Native American Heritage Resources: Home

Titles provided by School Library Journal

Via the National Endowment for the Humanities, includes guiding questions and lesson plans

A Guide for teachers in grades 4-8, via the National Museum of the American Indian

Established in 2006 by Dr. Debbie Reese of Nambé Pueblo, American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) provides critical analysis of Indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books. Dr. Jean Mendoza joined AICL as a co-editor in 2016.

Via National Geographic

Use for lessons around the real Thanksgiving

Via Dennis W. Zotigh (Kiowa/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo/Isante Dakota Indian) and the National Museum of the American Indian

By ​​​​​​​Cynthia Leitich Smith and Traci Sorell via School Library Journal

Via Zinn Ed

By Christine Boatman Via Edutopia, includes links to helpful resources

Deconstructing the Myths of "The First Thanksgiving" by Judy Dow (Abenaki)
Revised 06/12/06

Overview of Native American activism since the late 1960s, including protests at Mt. Rushmore, Alcatraz, Standing Rock, and more.

The National Archives holds hundreds of thousands of U.S. Government records relating to Native Americans, from as early as 1774 through the mid-1990s. These include every treaty signed with Native Americans, records from the Indian Schools, Indian Census Rolls, and Bureau of Indian Affairs records.

This guide from the University of Maryland, is a selective list of resources on Native Americans in Maryland. It is intended as a starting point to research and not as an exhaustive list of sources.

Transforming teaching and learning
about Native Americans, via NMAI

Book List provided by School Library Journal

How to Tell the Difference: A Guide for Evaluating Children’s Books for Anti-Indian Bias by Doris Seale, Beverly Slapin and Rosemary Gonzales explains Oyate’s very basic criteria for evaluating books about native peoples, or that engage Native themes.

Includes guidance, lesson plans, and links

Via Oyate and AICL

Blog by Dr. Debbie Reese from American Indians in Children's Literature

Via the National Park Service, includes videos and documents

We collaborated with Anishinaabe educator Christine M'lot to develop lessons that serve to teach students about the land they are learning on by viewing and creating original land acknowledgements and being introduced to complex topics concepts such as who Indigenous people are, what the term settler refers to and notions such as broken promises and renewed commitments to share the land.

They've been broken down into three grade levels, and depending on their age, students will either create a class or personal land acknowledgement using Whose.land as a resource.

By SUSAN C. FAIRCLOTH, via Learning for Justice

Video compiled by the New York Times

Inspired by the action taken that day, NDN Collective has developed the LANDBACK campaign, a mutli-faceted campaign to get Indigenous lands back into Indigenous hands, and empower Indigenous people across Turtle Island with the tools and strategies to do LANDBACK work in their own communities.

In this video sidebar, Paul Chaat Smith (Comanche), co-curator of the award-winning exhibition Americans, looks at why the Thanksgiving story is so important to the United States’ image of itself as a nation. (National Museum of the American Indian)

Via Teen Vogue

Via NBC News Washington (Oct 11, 2021)

On this Indigenous Peoples’ Day (2021), News4’s Aimee Cho spoke with local members of the Piscataway Tribe about their heritage and their continued fight for equality.

From 1877 to 1934, under a range of laws and reneged-upon treaties, the U.S. government appropriated tens of millions of acres of Native American land. In recent years there has been a growing movement known as “land back” to reclaim their lands. In some cases that has meant tribes are choosing to buy it back on the open market. In the first of a two-part series, special correspondent Kira Kay reports from Northern California.

At the Standing Rock protests, Indigenous American women united to protect their land and water.

Read more about the different Native American issues and interests (Indigenous People's Day, Thanksgiving, Mascots, Pipelines, Governance, etc.)

While treaties between Indigenous peoples and the United States affect virtually every area in the USA, there is as yet no official list of all the treaties. The US National Archives holds 374 of the treaties, where they are known as the Ratified Indian Treaties. Here you can view them for the first time with key historic works that provide context to the agreements made and the histories of our shared lands.

Dedicated to reversing the slow genocide of the Lakota People and destruction of their culture, the Lakota People’s Law Project partners with Native communities to protect sacred lands, safeguard human rights, promote sustainability, reunite indigenous families, and much more.

Find information about Exhibits, Lesson plans, and collections

The National Archives holds hundreds of thousands of U.S. Government records relating to Native Americans, from as early as 1774 through the mid-1990s. These include every treaty signed with Native Americans, records from the Indian Schools, Indian Census Rolls, and Bureau of Indian Affairs records.

Via the Maryland Department of Natural Resources

By Sean Sherman for Time

LANDBACK is a movement that has existed for generations with a long legacy of organizing and sacrifice to get Indigenous Lands back into Indigenous hands. Currently, there are LANDBACK battles being fought all across Turtle Island, to the north and the South.

This guide from the University of Maryland, is a selective list of resources on Native Americans in Maryland. It is intended as a starting point to research and not as an exhaustive list of sources.

Plug in your address to see whose land you are occupying

A land acknowledgment is a statement that formally recognizes the historical and continuing connection between indigenous peoples and their native lands.

Via TeenVogue

Via Whose Land

From 1877 to 1934, under a range of laws and reneged-upon treaties, the U.S. government appropriated tens of millions of acres of Native American land. In recent years there has been a growing movement known as “land back” to reclaim their lands. In some cases that has meant tribes are choosing to buy it back on the open market. In the first of a two-part series, special correspondent Kira Kay reports from Northern California.

Podcasts celebrating the the past, present, and future of Indian Arts Showcase.

The “All My Relations” podcast is hosted by two amazing women and storytellers: Matika Wilbur, from the Swinomish and Tulalip peoples of coastal Washington, and Adrienne Keene, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Together, they explore what it means to be a modern Native individual.

NATIVE TRAILBLAZERS IS A WEEKLY RADIO PROGRAM DEDICATED TO SHOWCASING THE AMAZING CONTRIBUTIONS OF NATIVE AMERICAN, FIRST NATIONS AND ALL OTHER INDIGENOUS TRAILBLAZERS ALL OVER THE WORLD!

Explore Native American Culture through the people and their stories! Welcome everyone - Natives and people looking to learn more about this vibrant living culture.

The Red Nation Podcast features discussions on Indigenous history, politics, and culture from a left perspective.

How a string of custody battles over Native children became a federal lawsuit that threatens everything from tribal sovereignty to civil rights.

Hosted by Andi Murphy, a Navajo journalist, “Toasted Sister” takes us along on Murphy's journey to discover her culinary roots. This award-winning podcast documents the Native American Food Movement.