Did you know November is National Native American Heritage Month? To celebrate the invaluable and innumerable contributions of Indigenous people and communities, we have compiled some staff favorites of Native American literature, art, and recent news! Enjoy and please let us know if you have recommendations to learn more about Indigenous heritage from Native voices.
Read
Non-Fiction:
- A River’s Gift: The mighty Elwah River Reborn by Patricia Newman. Illustrated Natasha Donovan
- Required Reading: Climate Justice, Adaptation and Investing in Indigenous Power - curated, edited, and produced by the NDN Climate Justice Campaign
- Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science by Jessica Hernandez, PhD
- The Seven Circles: Indigenous Teachings for Living Well by Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins
- An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Children of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua by Gloria Amescua. Illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh
- Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present by Adrienne Keene. Illustrated by Ciara Sana
- As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
- An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States by Kyle T. Mays
- Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America by Matika Wilbur (pre-order today!)
Fiction:
- Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (great for kids!)
- I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day (great for young teens!)
- The Sea in Winter by Christine Day (great for young teens!)
- The Sockeye Mother by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw Brett D. Huson. Illustrated by Natasha Donovan (great for kids!)
- Nibi’s Water Song by Sunshine Tenasco. Illustrated by Chief Lady Bird (great for little kids!)
- We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom. Illustrated by Michaela Goade (great for little kids!)
Poetry:
- Dancing on the Rim of the World (PNW Native American poetry collection)
- The Larger Voice: Celebrating the Work of Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Literature Fellows Curated and Edited by Rena Priest (Lhaq’temish [Lummi] Nation) Includes Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Literature Fellows: Michael Wasson (Nimíipuu) and Elizabeth Woody (The Confederated Tribes of the Reservation at Warm Springs, Oregon)
Articles:
- NRDC: "We Are the Same as the Salmon": A Story of Suffering and Perseverance
- NRDC: Saving Salmon—from One Generation of Fisherwomen to the Next
- NWPB: First foods lead the way in Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation natural resource management (Nov. 3)
- Seattle Times Guest Opinion: Stop sacrificing Indigenous sacred sites in the name of climate change By Jeremy Takala and Lauren Goldberg (Sept. 25)
- Seattle Times Guest Opinion: Make salmon restoration a policy and budget priority By Rep. Debra Lekanoff (Oct. 3)
- Canary Media: With renewables, Native communities chart a path to energy sovereignty (Oct. 10)
- KUOW: Youth rally to protect salmon in the Snake River (Sept. 27)
- OPB Reporter's Notebook: The racism, and resilience, behind today’s Pacific Northwest salmon crisis (Sept. 24)
- Seattle Times: How Northwest tribes are leading the push to restore eel-like lampreys (Sept. 23)
Watch
- A Healing Journey (2019) (15 min)
- sčədadxʷ (salmon) narrated by Billy Frank Jr. (5 min) (great for kids of all ages!)
- Land of the Yakamas (10 min)
- Reciprocal Sacrifice (12 min)
- River of Return (27 min)
- Spirit Rangers on Netflix (great for tv show for kids!)
- Reservation Dogs on Hulu
- Prey on Hulu (Action/Sci-fi)
Listen
Podcasts:
Attend
Events:
- Seattle Times: 5 exhibitions to see during Native American Heritage Month
- Washington Tribes Newsletter: Events to honor Native American Heritage Month
