530 Colonial Avenue, Pelham, NY 10803

530 Colonial Avenue, Pelham, NY 10803

(914) 738-1234

(914) 738-1234

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American Indian/Alaska Native Resources

American Indian/Alaska Native Resources

in Carousel

There is incredible richness and diversity to American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) culture and history. This list is only a very brief one, which we hope will launch you on further explorations and learning. If you would like any additional recommendations, please email librarian Tasha Gross at ngross@wlsmail.org.

National Organizations and Websites

Native Land

Find whose land you are on using this interactive map! (For those of us in Pelham, we are on traditional Wappinger and Munsee Lenape territory.)

National Congress of American Indians 

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is the oldest and largest AI/AN organization serving tribal governments and communities in the United States. NCAI’s Tribal Nations & the United States: An Introduction offers a great overview, and answers such questions as ‘what is tribal sovereignty?’ ‘what does it mean for a tribe to be federally recognized?’ and more about tribal governments and their relationship with the United States.

National Museum of the American Indian 

The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) cares for one of the world’s largest collections of Native objects, photographs, archives, and other media from across both American continents. The museum has branches both in Washington, D.C., and in New York City. You can browse their digital collections and online resources, or take a look at their current exhibitions and plan your visit. You can also visit their Youtube page, which includes a wonderful playlist of illustrated Star Stories among others.

The Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum is a traveling pop-up museum that highlights the way in which human socio-political forces interact with nature. It is a different kind of take on the traditional ‘natural history museum’ that, rather than focusing on preserving the past, brings together Indigenous leaders, environmental activists, scientists, and others to focus on the present and future of how humans relate to our environment. Take a look at their upcoming tours (including guided tours of the American Museum of Natural History in NYC) and exhibitions on their website.

Native Voices

Native Voices provides resources like Indigenous authors, Indigenous bookstores, and Indigenous booklists by tribe. It is Pacific Northwest-specific, but very useful for those interested in this area.

WoLakota 

The WoLakota project encourages the incorporation of Native worldviews into the school curriculum in South Dakota. Often, the Native American ‘mythology’ and ‘folklore’ we are used to hearing about is inaccurate and decontextualized: many times, they are not doing justice to the stories, or the communities they come from. To hear stories directly from Lakota elders, you can take a look at WoLakota’s Lakota Story and Culture playlist on Youtube. 

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition 

In the 19th century, boarding or residential schools for Native children were opened in the U.S. and Canada. Richard H. Pratt, who opened such an institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, expressed a commonly-held philosophy, saying: “kill the Indian and save the man.” Native youth were often kidnapped, subjected to violent abuse, and punished for speaking their native languages or practicing their cultures and beliefs at these institutions. Amazingly, the last residential school in the US closed in as recently as 1996. The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) advocates for survivors of boarding/residential schools in the US, and educates about the ongoing traumas suffered by survivors and their families. You can start learning more about the history of these ‘schools’ in the US with NABS’ US Indian Boarding School History article.

We Are All on Native Land: A Conversation about Land Acknowledgments 

You may have seen some institutions share land acknowledgements, especially if you have been to the Western part of the United States. There are many differing ideas about land acknowledgements and their purpose, though generally, they are used to acknowledge the relationship of Native peoples to their traditional lands. But what does this ‘acknowledgement’ really mean? If we ‘acknowledge’ that we are living and working on stolen land, what are we obligated to do about it? What are we responsible for? Tune into this fascinating conversation about land acknowledgements from the Field Museum to learn more.

Land Back

Some of us may have heard the term ‘Land Back’ before, and we may have felt uncomfortable, or defensive, or reactive. What does ‘Land Back’ really mean? You can take a look at the Land Back website, or take your time reading ‘Land Back! What do we mean?’ from the 4Rs Youth Movement.

Local Organizations and Websites

Today, the descendants of the Wappinger community (whose traditional lands we live on in Westchester) mostly live on the Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation in Wisconsin. Despite attempts by settlers and the U.S. government to destroy this community, including forced removals, and the continued effects of colonialism, the Stockbridge-Munsee band of Mohican Indians are a living people with a vibrant culture. You can learn more about their community and tribal ventures on their website.

New York Indian Council 

The New York Indian Council provides culturally-competent health services in tune with native history, traditions, and philosophies to AI/AN people in New York City. 

The Redhawk Native American Arts Council 

The Redhawk Native American Arts Council was founded in 1994 by Native American artists and educators, and has since been dedicated to educating the general public about Native American heritage through the arts and other forms of cultural expression. They represent not only AI/AN artists, but also Native artists from elsewhere in North, South, and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and Polynesia. The council hosts many festivals, workshops, educational programs, and other events, including powwows.

At the Library

Children

Teens

Adults

Movies

Borrow Online

Overdrive

  • Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Potowatomi) (available as audiobook or ebook)
  • An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (available as audiobook or ebook)
  • House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa) (available as ebook)
  • The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (Ojibwe) (available as audiobook or ebook)
  • Fry Bread: a Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard (Seminole) (available as ebook)
  • Spirit Run by Noe Alvarez (available as ebook)
  • The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (Metis) (available as ebook)
  • Empire of the Wild by Cherie Dimaline (Metis) (available as ebook)
  • A Mind Spread Out On the Ground by Alicia Elliott (Tuscarora) (available as ebook)
  • Winter Counts: a Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Sicangu Lakota) (available as audiobook or ebook)
  • Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford (Cherokee) (available as ebook)
  • This Town Sleeps by Dennis E. Staples (Ojibwe) (available as audiobook)
  • Lakota America by Pekka Hamalainen (available as ebook)
  • Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) (available as ebook)
  • Trial of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse (Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) (available as ebook)
  • Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse (Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) (available as ebook)
  • Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) (available as ebook)
  • Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz (Mojave) (available as ebook)
  • When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through by Joy Harjo (Muscogee Creek) (available as ebook)

Hoopla

  • Everything You Wanted To Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask by Anton Treuer (Ojibwe) (available as audiobook or ebook) 
  • God is Red by Vine Delora,  Jr. (Standing Rock Sioux) (available as ebook)
  • We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom (Anishinaabekwe/Metis) (available as audiobook)
  • An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo (Muscogee Creek) (available as ebook)
  • Conflict Resolution For Holy Beings by Jo Harjo (Muscogee Creek) (available as audiobook)
  • A Mind Spread Out On the Ground by Alicia Elliott (Tuscarora) (available as audiobook)
  • Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God by Kaitlin B. Curtice (Potawatomi) (available as audiobook or ebook)
  • Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford (Cherokee) (available as ebook)
  • This Town Sleeps by Dennis E. Staples (Ojibwe) (available as audiobook)
  • Lakota America by Pekka Hamalainen (available as audiobook)

Kanopy (film)

Social Media

  • You can find @notoriouscree, or James Jones (Cree), and his videos about Native history and culture (especially dance) on both Tiktok and Instagram! 
  • @shinanova, or Shina Nova (Inuk) and her mother share their traditional throat singing together on both Tiktok and Instagram. 
  • Charlie Amáyá Scott (@dineaesthetics) is an Indigenous trans-femme educator, photographer, and scholar from the Navajo Nation. You can find them on Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter, or their website.
  • For Tiktok users, take a minute (or two… or three.. or more!) to explore #nativetiktok! 
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