On Monday, October 12, cities, towns, states, communities, and schools around the nation will be observing Indigenous People’s Day or Native American Day. The National Museum of the American Indian shares that the purpose and intention of this day is to raise awareness of the rich and diverse history, culture, and traditions of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
There are a variety of ways educators can rethink American history and center the experiences of Native Americans in their teaching. This begins by acknowledging the deaths of millions of Native Americans and the forced assimilation of survivors as a result of colonization in the United States. We can learn about the histories of Native Peoples by participating in free events such as the National Museum of the American Indian Teach-Ins and accessing the museum’s online education initiative Native Knowledge 360°. And we can include books about and written by indigenous peoples in classroom libraries as well as make them central in instruction, not only on Indigenous People’s Day, but all year.
The following are some of our favorite books and authors that are must-haves for physical and digital classroom libraries as well as resources to support continued learning about Native American peoples and histories—past and present.
Whenever possible, #ownvoices authors were selected for this collection of texts. All of the following texts have been reviewed for accuracy and representation by Native historians, scholars, and educators.
Click here for the book list and resources!