Native American Heritage Month
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month!
November is Native American Heritage Month, also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, and is a time to honor the traditions, historical legacy, and culture of Native Americans and Alaska Native people. It is a time to become more educated about the full, complex history of colonization and oppression, as well as celebrate the contributions and achievements of Indigenous peoples from the past and of today. One resource we highly recommend exploring is the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and its Native Knowledge 360° project.
How can you celebrate Native American Heritage Month? Capstone authors Katrina M. Phillips (citizen of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe) and Andrea L. Rogers (citizen of the Cherokee Nation) have some great ideas to get you started. We also are shining a spotlight on our children’s books by Native American and Indigenous authors—including a preview of the Liam Kingbird’s Kingdom series—and have some fun downloadable bookmarks and resources for your classroom or library. Be sure to also explore our newly transformed PebbleGo Next Indigenous Peoples’ History module for engaging lessons for your classroom with a balance of historical and modern Indigenous peoples. Join us in honoring Native American Heritage Month this month and throughout the year.
Tana Cooks!
New series launch with Choctaw character who loves to cook
Tana Cooks! is a new, early chapter book series by Choctaw author Stacy Wells. Tana Williams loves to be in the kitchen creating wonderful foods for her friends and family. Alongside her chef dad, Tana uses cooking to learn more about her Choctaw culture, to show others she cares, and to simply have fun! In this story, Tana's good friend Ana is nervous about auditioning for the second-grade school play. As Tana looks for ways to help her friend, she cooks to express her love and care for her friend. Will she find the winning recipe to keeping Ana calm and confident?
Explore PebbleGo Next Indigenous People’s History
Developed in collaboration with Dr. Katrina Phillips, a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe and associate professor of Native American history at Macalester College, PebbleGo Next Indigenous People’s History ensures educators have the essential resources needed to deliver thoughtful, accurate, and engaging lessons on this important topic. The digital collection for learners in grades 3-5 includes more than 50 content articles with:
- Indigenous nations today, including cultural practices, government, and federally images for a balanced depiction of historical and modern Indigenous peoples
- The treatment of Indigenous people, including forced removals and broken treaty promises
- Critical thinking questions, a timeline, video, citation tool, and guide to important terminology
Meet Liam Kingbird!
Say boozhoo (hello) to Liam Kingbird! Liam is eight years old and lives on an Ojibwa reservation. Quiet, creative Liam is a thinker, a dreamer . . . and sometimes a worrier. New experiences can be scary for Liam, but talking with his mom, drawing pictures, and listening to his heart always steer him in the right direction.
Featuring an introspective Indigenous boy with a cleft lip and a beautiful spirit, Liam Kingbird's Kingdom is a charming series for K–3 that will resonate with readers who like to think before they leap. Debut children's author Andrew Stark was raised on the Ojibwa Indian Reservation in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Andrew's personal experience is shared with his character Liam through their Ojibwa culture and cleft lip—features celebrated in the stories as traits that make Liam special.
Sneak-a-peak at Liam the Lion below!
Educator Resources and Downloadables
Wildnerness Ridge
Bookmarks
Liam Kingbird's Kingdom
Bookmarks
Liam Kingbird's Kingdom
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Liam Kingbird's Kingdom
Reading Extension Ideas
Tana Cooks
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Why We Celebrate Native American Heritage Month
In this essay from author and professor of Native history Dr. Katrina M. Phillips, she underscores that Native American Heritage Month isn’t just meant for Native people—it’s a time for everyone to remember and reflect.
“Native American Heritage Month is a chance to celebrate Indigenous resourcefulness, resistance, and resilience. It’s a recognition of Native peoples, cultures, and languages, and it’s an opportunity to honor our pasts, our presents, and our futures.”
Teaching the Trail of Tears In Your Classroom
Author Andrea L. Rogers shares helpful ideas for educators to guide students in learning about the forced removal and displacement of Native Americans on the Trail of Tears. First and foremost, she urges to question everything you think you know about the Trail of Tears.
“When I began researching, I had little understanding of the logistics of moving the entire Cherokee Nation equaling about 16,000 people. I didn’t know about the internment camps. I didn’t know that many Cherokees died from preventable deaths because of their imprisonment. I didn’t know it was a time of drought and I hadn’t thought about how access to water would impact people being marched across a continent. In my book, I tried to distill years of historic information into a story that was accurate and that children could understand. In doing this work, I had to unlearn some things I grew up believing.”
Books by Native American and Indigenous Authors
Unstoppable: How Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team Defeated Army
By Art Coulson
Indigenous People's Day
By Katrina M. Phillips
Liam Kingbird's Kingdom series
By Andrew Stark
The Disastrous Wrangel Island Expedition
By Katrina M. Phillips
Hoop Dancer Determination
By Stacy Wells
Wilderness Ridge series
By Art Coulson
Mary and the Trail of Tears:
A Cherokee Removal Survival Story
By Andrea L. Rogers