing look into his life and story as an Indian in America. His story resonates especially today.
Watch "Trudell" on Prime Video
"Halpate" (2020) by co-directors Adam Piron (Kiowa/Mohawk) and Adam Khalil (Ojibway)

Filmmakers Adam Piron and Adam Khalil's short is currently on the festival circuit.

Alligator wrestling is considered a staple of Florida tourism and the Seminole tribe has been practicing it for over a century. Piron and Khalil capture the hazards of the spectacle but also focus on how this "tourist attraction" is essential to the survival of the Seminole people.

The two Adams created something so visual and unique - the Seminole tribe's relationship to alligators. People need to see the exciting work coming out of Native country, Piron and Khalil have a style and vision that makes this work so fresh and captivating. "Halpate" provides a unique insight and view into this spectacle from the side of the people who depend on it for survival.

"Shimasani" (2009) by Blackhorse Lowe (Dine/Navajo)

Shot in gorgeous black and white, this elegiac period piece set in 1934 captures a moment of decision for two restless Navajo sisters living with their grandmother on the reservation. One must choose to either stay at home or leave to go to boarding school.

The majority of Americans have never heard of the boarding/residential schools many Native Americans and First Nations were forced into. Lowe crafts a moving and brilliant story by Blackhorse Lowe, who continues to explore reservation life in his own unique voice. His films are unapologetic, raw - check out his features too.
Watch "Shimasani" on Vimeo
"Sweetheart Dancers" (2019) - By Ben-Alex Dupris (Miniconjou Lakota)

"Sweetheart Dancers" is a story about Sean and Adrian, a Two-Spirit couple determined to rewrite the rules of Native American culture through their participation in the "Sweetheart Dance." This celebratory contest is held at powwows across the country primarily for men and women couples. Sean and Adrian's story is different - they are a gay couple living Native life on the powwow trail.

Dupris provides a fresh and engaging look - one that captures the vibrancy of this centuries-old tradition and how it continues today in modern America. Dupri's access takes us into their world, it's refreshing.
Watch "Sweetheart Dancers" on Vimeo
"Merata: How Mum Decolonized the Screen" (2018) By Heperi Mita (of Māori Ngāti Pikiao and Ngāi Te Rangi)

"Merata" resonates deeply because she is and was a mentor to so many Native and Indigenous filmmakers - Taika Waititi, Sterlin Harjo, Blackhorse Lowe, and Chelsea Winstanley.

The documentary is an intimate tribute from a son about his mother that delves into the life of the first woman from an Indigenous Nation to solely direct a film anywhere in the world. Known as the grandmother of Indigenous cinema, Merata's independent political documentaries of the '70s and '80s highlighted injustices for Māori people, and often divided the country. Mita was fearless in her life, her activism and her art.

Chronicling the director's journey to decolonize the film and television screens of New Zealand and the world, the film documents her work, her early struggles with her family and her drive for social justice that often proved personally dangerous.

Merata had a huge impact on my life when I was developing my first film "Miss Navajo." (Streaming on WOW TV) and continues to inspire me in my writing and film work.
Billy Luther's (Navajo, Hopi, and Laguna Pueblo Tribes) previous credits include the documentary "Miss Navajo" and the 2018 reality TV series "Alter-Native." Luther's narrative feature "Frybread Face and Me" was selected as part of the 2020 Sundance Institute/Film Independent Directors and Screenwriters Labs. Taika Waititi is on board to executive produce.

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Native American Heritage Month: 7 Films to Illuminate Diverse Experiences

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For too long, the stories of Native and Indigenous people have been told by Hollywood through the eyes of everyone but us. It's an exciting time in film and television, with more Natives writing, directing, and developing content. We're challenging images and stereotypes and wiping the war paint off the lens.

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This is the first of its kind.

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RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Riverside National Cemetery, where the stories of veterans are recorded by K-12 students and preserved through the Veterans Legacy program, will soon be home to the first American Indian Veterans Memorial at a VA national cemetery.

Ancestral territory to the Serrano, Cahuilla, Gabrielino, Luise'o, Chemehuevi and Paiute, Riverside National Cemetery in Southern California was established in 1976. It's the largest and busiest cemetery managed by the VA's National Cemetery Administration, and was dedicated and opened for burials on Nov. 11, 1978.

Although the cemetery doesn't keep records of nationalities or tribes, the "U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, Veterans Legacy Program, and in tribute to those interred at Riverside National Cemetery, Along the Chaparral: Memorializing the Enshrined" is an ongoing project that strives to preserve the unique stories and backgrounds of veterans, including uncovering the heritage and stories of Native people who served in the armed forces.

In addition, this year, the project initiated a transpacific expansion subcontract, Pūowaina, the site that the National Cemetery of the Pacific was built upon with the University of Hawai'i on the Mānoa campus in collaboration with local high schools on Oahu.

"The names on the gravestones at Riverside National Cemetery represent not just the service people and spouses who have died, they represent vibrant lives and their stories deserve to be told," said Allison Hedge Coke, Director/Principal Investigator of the Along the Chaparral project and a creative writing professor at UC Riverside.

UC Riverside, in collaboration with the Veterans Legacy Program, is working with Riverside Unified School District, Sherman Indian High School, Beaumont Unified School District and extended regional community efforts. "This project has been a great way to bring the different communities together around an important issue," said Michelle Raheja, Co-Principal Investigator of the Along the Chaparral project and professor in the English department at UC Riverside.

Hedge Coke explained for the past three years, 50 UC Riverside project fellows have led over 1,000 students each year in research. As a result, approximately 1,600 stories of veterans who are interred at the site have been preserved in Along the Chaparral projects.

"There's poetry, there are images of the person who is interred either from their obituary or personal photographs, so the student work on each person is pretty detailed and interesting," said Raheja.

Native veterans such as Cherryie "Cherry" Hein (Cherokee), a Sherman Indian School alumni who worked for the VA Hospital in Los Angeles following her service as a Private in WWII, are memorialized in student projects, such as Along the Chaparral Memorializing the Enshrined two-volume anthology, radio program, performances, GIS interactive story map, the Sherman Indian School mural project and films.

The mural was created by students on the Sherman Indian School's campus and includes depictions of both female and male Native American soldiers. Like other student projects, the piece pays homage to veterans interred at the site.

In one of the many films, SGT Ezekiel "Cecil" Pena Flores, US Marine Corps WWII/Korea, a Pearl Harbor survivor is lovingly remembered by his daughter Terry Flores-Lopez (Yaqui) as self-taught at many things such as gunsmithing and a love for hunting and growing their own food. "Being here visiting my father is always a blessing because for him every day was a beautiful day," she said.

In another film, Jenna Yellow Eyes-Bernal (Northern Arapaho) and Jennifer Yellow Eyes-Valdez (Southern Cheyenne) said their father, Charles Yellow Eyes US, Air Force, Korea, was a quiet man and growing up with him was "awesome," as he would take them to all the powwows in Oklahoma and tell ghost stories around the fire pit.

Hedge Coke indicated that with limited cemetery access and home learning barriers due to Covid-related issues, the project has faced delays. However, due to the new California State initiative regarding the addition of Native studies into classroom curriculum, local school districts have reached out to them for help.

"It's an incredible program because it trains our grad students to become really effective teachers and it helps the elementary school teachers by providing them with new content," said Raheja, noting that the history teachers embraced the project.

"More Native Americans per capita serve our country than any other demographic. This memorial will honor their sacrifice and service in the United States military," said U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie at the September groundbreaking of the first American Indian veterans memorial at a VA national cemetery to honor American Indian, Alaska Native and Pacific Islander Veterans.

The memorial design at Riverside National Cemetery consists of a plaza and walkway flanked by two statues of eagles by artist Mike Curtis and in the center is " The Gift," a twice life-sized bronze representing an American Indian draped in the U.S. flag with a Jefferson Indian peace medal. The statue is by artist A. Thomas Schomberg (most noted for his Rocky Balboa sculpture), and construction of the memorial is expected to be completed within the next year.

Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee, American Indian Alaska Natives Veterans Memorial Committee Chair Sharron Savage (a first descendant of the Keneewa Bay Indian Community, L'Anse Ojibwe) credits Maurice Lyons, former Chairman Morongo Band of Mission Indians, for originating the memorial idea shortly before he passed. "The Morongo Band made the initial large donation," she said and a few months later, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians made a matching donation when James Ramos, now a California state Assemblymember, was tribal chair. Since the memorial project began, the project has received donations from 22 other tribes across the nation and the Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee.

"The main reason we wanted it placed at a national cemetery is that it's holy ground, it's spiritual ground and we just hope our warriors' spirits will come from wherever they happen to be interned and have a place to come home to," said Savage.

Other articles by Nanette Kelley

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The First American Indian Veterans Memorial at a VA National Cemetery Set to be Completed Next Year

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RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Riverside National Cemetery, where the stories of veterans are recorded by K-12 students and preserved through the Veterans Legacy program, will soon be home to the first American Indian Veterans Memorial at a VA national cemetery. Ancestral territory to the Serrano, Cahuilla, Gabrielino, Luise'o, Chemehuevi and Paiute, Riverside National Cemetery in Southern California was established in 1976.

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Boozhoo

The Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission is commonly known by its acronym, GLIFWC. Formed in 1984, GLIFWC represents eleven Ojibwe tribes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan who reserved hunting, fishing and gathering rights in the 1837, 1842, and 1854 Treaties with the United States government.

GLIFWC provides natural resource management expertise, conservation enforcement, legal and policy analysis, and public information services in support of the exercise of treaty rights during well-regulated, off-reservation seasons throughout the treaty ceded territories.

GLIFWC is guided by its Board of Commissioners along with two standing committees, the Voigt Intertribal Task Force and the Great Lakes Fisheries Committee, which advise the Board on policy.

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The Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission is commonly known by its acronym, GLIFWC. Formed in 1984, GLIFWC represents eleven Ojibwe tribes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan who reserved hunting, fishing and gathering rights in the 1837, 1842, and 1854 Treaties with the United States government.

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HOWARD ZINN: A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE US

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HOWARD ZINN: A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE US

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Covering Christopher Columbus’s arrival through President Clinton’s first term, A People’s History of the United States features insightful analysis of the most important events in U.S. history.

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Book - Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2005, with a new introduction by Anthony Arnove in 2015. 784 pages.
Howard Zinn's groundbreaking work on U.S. history. This book details lives and facts rarely included in textbooks-an indispensable teacher and student resource.

Time Periods: 1492, 1765, 1800, 1850, 1865, 1877, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1945, 1961, 1975, 2001-, All US History

Themes: African American, Reconstruction, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship, Economics, Education, Immigration, Imperialism, Labor, Laws & Citizen Rights, Native American, Organizing, Racism & Racial Identity, Slavery and Resistance, Social Class, US Foreign Policy, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements, Women's History

Since its original landmark publication in 1980, A People's History of the United States has been chronicling U.S. history from the bottom up.

ISBN: 9780062397348 | HarperCollins

As a teacher, the Zinn Education Project website is invaluable because it provides activities that directly relate to A People's History. Last week we did The People vs. Columbus, et al. which places all the parties involved in the arrival of Columbus on trial for the murder of the Tainos. The activity was so interactive that teachers from other classrooms had to ask us to quiet down. Students were able to better understand the motives and consequences behind the arrival.

Even though A People's History can be a bit difficult for some students, the activities on the Zinn Education Project website makes the content accessible regardless of their reading level.

HIgh School Administrator, Washington, District of Columbia

My first lesson as a student teacher was using an excerpt from A People's History of the United States to teach about Columbus. I was working at Booker T. Washington Middle School in NYC. A student raised her hand and said, "Howard Zinn is my uncle!" I was honored, my hero's niece! For Christmas, I got a signed copy!

Teacher, New York, New York

More than thirty years ago, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Howard Zinn on a cross-country flight to check out graduate programs. Despite my being somewhat star-struck, he was one of those easy to "fall into conversation with" seatmates - kind, engaging, and interested in why I was traveling.

When I revealed that I was considering becoming a social studies teacher, he said "You must do that. The world needs teachers like the one you will be." The voice of the universe had spoken and I have been a classroom teacher for the past thirty years, using parts of A People's History of the United States and his inspirational approach to understanding the American experience.

High School Humanities Teacher, Los Angeles, California

I grew up very trusting (too trusting) of the mainstream media and the accounts of our nations history from my textbooks. For years I was under the impression that the United States of America was the greatest nation in the world with no flaws - the epitome of democratic perfection. I would sing the national anthem proudly at baseball games and digest all the stories of our founding fathers that led me to idolization.

Then I read Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States and everything changed. I became more curious about who was writing the history and their motivations. I developed a lens by which to critically judge the events and accounts I read in newspapers and history books. I was more thoughtful about a mainstream version of our history informed how another might see the world differently than me.

His book was the catalyst - opening me to a deeper understanding of myself, my biases and how they manifested subconsciously into sexism, racism, classism, and other forms of intolerance. After doing more work, reading books like The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander and Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I found my way with conviction into activism. Each day I do this work I feel increasingly more empowered to be an aware and mindful ally to the Movement for Black Lives and other movements who struggle to dismantle systems of violence and oppression.

Organizer with the James Reeb Voting Rights Project, District of Columbia

I read A People's History of the United States in the summer before my junior year of high school - fifteen years ago now. It was an interesting time. This would have been 2005-2006, so the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were well underway, and I was beginning to pay attention to what those around me were saying about war.

As I sat in Boston Common reading my paperback copy of A People's History, I must have had dozens of people come up to me to tell me how much it had changed their lives. Some were former students, some were fans, some were college students reading Zinn for the first time. Howard Zinn gave me a gift - a radical awakening. His work has that kind of power. You don't forget injustice easily, and he unearths the injustices the other textbooks would rather forget.

I had the distinct honor of meeting Zinn when he gave the opening remarks at an adaptation of Grace Paley's work. For all that Zinn was - activist, educator, historian, pacifist, mensch - he reminded me of why our people fight for justice. I love the long, anti-capitalist, anti-white supremacist tradition he carried forward as a Jew. We are obligated by our religion to fight for all who are oppressed, and every time I read Zinn, I am graced with that reminder, and that memory.

I believe in the power of radical change through progressive education and fully support the work of the Zinn Education Project.

Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Graduate Student, Boston, Massachusetts

I have used Howard Zinn's book for years with high school students. I have begged for money to buy classroom sets to have to supplement the regular and AP curriculum. Whenever my students ask for where they can get real history my first choice is to pull this book off my shelf. I have started buying copies to give as graduation gifts for my Social Studies teacher candidates before they go into the field. Zinn has a special place in my heart that I always have to share with anyone who truly cares to know the facts.

In my current Social Studies method's courses I now require Zinn's book with my methods textbook. I also have all the Zinn Education Project resources linked to my course page. I use the resources to help teach my preservice teachers how to find underrepresented voices.

One of the issues we deal with is the lack of representation of those who truly built this nation in our curriculum and textbooks. The Zinn Education Project's resources help bridge this gap. Students appreciate the perspectives of the these missing voices being added.

College Social Studies Teacher Educator, Prairie View, Texas

I am an 8th grade Humanities teacher at Melrose Leadership Academy in Oakland.

I just finished chapter 4 of A People's History of the United States on tyranny with my 8th graders, and I have never seen so many of my students engaged in discussion! One of my normally non-avid readers came up to me at the end of the class and said, "Ms. V, this is such an interesting book!"

I am so proud to be using Howard Zinn's work! Thank you!

Middle School Humanities Teacher, Oakland, California

I routinely use A People's History of the United States in my APUSH class to differentiate between the narrative and facts. We always read the chapter on Christopher Columbus to really set the standard on how history has been romanticized away from truth to promote pure patriotism.

High School Social Studies Teacher, Clinton, Michigan

From A People's History of the United States, I use Howard Zinn's chapter on the U.S. -Mexico War as a starting point to teach my students Imperialism, Manifest Destiny, and Westward Invasion.

Along with the book, students read primary sources from many sources, including Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. These sources have even inspired their own anti-war protest signs.

History Teacher, Chicago, Illinois

Because of this book, I understood early in my college career the importance of the true, unfiltered words of the actual actors in a historical event. As a result, I was drawn further into the study of history and, eventually, into my career as a history teacher. What A People's History brought to my attention is that American history is much more interesting than that. Our history is an exciting, sometimes appalling, struggle for power and that makes us just like every other country that has ever existed.

A long list of "good guys" with no one to struggle with is neither a true story nor a good story. It doesn't resonate because it leads the student to believe that we are all waiting for the next exceptional leader, instead of becoming a force for change in our own communities. A People's History helped me recognize this as a student of history and inspires my attempt to bring true stories to young people, weary of the inaccessible lists that history teaching has become.

HIgh School Social Studies Teacher, Gulfport, Mississippi

In my classroom, I use Chapter One from A People's History of the United States - the arrival of Columbus - juxtaposed with the "textbook's" telling of the impact of Columbus' arrival.

My students focus particularly on the primary sources therein to discuss perspectives of history, and how history is recorded and retold. Who decides which history is learned?

Teacher, Oakton, Virginia

In my first year of teaching 15 years ago, I was browsing local bookstores for resources that could supplement the textbook that I resented. I became a history teacher to help students make history a living part of their lives and the textbook seemed to have the opposite effect. I grabbed A People's History of the United States and have yet to put it down.

The way in which Howard Zinn makes history compelling for students is undeniable and a resource that I have decided I - and my students - cannot be without. Many students who find themselves in alternative programs will often say that teachers never made school interesting. Zinn's work gave me the resource I needed to capture the internal sense of justice so many urban students have. As an educator, I am filled with excitement that although I opened the window with the help of Howard Zinn, they have made the effort to examine what is outside.

High School Social Studies Teacher, Springfield, Massachusetts

I have been a Howard Zinn fan since I picked up a copy of A People's History when it first came out. I have cited it in more newspaper opinion columns than I can remember. I also quoted from it many times in my lectures at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, where I was on the faculty for 36 years. I recommended the book to my students. I still recommend the book to my union brothers and sisters - I'm the webmaster-editor for the Kentucky State AFL-CIO, a member of the state executive board and a retiree-member of AFT Local 1360. More than a few have bought copies of it.

Professor Emeritus of History, West Kentucky Community and Technical College, Louisville, Kentucky

Reading Zinn's A People's History of the United States as a freshman in college solidified my desire to study history. I was enamored by the book's passionate prose and its unwavering condemnation of the crimes of the U.S. government. I was equally shocked by the fact that almost none of it was taught in my U.S. history class; it felt like I was reading something forbidden or scandalous, which kept me interested and engaged. Whether conscious of it or not at the time, reading through it with that lens surely also inspired me to study education later on.

Social Studies Teacher, New York

Back in high school, I was lucky enough to have a dynamic, outside-of-the-box teacher. Instead of the usual textbooks for our U.S. history class, this teacher gave us a snippet of Howard Zinn.

Thanks to that introduction, A People's History of the United States became one of the defining books of my young education. That book opened my eyes to new perspectives, concepts, and historical figures that directly impacted my life.

Thanks to that early exposure, I got involved in social justice and human rights work, and now get to help inspire similar awakenings in students today through my work with the Speak Truth to Power education curriculum!

Teacher Educator, Washington, District of Columbia

Reading text from the front lines of strikes, the innards of factory life, the embattled marches of the women's suffrage movement, and the fields of the tenant farmer, puts a human face on what can seem a faceless "movement."

High School Social Studies Teacher, Washington, District of Columbia

I will never forget, as a brand new social studies teacher in Brooklyn, being told of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States by veteran teacher Jack Urlich at Sarah J. Hale High School back in 1986.

Jack emphasized that this was the seminal work and could easily be used in the classroom. My students always found the readings refreshing compared to the stale textbooks.

I continue to use A People's History of the United States in my classroom today.

High School Social Studies Teacher, New York, New York

Reading A People's History opened my eyes to new ways of teaching writing. On a number of occasions, I taught a course in "Local History," which asked students to research and write about people, places, and events in their communities. This experience underlined how "history" is a human product, with all its attendant biases and challenges, in terms of "objectivity" or "truth."

I also used, in classroom instruction, pages from various history textbooks, covering the same events, but showing distinct differences in perspective.

The lesson that stands out is a series of three versions of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, an event that happened to a large extent in Pennsylvania, where our college is located. One text (the most frequently used) gave a bland statement of mere facts and suffered from what we now call "both-siderism." Another supported the railroad companies' view of the strike and emphasized how destructive to commerce the strike was. A third (Zinn's) supported the workers' perspective and pointed out the nearly slave wages and working conditions of that time.

This lesson did lots to open up students' eyes to history as a human document, made by us. It inspired students to write more truly and with more interest in their chosen topics. I believe Zinn's work helped me see how we can make the past, personal and social, more alive and honest.

I tried to bring such ideas to my final position at the college, when I directed faculty development, encouraging my colleagues to create learning experiences that students could attach to, feel real ownership of. Thus, actually doing better work, and learning more. If I hadn't taught English, I would have taught History. And, I would have used Howard Zinn's text as the absolute antidote to "status quo" teaching.

College English Teacher (Retired), Manasquan, New Jersey

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A People's History of the United States: 1492 - Present - Zinn Education Project

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Book - Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2005, with a new introduction by Anthony Arnove in 2015. 784 pages. Howard Zinn's groundbreaking work on U.S. history. This book details lives and facts rarely included in textbooks-an indispensable teacher and student resource.

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BLOG POST: How to Teach Indigenous Peoples/ Columbus Day

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BLOG POST: How to Teach Indigenous Peoples/ Columbus Day

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With recent events across our country, there is a greater need to discuss topics about content, equity, inclusion, and diversity in education. The social studies classroom is particularly suited to fostering these conversations, as it includes holidays, histories, and civic life. The celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day, which is celebrated in 12 states and more than 60 cities in place of Columbus Day, provides a great opportunity for this whether you live in an area that celebrates it or not. Our guests discuss why!

To learn more about the recognition of Indigenous Peoples' Day and its coverage in schools, I spoke with Dr. Emma Humphries, Chief Education Officer at iCivics; Maria Marable-Bunch, associate director of museum learning and programs at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian; and David O'Connor, American Indian studies consultant at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Teaching Indigenous Peoples' Day
This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. Geraldine Stevens: How do schools typically teach what happened after the first interactions between the indigenous population and the European explorers? David, can you speak to how it is taught and then maybe how it should be taught?
David O'Connor: When I look at it from a standpoint of how it is implemented in school districts or discussed in classrooms, one thing I try to encourage our educators to do is to recognize the accomplishments of Indigenous people, communities, and nations and many of the other things that Native people have brought forth and continue to create. A lot of times, we look at it from a historical lens when discussing Native people, but it's important to especially look at it from the lens of who Native people are today as well. In the professional development opportunities I offer, the discussion around contemporary Native issues and topics is always part of trainings.

Some schools I work with have individuals who really go above and beyond teaching this content with their students. Many of these individuals want to make sure that it's taught in the right way, or in a good way, making sure that they are providing their students with learning opportunities and having multiple perspectives addressed or discussed. For others, especially if they have limited knowledge or background in this content, it can be a challenge. In many instances, it's a lot of new educational content for those individuals who are providing education to our students in our state [Wisconsin] or elsewhere. Wisconsin is a local-control state, which means that decisions about curriculum, standards, and instruction are made at the local level or by the school board.

GS: Speaking of resources in this age of remote learning, do you have suggestions for content, or ways in which teachers can incorporate this important information into today's classrooms?

Maria Marable-Bunch: Yes. I'm going to speak to you a little bit about what the National Museum of the American Indian has been doing. About two years ago, we launched a national education initiative framework called Native Knowledge 360° Essential Understandings. Building on the 10 themes of the National Council for the Social Studies' national curriculum standards, the NMAI's Essential Understandings reveal key concepts about the rich and diverse cultures, histories, and contemporary lives of Native Peoples. These concepts reflect a multitude of untold stories about American Indians that can deepen and expand the teaching of history, geography, civics, economics, science, engineering, and other subject areas about American Indians. It was created specifically to begin to change the narrative of the stories around the history and culture of Native Americans, and we developed a series of online web resources that teachers can access.

The key behind what we were trying to do is to start to dispel the myth that Native American histories ended in the 1900s, that Native Americans don't exist today, or that all that ever happened to them is long ago. And so, with this new resource that we're providing online, not only do we talk about the history, but we also want to talk about the contemporary. When teachers access this information, they will hear the voices of contemporary Native Americans talking about themselves, talking about their community and the importance of their history.

To introduce educators to this web resource, we offer a special week-long summer institute that draws teachers from across the country, Native and non-Native. Before the pandemic, when we were able to travel, my staff went all over the country engaging teachers in programs and informing them about the history of Native Americans and the importance and the impact of the history on our country-not only the past, but also what we're doing today. Due to the pandemic, we now offer these teacher development programs virtually, and they reach far more teachers beyond what we were able to do in person.

We're also offering a series of distance learning programs for students. We are working closely with programs like Skype in the Classroom, and we're able to get information out to students and teachers through collaborations very much like that.

The other very important element about the resources we create is that we develop them with the input of the tribal community. They have a say about what we're putting together, what we are providing. They are in many of the video clips that we include with the resources, so they hear directly from Native voices about themselves, and that's been a very attractive component of the resource. That then says that it is authentic and real, and teachers look for that.

"It's important to especially look at it from the lens of who Native people are today."

David O'Connor American Indian Studies Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

GS: Some teachers may not feel like they're the content expert to frame the conversation in an appropriate, sensitive, caring, and thoughtful way. Are there any questions or concerns that you've heard from teachers to frame it the right way? Are there other issues at play that teachers could really benefit from?
Dr. Emma Humphries: As teachers this year, if you're teaching virtually in particular, it takes a lot of courage to have any uncomfortable conversation. And even if you're comfortable, it doesn't mean some folks overhearing at home aren't taking a comment out of context.

The first thing I suggest would be to just communicate with parents and guardians and let them know your plans. If you live in one of the 14 states or the District of Columbia, where Indigenous Peoples' Day is officially recognized, you have that as some sort of shelter to say, "Our state has made this decision, and so I'm going to teach it." I live in Georgia, I'm from Florida. Neither state recognizes it-they don't really recognize Columbus Day either, to be fair. But they don't recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day. I would therefore send a letter to parents letting them know that we're going to talk about it and that we're going to treat it-and this is sort of my second pedagogical piece of advice-as an authentic inquiry activity.

I don't claim to be an expert on this content area. That's precisely why I asked David and Maria to join us. I am comfortable talking about controversial topics, but for me to cover this in the class with students-it would be an authentic inquiry activity, for me and them. I would be learning alongside them. One really interesting thing to look at is, when did Columbus Day become a thing? And by the way, it wasn't that long ago. And then when did it start to be challenged? And the answer there is, almost immediately. So, when people say, "Well, Columbus Day is this big part of American culture"- it's really not. It's a fairly new thing. When was it enacted? Why? What reasons were given? These are things you can look up.

Another really interesting, authentic inquiry activity is to ask, whose land are we on? There's this great website called native-land.ca where you can just type in your zip code, and it zooms right in and labels the land. I can tell you, I'm in Glynn County, Georgia, on St. Simon's Island. I am on the land of the Yamassee, Muscogee Creek, and Timucua. I can put in my old address, I can put in where I grew up, I can put in where David is and see which nation's land that is. And if you zoom out and look at the United States as a whole, you see this tapestry of colors, which makes so many points. One, I think most importantly is that it's not just one tribal history, one tribal culture. It's plural. And two, this place we call home was originally the home of so many other groups of people. And it still is today. It's not in the past.

Another suggestion for teachers: Don't be afraid to invite parents to have a conversation ahead of time, one-on-one, about your learning goals. And, if it's appropriate, bring them into the conversation in other ways. Particularly if they are Native peoples themselves, that would be amazing to invite them in either as a guest speaker or as a participant in the discussion.
GS: Are teachers asking for specific tools and strategies for elementary, middle, or high school learners? How would you guide them as to what may be appropriate, what might be within the framework of how state standards are taught, and how much is too much-or how little is, frankly, too little?
MMB: We examine the big topics and themes that are currently being taught in curriculums about Native Americans. Not much-not much in curriculum and not a whole lot even to supplement the curriculum in the textbooks, and oftentimes it is either incorrect or just not the complete story. We provide resources that will fill the gap of little information or knowledge that teachers can draw from to incorporate into their school curriculum and classroom teaching. Teachers are eager to have access to reliable resources, as well as guidance on how to present Native American history and culture in a meaningful and accurate way. We offer curriculum resources for Grades 4 and up through high school, and the format of the materials can range everywhere from a simple lesson plan to maybe a lesson that can take place over several sessions. Components of the lessons include teacher instructions, student activities, documents images, videos of Native people sharing their stories vocabulary, and other resources to explore beyond the lesson. We are now getting requests from early childhood educators as well as parents who also seek reliable resources that are appropriate for young children.

DO: Most educators I come across really want to do the right thing. But sometimes they don't have a strong base content knowledge themselves, or their knowledge in this content area is very limited. And if they do have some knowledge-sometimes it can be skewed or distorted by stereotypes, biases, and myths, which is more harmful than good.

At the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, I have a program website that I oversee, that I update frequently. I post updated resources, materials, and other information around Native education and studies. But we also have a partnership where we collaborate with several other entities and created a website called Wisconsin First Nations. We curate resources and materials for educators broken down by grade level-Pre-K through Grade 2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12. We try to make sure it's broken down by resource type, in terms of books or other materials, lesson plans, videos, field trips, and websites for educators to use in their teaching and learning on Wisconsin American Indian nations and tribal communities.

"Don't be afraid to invite parents to have a conversation ahead of time, one-on-one, about your learning goals."

Dr. Emma Humphries Chief Education Officer, iCivics

GS: In social studies, vocabulary is so critical. And if we don't understand and respect the vocabulary used, then it changes the dialogue. It changes the story. Do you have any recommendations for how teachers can be thoughtful and conscious about vocabulary?
DO: When we look in our social studies curricula, either in districts in Wisconsin or elsewhere in the U.S., in general, in many instances, the teaching of U.S. history has a facing-West narrative. But what about the facing East perspective as a Native person? For me, I'm always trying to be real crystal clear when I talk with educators-it's Native histories, and not Native history, singular. There are Native cultures, and not Native culture. And so, I try to always expand on that a little bit in terms of ways to understand that how you include these stories or narratives is not just in social studies-you can do it in English language arts or other subject areas.

I always start off with a discussion about what does that concept mean? And I always feel like after we have that, everything else seems to just become easier. I do not mean easier in a sense that they all of a sudden know all this information and they are ready to delve deep into the content area, but I feel like they get more at ease about what they're going to be discussing throughout our time together.

One thing that I always consistently hear from educators is "proper terminology," and I would say that's very surface level in terms of teaching and learning this content. I always try to explain to them, "We've got to move beyond that if you're really going to delve into the multiple facets of this content." But I understand that's what a lot of educators get hung up on-proper terminology. With that being said, however, I meet people where they're at now, and not where they need to be. So, when I talk with our educators, I always try to reassure them that just like any terms that come out, there eventually will be different terminology. The different terminologies-such as Native American, American Indian, First Nations, Indigenous, Aboriginal-can be used interchangeably in teaching and learning. But I always tell educators to err on the side of using tribal affiliation, or to be nation-specific. For example, I'm Anishinaabe, and that hasn't changed, as this is what my ancestors have called ourselves for thousands of years and continue to do to this day.

I put it into historical context-for example, we have been Anishinaabe since before time immemorial. When the French first came amongst us, they start calling us Chippewa or Ojibwe. And then, when we started making treaties with the United States, we started becoming known by a particular band of Ojibwe or Chippewa. For example, my nation was once called La Pointe, and now today, we are known as the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. However, at the end of the day, I'm Anishinaabe, which is my preferred way of identifying myself. And this understanding is something I've learned from an elder a long time ago. And so, for me, I always try to tell our teachers and educators to be tribal nation-specific in their teaching and learning. I encourage them to start in teaching and learning about your tribal neighbors first. If they are teaching this content, I would rather have them learn about the people or Nations who live next door to them, than those people who live 1,000 miles away from them.

EH: Every topic is appropriate for young learners. We tend to say, "Oh, we'll cover that when they get to middle school or high school." But by then it's too late. Whether it's government, history, tribal sovereignty, or tribal cultures and histories, we have to start young; kids can absolutely make sense of it and process it. But it's our job as educators, of course, to make it as accessible and relevant as possible. And so, in our field, in social studies education in particular, we're always dealing with the complex academic vocabulary of our discipline. It's one of the hindrances to teaching. It's what makes social studies a little bit more instructionally complex.

"Kids can absolutely make sense of [civics] and process it. But it's our job as educators ... to make it as accessible and relevant as possible."

Dr. Emma Humphries Chief Education Officer, iCivics

Sovereignty is a word that a lot of adults would struggle to define, and to make it relevant and accessible to a kindergartener or a first grader is important. It's really just about power and control, so you can make it relevant by talking about body sovereignty-control over one's own body. The concept of federalism, as another example, is really just about sharing. It's about sharing, and it's about power.

I'm a secondary educator, so I can't claim to be that kind of masterful teacher who can take these concepts and make them relevant to young learners. But I've seen it happen time and again. I'll be in a professional development session, like David, talking to teachers. For example, I'll be talking about the ratification debate and explaining how I might teach it to my middle or high school students. Then the elementary-level teachers break into small groups, and five minutes later, they have these brilliant ideas for making these complex, dry, abstract concepts truly relevant and accessible to young learners.
GS: Do you feel that a topic as important as this, Indigenous Peoples' Day, may not get the exposure that it needs to get in light of what's going on in our country?
EH: I guarantee you that it won't. It's a shame, and this is true for so many social studies topics. As a parent of an elementary school student, I'm just assuming that I'm her social studies teacher this year. She has a magnificent teacher who is masterfully conducting 100% virtual learning with her class. But it's all literacy and math. I can't begrudge them-they're doing everything they can to make up for lost instructional time. So, I tell my friends, I tell anyone I encounter, "If you have elementary school children, assume you are their social studies teacher." And whether it's teaching about Indigenous Peoples' Day, whether it's teaching about the Centennial of the 19th Amendment, or the census, or the presidential election, it's going to have to be taught in the home. There's going to be so much less instructional time for social studies, particularly for those younger grades.

DO: What I always tell educators is that this content shouldn't just be included in one day of the year, or in a one-to-two-week unit. I would encourage them to integrate it or infuse it throughout their curriculum at different parts of the year. So, using National Native American Heritage Month as an example, or Indigenous Peoples' Day-it should be extended beyond those days or the month. This content should be part of your curriculum, where you're having these conversations about how Native people impacted this state. For example, it's just as important to have these conversations in March or May, just as it is on Indigenous Peoples' Day, or November with Native American Heritage Month.

MMB: As a museum educator and particularly at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Native American story is told every day and in a variety of formats that inform a broad range of our audiences. For example, this school year we introduced a new virtual program for students, Youth in Action: Conversations About Our Future. Offered monthly, this program engages young Native activists and changemakers from across the Western Hemisphere working toward equity and social justice for Indigenous peoples. This Indigenous Peoples' Day, the topic of discussion is "Mascots, Monuments, and Memorialization." Students who participate in this webinar will hear from young Native activists who are propelling this conversation forward and addressing the tension between history, memory, and the current movements happening across America. These discussions encourage students and educators to explore these issues across subject areas and throughout the year.
GS: Do you have any other recommendations for ways to bring relevance to your classroom?
EH: I would say that teaching any sort of current controversial topic is a best practice. Bring those topics in! That said, I would hesitate to encourage anyone to frame the topics as debates. Debate assumes two opposing sides where the goal is not to come to a shared understanding but to win. Then if you have students in the classroom who are Indigenous Americans, it could easily become offensive and feel like an attack on their identity and on their personhood, especially if someone's arguing the side of honoring Columbus Day. Be careful there. But look at the reasons why it was federally enacted. If nothing else, this is such a brilliant lesson in federalism. Now I hope that teachers will try to learn more about America's history and present day.

I should say personally, I would rather honor and celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day, but if you read about why they wanted to celebrate Columbus Day, there's actually some really beautiful reasons in there about celebrating our country's diversity and immigrant culture. It really wasn't about honoring Columbus. But they named it Columbus Day, and so it sure does sound like that. And here we are today going, why are we celebrating this person? If you know the true history, this is problematic. I'm always going to go back to authentic inquiry. I'm always going to go back to classroom discussion, probably not debate on this one.

DO: Very well said, Emma. But just to add to what you said, one of the things that I always talk about with our colleagues in the state is what you just said right there, is both those perspectives. And how to have an honest dialogue with each other about what those perspectives mean, or where they come from. Like I said, the debate piece-some folks go for that route. That's not my style either. Mine is to lay out different perspectives for folks to make that choice of what they firmly believe in or will be exploring.

A lot of times in schools, what I always see-or try to have our teachers shy away from-is that a lot of times they have a firm belief that maybe teaching about foods, festivities, heroes, and holidays is the way to go. My response is, "Okay, we'll start there then" but expand to include teaching culturally. And when I say teaching culturally, they become a guide with their students, meaning that they are learning along the way with them.

Having a clear understanding about teaching about cultures versus teaching culturally is critical, especially in this day and age. That goes hand-in-hand with our equity work that we should be doing with our students every single day, which is very important work.

MMB: The goal that I wish to see happen in the classroom is that educators are provided with the tools and skills to tell the "whole American story" through multiple perspectives that are inclusive and respectful of other cultures. That allows students to know who they are, how they are connected to others, and how the world is shaped by this.
GS: I just can't thank you both enough. I feel like what I tend to see, or hear, or worry about is teachers' level of uncomfortableness with teaching controversies, or areas in which they don't personally feel a sense of expertise. And I think conversations such as this, remind us to say, "It's not about the teachers' comfort level, but it's about the student comfort level." Thank you so much, David. And thank you, Emma and Maria.
DO: In Ojibwe, we don't have a word or a way to say "goodbye." As we say, "giga-waabamin minawaa," which means, "I'll see you again" or "I'll see you soon." It has been shared with me. We don't have a word for goodbye because goodbye is forever.

***
Learn more about HMH Social Studies, which presents the rich, endlessly inventive story of our world, challenging students to dig deep into the past.

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Q&A: How to Teach Indigenous Peoples' Day

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With recent events across our country, there is a greater need to discuss topics about content, equity, inclusion, and diversity in education. The social studies classroom is particularly suited to fostering these conversations, as it includes holidays, histories, and civic life.

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How Natives are portrayed in film

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Though Victor and Thomas have lived their entire young lives in the same tiny town, they couldn't have less in common. But when Victor is urgently called away, it's Thomas who comes up with the money to pay for his trip. There's just one thing Victor has to do: take Thomas along for the ride!

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VIDEO:  From *Peter Pan* - What Makes the Red Man Red?

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VIDEO:  From *Peter Pan* - What Makes the Red Man Red?

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This is the video we played during the fourth pause in Kate's presentation.

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Peter Pan - What Makes The Red Man Red (English)

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Four films

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For the past 45 years, the nonprofit Women Make Movies has been one of the leading industry organizations working to help female filmmakers, directors and producers create films with a message of female empowerment and resilience.

Among its latest efforts are four Indigenous-themed films, each employing a female Native producer and/or director.

"We support women producers and directors from the beginning, planting the seeds for a diverse and inclusive filmmaking landscape," the group's website states. "As the world's leading distributor of independent films by and about women, we amplify historically ignored voices and challenge the mainstream media."

Kendra Hodgson, director of strategy and innovation at Women Make Movies, says she is excited about the release of the four films, which will be available to interested viewers via a virtual film festival WMM is hosting in celebration of Native American Heritage Month November 1-8 as well as to educators and institutions of learning on a case-by-case basis.

The films and associated Native directors and producers are as follows:

"Without a Whisper: Konnon:kwe"

Filmmaker: Katsitsionni Fox, Mohawk

Quote from Katsitsionni Fox: "It was important for me to make this film to honor my grandmothers that inspired a movement and were never acknowledged. It is time for Indigenous filmmakers to share our stories and break through the silence and the stereotypes. In my films, I focus on the resilience and the wisdom of our women."

Synopsis: "Without a Whisper: Konnon:kwe" uncovers the hidden history of the profound influence Indigenous women had on the beginnings of the women's rights movement in the United States. Before the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls in 1848, European colonial women lacked even the most basic rights, while Haudenosaunee women had a potent political and spiritual voice and authority in all aspects of their lives. The contact that the early suffragists had with Haudenosaunee women in New York state shaped their thinking and had a vital impact on their struggle for equality that is taken for granted today. The film follows Mohawk Bear Clan Mother Louise Herne and Professor Sally Roesch Wagner as they seek to correct the historical narrative about the origins of women's rights in the United States.

"Paulette"

Director/Producer: Heather Rae

Synopsis: "Paulette" is an inspiring short film that follows the historic campaign of the first Native American candidate - as well as the first woman - to win the Idaho primary for governor. Coeur d'Alene tribal member Paulette Jordan comes from a long line of ancestral leadership, deeply connected to the land of Idaho. The single mother of two ran for governor in 2018, winning the Democratic Primary by a landslide. A victory in November would have made her the first woman to serve as governor in the state - and would have marked the first time in U.S. history that a Native American has held the governorship of any state.

Despite a hard-hitting loss in the general election to a conservative Republican male opponent, Jordan's groundbreaking bid for governor represented a growing movement for Native people, people of color, and women fighting to have a voice and visibility in American politics. Forging ahead and staying true to her path as an Indigenous leader, Jordan is currently campaigning for a seat in the U.S. Senate and won Idaho's Democratic primary in June.
Comments from Paulette Jordan, Producer Alex Dupris and Director Heather Rae Paulette Jordan
"I couldn't think of anyone better than Heather Rae to have created this film, along with my cousin Ben-Alex Dupris and their entire crew. Heather has a good heart and an incredible vision for the elevation of Native voices.

When you're running a campaign there are a lot of raw moments from the emotional wear and tear of the campaign trial. The film crew came into very personal parts of my life, like my family life and spiritual life. I trust my sister Heather Rae and her ability to move people into action with her storytelling. With our movement, Idaho's political landscape is changing. I want to be a part of making sure we grow in the right direction.

The Paulette film is a testament to the strength of Native women. Our resilience, our love for our people, our willingness to stand up and do what is right at any given moment, especially when times get tough and challenges seem insurmountable. We keep going because our Ancestors, they brought us this far, and it is our natural agreement to take care of one another and take care of the earth for the many generations to follow. We must protect what we hold sacred, we can't leave it up to others to speak for us. We have to continue fighting to be heard, to be seen and to lead. We have much to offer."
Producer Ben Alex Dupris
Paulette Jordan's back to back runs for Governor and the Senate are more complex storylines than they appear on the surface. In a red state like Idaho, where Native American's are often overlooked on any matter, Paulette has managed to shape a new narrative about the importance of balanced leadership for all Idahoans. Her tenacity and grounded sense of Indigeneity have pushed this historic run for Senate 2020 into an enchanting underdog story that is captured intimately by our Director, Heather Rae.

Heather Rae has built a film that frames the role of a modern-day warrior, where the public spotlight has previously been reserved for aging white men in leadership. Working with both Paulette and Heather Rae on the campaign trail was an incredible experience, with the two of them often discussing the intricate ups and downs that a modern Indigenous politician goes through on a daily basis. The film is a timestamp of our current political climate, with trap doors of racism and bias disguised as old fashioned constitutional hardball. The underlying message of the film "Paulette" is rooted in an indescribable spirit of resistance, where Native American women have rarely stood, in the modern political era. And behind all the lights, and colorful stages are Paulette's sons who we can see experiencing this in real-time. They are learning first-hand, like the rest of us, what it takes to become a tribal leader in the 21st century. Paulette Jordan and Director Heather Rae have captured a slice of Indigenous history that serves as an inspiration to us all.
Director Heather Rae
I met Paulette when she was in high school, while I was working on her reservation in my home state of Idaho. Paulette is a formidable leader, and I mean that in the best way. She descends from some of the most powerful historic leaders of the Pacific Northwest - chiefs and heads women who led the people and stood up against the forces of colonialism and encroachment. So there is a natural logic to Paulette being in leadership, representing the people of the land she hails from for centuries. This was one of my greatest revelations while following her gubernatorial campaign two years ago - that there is something so powerful about re-presencing Native people in governance, it is an act of restoring integrity with this land. And now she is deep into her race for US senate which would be groundbreaking for the otherwise red state.

It was my dad who called me up and said, 'You gotta support Paulette! Do your filming or whatever you do and help!' To which I said, 'You're absolutely right.' And it was an honor and an education about American politics to join her on the journey of creating a groundswell movement in Idaho - amongst young people, people of color, and people from the margins of what you might perceive Idaho to be. Paulette inspires me, as a person and as an Idahoan. I hope she becomes President one day.
Watch "Paulette" here
"Sisters Rising"

Directors: Willow O'Feral & Brad Heck
Executive Producer: Tantoo Cardinal, Cree/Metis
Producer: Jaida Grey Eagle, Oglala Lakota

Quote from Producer Jaida Grey Eagle: "The abhorrent violence that is a constant in the lives of Indigenous peoples impacts Indigenous women first. We are on the frontlines of an ongoing legacy of violent colonization, and it is vitally important that the world see and hear us."

Synopsis: "Sisters Rising" is the story of six Native American women fighting to restore personal and tribal sovereignty in the face of ongoing sexual violence against Indigenous women in the United States.

Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault than all other American women, federal studies have shown. One in three Native women report having been raped during her lifetime, and 86 percent of the offenses are committed by non-Native men. These perpetrators exploit gaps in tribal jurisdictional authority and target Native women as 'safe victims'.

The film follows six women who refuse to let this pattern of violence continue in the shadows: A tribal officer in the midst of the North Dakota oil boom, an attorney fighting to overturn restrictions on tribal sovereignty, a teacher of Indigenous women's self-defense, grassroots advocates working to influence legislative change, and the author of the first anti-sex trafficking code to be introduced to a reservation's tribal court. Their stories shine an unflinching light on righting injustice on both an individual and systemic level.

"Sisters Rising" is an urgent call to action, a gorgeous portrait of powerful women acting in solidarity, and a demand for tribal sovereignty and self-determination as the necessary step towards ending violence against Native women.

"Conscience Point"

Director: Treva Wurmfeld
Producer: Julianna Brannum, Comanche

Quote from producer Julianna Brannum, Comanche: "'Conscience Point' paints a very deep history that includes a very complex experience and all of our characters/storytellers/knowledge-keepers highlighted in this film make it all easier for the viewer to understand land rights issues, invisibility, and historical trauma. But there are nuances to those stories, background, and history that I think makes it important for Native producers and directors to collaborate actively with the non-Native storytellers that may be leading or developing a project. Treva was always highly receptive to my ideas and thoughts and her sensitivity to subjects was unmatched. I was honored to be a part of it and have great respect for her as a collaborator."

Synopsis: Beneath the mystique of the Hamptons, among one of the wealthiest zip codes in the U.S., lies the history of the area's original inhabitants. The Shinnecock Indian Nation were edged off their land over the course of hundreds of years, pushed onto an impoverished reservation, and condemned to watch their sacred burial grounds plowed to make way for mega-mansions and marquee attractions like the exclusive Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, a five-time host of the U.S. Open.

"Conscience Point" tracks this fractured history alongside the path of one woman determined to make a stand: Shinnecock activist Rebecca "Becky" Hill-Genia who, together with other tribal members and allies, has waged a relentless, years-long battle to protect the land and her tribe's cultural heritage from the ravages of development and displacement. Now both the Shinnecock Nation and town residents face a new challenge; the onslaught of elite newcomers who threaten the very place they intend to cherish.
A live public viewing of the films
Hodgson shared with Indian Country Today that Women Make Movies generally offers films to education-based institutions, but that these specific films will also be available to the public.

For more information, see the Women Make Movies website for details.

Vincent Schilling, Akwesasne Mohawk, is associate editor of Indian Country Today who enjoys creating media, technology, computers, comics and movies. He is a film critic and writes the #NativeNerd column. Twitter @VinceSchilling vschilling@indiancountrytoday.com he is also the opinions' editor, opinion@indincountrytoday.com.

Like this story? Support our work with a $5 or $10 contribution today. Contribute to the nonprofit Indian Country Today.

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Four new Indigenous films by and about Native women

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For the past 45 years, the nonprofit Women Make Movies has been one of the leading industry organizations working to help female filmmakers, directors and producers create films with a message of female empowerment and resilience. Among its latest efforts are four Indigenous-themed films, each employing a female Native producer and/or director.

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WEBSITE: American Indian Studies Program

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WEBSITE: American Indian Studies Program

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Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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American Indian Studies Program
Hello or Greetings in Ojibwe / Hocak / Potawatomi / Mohican / Menominee / Oneida
The American Indian Studies Program exists primarily to assist with the implementation of the curricular requirements in the areas of American Indian history, culture, and tribal sovereignty. The program is also responsible for American Indian Language and Culture Education.

Program staff:

David J. O'Connor finds personal reflection and storytelling essential to learning about Wisconsin's First Nations

As the American Indian Studies Consultant at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, David J. O'Connor connects with educators to provide support for their understanding of the histories, cultures, and tribal sovereignty of Indigenous peoples, communities, and nations of Wisconsin.

For further information to hear about the work David J. O'Connor engages on with educators, please refer to the following articles from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:

American Indian Students and Items of Religious and Cultural Significance

The following three letters were sent in May 2022, May 2019, and September 2017 that addresses an issue that has come up repeatedly in conversations with tribal nations: American Indian students being prohibited from wearing items of religious and cultural significance.

As noted in each letter, it is our hope that schools or districts take this opportunity to review their policies and reach out to the sovereign tribal nations near them.

If you have any questions about either of these two letters above, feel free to contact David O'Connor, American Indian Studies Consultant, at david.oconnor@dpi.wi.gov or (608)267-2283.

​ Local, Regional, State, and National Events Related to American Indian Studies & Education

There are a variety of local, regional, state and national organizations that sponsor conferences, meetings, and trainings that may be of interest to those working in the area of American Indian studies or education. These professional development opportunities range from one day to a week long, the items listed on the icon or the Calendar of Events section above provide a rich diversity of events and opportunities for those interested in this work.

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American Indian Studies Program Aaniin / Aho / Bozho / Koolamalsi / Pōsōh / Shekóli Hello or Greetings in Ojibwe / Hocak / Potawatomi / Mohican / Menominee / Oneida The American Indian Studies Program exists primarily to assist with the implementation of the curricular requirements in the areas of American Indian history, culture, and tribal sovereignty.

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Official movie trailer for the 1994 film

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Dance Me Outside (1994) | Official Movie Trailer HD