Teaching Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month, which was recognized federally for the first time in the United States in 1990. Native American Heritage Month provides an opportunity to reckon with our past and to reflect on the treatment of Indigenous people throughout American history. During this month long event, it is important not just to celebrate the legacy that Indigenous history makers have left, but also to celebrate those who continue to shape our society, lead communities, and impact our culture today. Learn more about the many ways you can join in celebrating Native American Heritage Month this year by checking out the resources below.

1. Online exhibitions. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian has virtual exhibits available online. Check out the NY State Museum’s virtual exhibition, “REPRESENT: Contemporary Native American Art,” or
learn more about Native American ceremonies and traditions through the Smithsonian’s online exhibition, “American Indian Powwows: Multiplicity and Authenticity.”

2. Reading lists. There are many great Indigenous stories and storytellers that people of all ages can engage with this month. From fantasy novels to biographies and memoirs, this reading list covers a wide range of cultural backgrounds and unique perspectives that parents, students, and educators can enjoy and learn from throughout November and the whole year.

• Early Readers (Grades 3-K–2): 47,000 Beads by Koja and Angel Adeyoha; Ancient Night by David Bowles; Bowwow Powwow by Brenda J. Child; Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross by Traci Sorell; Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard; On the Trapline by David Alexander Robertson; Shaped by Her Hands: Potter Maria Martinez by Anna Harber Freeman and Barbara Gonzales; Still This Love Goes On by Buffy Sainte-Marie; Sweetest Kulu by Celina Kalluk; Tallchief: America’s Prima Ballerina by Maria Tallchief and Rosemary Wells; We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom; and When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton.
• Elementary School (Grades 3–5): The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich; Eagle Song by Joseph Bruchac; Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes by Wab Kinew; Healer of the Water Monster by Brian Young; I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day; Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell; JoJo Makoons: The Used-To-Be Best Friend by Dawn Quigley; The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin; Sees Behind Trees by Michael Dorris; Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith; We Are Still Here by Traci Sorell; and Wilma’s Way Home: The Life of Wilma Mankiller by Doreen Rappaport.
• Middle School (Grades 6–8): Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith; The Barren Grounds by David Alexander Robertson; Borders by Thomas King; Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask by Anton Treuer; How I Became a Ghost by Tim Tingle; In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III; Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell; A Native American Thought of It: Amazing Inventions and Innovations by Rocky Landon and David MacDonald; The Sea in Winter by Christine Day; The Star That Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson; Tales of the Mighty Code Talkers: Volume One edited by Arigon Starr; and Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen.
• Upper Grades (Grades 9–12): Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger; Fire Song by Adam Garnet Jones; Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley; Give Me Some Truth by Eric Gansworth; An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz; House of Purple Cedar by Tim Tingle; The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline; The Night Wanderer by Drew Hayden Taylor; Rez Ball by Byron Graves; Saints of the Household by Ari Tison; Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson; and Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin.

3. Audiovisual resources. There are lots of great resources out there for those looking to learn more about Native American culture in the past and present. For videos, podcasts, and more, check out some of these options.

• TED Talks are a great resource for learning about a wide range of topics from Indigenous experts, whether they’re conservationists, linguists, or chefs.
• The Native America Calling Podcast, produced by Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, a Native-operated media center in Anchorage, Alaska, is a great listen, covering culture, politics, and more.
• Learn more about the legendary history of the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II from Roy Hawthorne, who served in the role from 1943–1945 with this Youtube video.
• Hear more about the story of Susan La Flesche Picotte—the first Native American woman to receive a medical degree back in 1889, before women had a right to vote, or Native people were allowed to be U.S. citizens—in a video from PBS about “The First American Indian Doctor.”
• Also from PBS, watch “30 Stories for 30 Days” of Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month, a collection of videos that tell Indigenous stories throughout history—including a profile of rock guitarist Link Wray, the connection between the Seneca people and the Women’s suffrage movement, how the Cherokee language got written down, and many more.

Allison Green
Boston Tutoring Services