November is Native American History Month and we must acknowledge and honor the land which we stand upon and respect all Indigenous People who have been the stewards of this land.
There are 574 tribes in the United States, including 229 in Alaska. There are more than 630 First Nation Communities in Canada. And in Latin America, the Indigenous population consists of approximately 50 million people who belong to 500 different ethnic groups.
In honor of Native American History Month, I’d like to dedicate this post to children’s books that have been written by Indigenous authors featuring Indigenous main characters.
“The warrior is not someone who fights, because no one has the right to take another life. The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices [themself] for the good of others. [Their] task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who can not provide for themselves, and above all, the children, the future of humanity.” — Sitting Bull
PICTURE BOOKS
Sweetest Kulu – by Celina Kalluk (Inuit)
Jingle Dancer – by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Creek)
Hiawatha and the Peacemaker – by Robbie Robertson (Mohawk)
We Are Water Protectors – by Carole Lindstrom (Ojibwe)
MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS
Son Who Returns – by Gary Robinson (Choctaw/Cherokee)
Hidden Roots – by Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki)
YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
Moccasin Thunder: American Indian Stories for Today – A collection of stories by Native writers
We Speak in Secret – by Roy Boney (Cherokee)
RECOMMENDED LINKS
https://www.culturalsurvival.org/
https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360
“All things share the same breath – the beast, the tree, the man… the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.” — Chief Seattle
“The indigenous existence in Western and American culture is narrowly viewed and accepted with little to no input from actual Indigenous people. Gregg Deal talks about the use of history as a tool while he navigates the restrictions thrusts upon his work as a contemporary artist while challenging those who hear his words to take responsibility for their knowledge, and create room for this nation’s First Peoples.”
That’s a very powerful Ted Talk. Thanks for posting it! Great book recommendations too.