The month of November is National Native American Heritage Month (NAHM), also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, and serves to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and recognize the achievements and contributions of America's Native and indigenous people. NAHM also raises awareness of the challenges that Native people have faced, historically and in the present, and how Native American communities continue to exhibit determination and resilience.
Alexie, S. (2005). The Lone Ranger and Tonto fistfight in heaven. Grove Press. Print.
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is a compilation of interconnected short stories narrated by memorable characters such as Thomas Builds-the-Fire, a storyteller that no one listens to, and Victor, a sports hero turned alcoholic. Filled with dark humor, renown Native American poet, novelist, performer, and filmmaker Sherman Alexie weaves memory, fantasy, and realism together to portray life in and around the Spokane Indian Reservation. Although often placed in situations of poverty and despair, Alexie's characters and the struggles they face are relatable and inspiring; filled with affection, passion, and dreams.
Green, R. (1984). That’s what she said : contemporary poetry and fiction by Native American women. Indiana University Press. Print.
"The poems and stories Rayna Green has chosen for this collection represent some of the most interesting and innovative writing in today's literature, yet their authors are for the most part unrecognized outside of feminist and Native American circles. That's What She Said provides an opportunity to become acquainted with a unique, exciting body of work." -- Provided by publisher
Hobson, G. (1991). The Remembered earth : an anthology of contemporary Native American literature. University of New Mexico Press. Print.
The Remembered Earth marks the first major anthology done by contemporary Native American writers. Interconnected themes of land, people, and the power of remembrance are the focal points of many of the poems, essays, and short stories in this compilation of Native American literature.
Harjo, J., & Winder, T. (2011). Soul talk, song language conversations with Joy Harjo. Wesleyan University Press. eBook.
"US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo is one of the most powerful Native American voices of her generation. She has spent the past two decades exploring her place in poetry, music, dance/performance, and art. Soul Talk, Song Language gathers together in one complete collection many of these explorations and conversations. Through an eclectic assortment of media, including personal essays, interviews, and newspaper columns, Harjo reflects upon the nuances and development of her art, the importance of her origins, and the arduous reconstructions of the tribal past, as well as the dramatic confrontation between Native American and Anglo civilizations. Harjo takes us on a journey into her identity as a woman and an artist, poised between poetry and music, encompassing tribal heritage and reassessments and comparisons with the American cultural patrimony. She presents herself in an exquisitely literary context that is rooted in ritual and ceremony and veers over the edge where language becomes music." -- Provided by publisher
Midge, T., & Hobson, G. (2019). Bury my heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s. University of Nebraska Press. eBook.
"Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese's is a powerful and compelling collection of Tiffany Midge's musings on life, politics, and identity as a Native woman in America. Artfully blending sly humor, social commentary, and meditations on love and loss, Midge weaves short, stand-alone musings into a memoir that stares down colonialism while chastising hipsters for abusing pumpkin spice. Employing humor as an act of resistance, these slices of life and matchless takes on urban-Indigenous identity disrupt the colonial narrative and provide commentary on popular culture, media, feminism, and the complications of identity, race, and politics." -- Provided by publisher
King, C. R., & Putens, N. (2016). Redskins : insult and brand. University of Nebraska Press. eBook.
"Redskins: Insult and Brand examines how the ongoing struggle over the team name raises important questions about how white Americans perceive American Indians, about the cultural power of consumer brands, and about continuing obstacles to inclusion and equality. C. Richard King examines the history of the team’s name, the evolution of the term “redskin,” and the various ways in which people both support and oppose its use today. King’s hard-hitting approach to the team’s logo and mascot exposes the disturbing history of a moniker’s association with the NFL—a multi billion-dollar entity that accepts public funds—as well as popular attitudes toward Native Americans today." -- Provided by publisher
Lobo, S., Morris, T. L., & Talbot, S. (2016). Native American voices : a reader (Third edition.). Routledge. eBook.
Native American Voices introduces readers to the diverse field of Native American Studies through voices and viewpoints of Native American writers. Filled with biographies, journalism, art, and poetry, Native American Voices presents the historical and present day experiences of native peoples and nations.
Lenik, E. J. (2016). Amulets, Effigies, Fetishes, and Charms: Native American Artifacts and Spirit Stones from the Northeast. The University of Alabama Press. eBook.
Decorated stone artifacts are a significant part of archaeological studies of Northeast Native Americans culture. Amulets, Effigies, Fetishes, and Charms examines the shape, size, and design motifs of carved images, symbols, and signs that were created by Native people before the arrival of Europeans. Drawing from Indian myths and legends, these artifacts are examined and interpreted to reflect the identity, status, and social relationships that Native people had with each other and with beings from the spirit world.
Bräuning, F. (2009). No More Smoke Signals. Filmakers Library. Documentary.
Kili Radio, the "Voice of the Lakota Nation," is broadcast out of a small wooden house in the vast countryside of South Dakota. There, people converge to speak to the community about daily concerns and in doing so, strengthen their sense of identity. Daily existence on America's poorest reservation is hard. We meet people like Roxanne Two Bulls, who's trying to start over again on the land of her ancestors after a difficult life nearly destroyed by alcoholism; and Bruce, the white lawyer who for thirty years has been trying to free an American Indian militant who's been fighting for equal rights for his people. A film about the role of media, as well as an up-close look at life on the reservation.
My Louisiana Love. (2013). Berkeley Media. Documentary
My Louisiana Love follows a young Native American woman, Monique Verdin, as she returns to Southeast Louisiana to reunite with her Houma Indian family. Soon, however, she recognizes that her people's traditional way of life - fishing, trapping, and hunting the fragile Mississippi Delta wetlands - is threatened by an unceasing cycle of man-made environmental crises. As Louisiana is devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita and then the massive BP oil leak, Monique finds herself increasingly turning to environmental activism. She documents her family's struggle to stay close to the land despite the cycle of disasters and the rapidly disappearing coastline. Accompanying Monique, the film examines the complex and unequal relationship between the oil industry and the Delta's indigenous Native American community, revealing in the process how the political and economic policies dictated by the oil industry are wreaking havoc to the Delta environment and the survival of the local indigenous culture. My Louisiana Love is at once a riveting social documentary and an intimate portrait of a complex and memorable individual.
Off the rez. (2012). Cinema Guild. Documentary.
An unforgettable story about a young Native American woman and her family and their determined pursuit of the American Dream, Off The Rez is an award-winning documentary that follows one of the country's top high school basketball prospects, 16-year-old Shoni Schimmel, who must leave the reservation in order to play in a competitive, nationally-recognized basketball league.
