Most every month has been dedicated to a certain population in order to spread awareness and understanding through information. You can learn so much about different cultures and groups of people by checking to see what group is being represented in each month. It has been eye-opening diving deeper into each culture as I explore the heritages and histories of different people.
November is dedicated to Native Americans. What better way to share their cultural significance than through the power of their stories? Native Americans have long interwoven tales and stories throughout their every day lives, making it an integral part of their worlds, which makes books about their heritage, history, and lives all that more profound.
Take a look at some books (and a brief summary) that will help you understand more about American Indians.
In this classic book, readers will find insight into how Native Americans fought for their lands on the ever-shrinking American frontier; being betrayed by the white nation of the East over and over again as they slowly lose their hold on the land they had once inhabited.
A book that opens your eyes to the deep spiritual lives of Native Americans, it follows Black Elk (a Lakota medicine man and visionary) and the religious traditions of the Ogala Sioux.
Following a novelized non-fiction account by Kent Nerburn, the adventure through a Lakota reservation haunts you as you learn more about Indian Boarding Schools, revealing dark truths of the Native American experience.
A true story about one of the most recognized Native American names in history, through firsthand research and oral tradition Marshall recounts the life of a genius strategist, commander, and leader.
A nonfiction book about America's systematic destruction of Native American culture, religion, and way of life in the late 19th century. This book uses firsthand descriptions from Dakota, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes (as well as more official records) to tell the story of betrayal and broken treaties.
A riveting, engrossing nonfiction account of the Osage murders and its following trials. Set in Oklahoma in the 1920s, white settlers and local political bosses were said to have taken advantage of the Osage's vulnerability in order to steal their wealth from oil deposits on their land.
Tells two stories about the rise and fall of the Comanches as well as Cynthia Ann Parker and her son Quanah. Being that Crazy Horse hailed from Comanches and Parker was his wife while Quanah was his son, this makes for an interesting read about his tribe.
Following a 13-year-old Native American boy named Joe, this story takes place in North Dakota during the 1980s and follows the aftermath of a terrible crime. Erdrich wanted to highlight the atrocities against Native American women as well as draw attention to the fact that many perpetrators are not brought to justice.
Taking place in a small town on an Ojibwa reservation, this story follows Daunis, a bi-racial Native American teenager, who becomes involved in a murder investigation. It explores identity, community, and standing up for what is right while simultaneously reflects on trauma by colonization and the Indian residential school system.
Set in 1953 in the Chippewa Reservation called Turtle Mountain Band, this complex story follows two characters with their recounting of the fight against a bill that would end tribal sovereignty.
A story about a World War II veteran returning from Japanese internment camps to his Laguna Pueblo reservation in New Mexico. It follows his path to healing from his psychological and spiritual wounds brought on by the war.
