November Virtual Display #3: Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month

Text reads Native American Heritage Month

Clark College student library workers Rebekah Semrau and Olivija Langaityte assisted in the creation of this post.

November is Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month! This month recognizes the history of Indigenous people and their traditions and contributions since time immemorial. The official website, run by the Library of Congress, can be found here.

Follow the links below to check out some ebooks, videos, articles, and other digital resources. To access ebooks click the link next to “Get It Now At:” and sign in with your lab username and password. Some may have a link at the top of the page that says “Check for full text” instead. Non-Clark Libraries resources do not require a Clark Labs account.

eBooks from Clark College Libraries

The cover of The Bungling Host: The Nature of Indigenous Oral Literature. The background is white and there is a brightly colored figurine on the right side.

The Bungling Host The Nature of Indigenous Oral Literature by David Clement

The cover of Say We Are Nations: Documents of Politics and Protest in Indigenous America since 1887. There is a painting on a medicine wheel on a red background.

Say We Are Nations: Documents of Politics and Protest in Indigenous America since 1887 by Daniel M. Cobb

The cover of Food Sovereignty the Navajo Way: Cooking with Tall Woman. Behind the title is a black and white image of an indigenous elder.

Food Sovereignty the Navajo Way: Cooking with Tall Woman by Charlotte J Frisbie

The cover of Rights Remembered: A Salish Grandmother Speaks on American Indian History and the Future. There is a black and white image of an indigenous elder woman staring off to the right.

Rights Remembered: A Salish Grandmother Speaks on American Indian History and the Future by Pauline R. Hillaire and Gregory P. Fields

The cover of Sovereign Acts: Contesting Colonialism Across Indigenous Nations and Latinx America. The background image is a door in the middle of a field.

Sovereign Acts: Contesting Colonialism Across Indigenous Nations and Latinx America by Frances Negrón-Muntaner

The cover of Indigenous Peoples, National Parks, and Protected Areas: A New Paradigm Linking Conservation, Culture, and Rights. There is an image of a hiker on a mountain pointing towards other mountains in the distance.

Indigenous Peoples, National Parks, and Protected Areas: A New Paradigm Linking Conservation, Culture, and Rights by Stan Stevens

Outside Resources

Articles

Here’s How You Can Support the Indigenous American Community This Thanksgiving

“Modern Thanksgiving celebrations are far removed from the disturbing practices of early colonizers, focused moreso on family and food, but it’d be irresponsible to plow ahead with turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes without taking a moment to recognize the plight of Native Americans to secure basic human rights since their land was stolen.”

How to Be an Ally to Native and Indigenous People

“November is Native American Heritage Month, when the U.S. is supposed to celebrate Natives and our contributions to the world. In recognition of the season, let’s start with 100 ways you and yours can be allies toward the Indigenous peoples of this continent—our ancestral land.”

I am Native American and a former football player. Our history is much darker than racist mascots.

“On Monday, I celebrated as Washington, DC’s NFL team announced its plan to change its name and mascot from a racist caricature that has been deeply offensive to me and Indigenous communities across the country. Then, on Thursday, 15 female employees of the team came forward with accusations of sexual harassment in a Washington Post report. The team, and the NFL at large, is corroded from the inside.”

Native American Burning And California’s Wildfire Strategy

“Fire has always been part of California’s landscape. But long before the vast blazes of recent years, Native American tribes held annual controlled burns that cleared out underbrush and encouraged new plant growth.

Now, with wildfires raging across Northern California, joining other record-breaking fires from recent years, government officials say tackling the fire problem will mean bringing back ‘good fire,’ much like California’s tribes once did.”

Native Americans elected to Congress in record numbers this year

“With the recent wins by Herrell and Haaland in New Mexico, along with the victory secured by Democrat Teresa Leger Fernandez for the state’s 3rd congressional district, the state has became the first in the nation to elect all women of color to its House delegation.”

The Native History of Indigenous Peoples Day

“While Columbus Day affirms the story of a nation created by Europeans for Europeans, Indigenous Peoples Day emphasizes Native histories and Native people—an important addition to the country’s ever-evolving understanding of what it means to be American.”

November 2020: Native American Heritage Month – Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail (US National Park Service)

“For Native American Heritage Month, we will explore the heritage, culture, and experience of indigenous peoples both historically and in American life today. America is a vast land of many cultures dating back thousands of years to the original inhabitants of the land. Today, programs, partnerships, and parks preserve and share the stories and heritage of Indigenous people. This month with November designated as National Native American Heritage Month, highlight the history, heritage, traditions, and contemporary way of life of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians (AI/AN/NH).”

The Real History Of Thanksgiving Can Be Painful For Many Native Americans

“You probably have some vague idea that the Thanksgiving holiday is not quite the rosy picture you read about in school, but the “real origins” of the holiday are not clear cut either. We’ll give you the best glimpse at what we know, but note: There is a lot of information to digest about this issue and a few supposed origins of the holiday—some of them conflicting. This is the most commonly researched and reported story.”

Since the Thanksgiving Tale Is a Myth, Celebrate It This Way | Time

“Many of my indigenous brothers and sisters refuse to celebrate Thanksgiving, protesting the whitewashing of the horrors our ancestors went through, and I don’t blame them. But I have not abandoned the holiday. I have just changed how I practice it.”

What really happened on Thanksgiving Day? Not what you think, probably

“We have a chance to reclaim our language and our history and re-educate people. We didn’t go away, we adapted.”

Websites

American Indian Library Association

“Breaking down public perceptions of who Native Americans are. Elevating conversation around Native American issues. Promoting Native education, literacy, and community.”

Confluence Project: Home

“Confluence connects you to the history, living cultures, and ecology of the Columbia River system through Indigenous voices. We are a community-supported nonprofit that works through six art landscapes, educational programs, and public gatherings in collaboration with northwest tribes, communities, and the celebrated artist Maya Lin.”

National Native American Heritage Month – 2019

“Welcome to Native American Heritage Month 2019 at DOI! On October 31, President Trump issued a proclamation designating November 2019 as National Native American Heritage Month. This November and every month, we celebrate the culture and heritage of these remarkable Americans who deeply enrich the quality and character of our Nation.”

Native American Heritage Month – pbs.org

“Through dance, family traditions, and music, these stories show the diversity and long history of Indigenous people across the United States. Celebrate the history, culture, and traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives in a special collection of films, short stories, and resources from Public Television.”

Resources for Indigenous Peoples

“Cultural Survival envisions a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples’ inherent rights and dynamic cultures, deeply and richly interwoven in lands, languages, spiritual traditions, and artistic expression, rooted in self-determination and self-governance.”

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian

“Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) provides educators and students with new perspectives on Native American history and cultures. Most Americans have only been exposed to part of the story, as told from a single perspective through the lenses of popular media and textbooks. NK360° provides educational materials, virtual student programs, and teacher training that incorporate Native narratives, more comprehensive histories, and accurate information to enlighten and inform teaching and learning about Native America. NK360° challenges common assumptions about Native peoples and offers a view that includes not only the past but also the vibrancy of Native peoples and cultures today.”