November is Native American Heritage Month, an ideal opportunity to introduce ourselves and the children in our care to perspectives and stories from indigenous cultures. In this article, we share a few popular children’s books featuring Native American stories and characters, as well as additional resources that listeners and viewers of all ages can enjoy in November and throughout the year.
We are Water Protectors, written by Carole Lindstrom, is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that reminds readers of the importance of protecting the Earth’s water. You might enjoy reading this story with the children in your care or watching a free read-along here.
New York Times bestseller, I Sang You Down from the Stars, tells the story of an expecting mother who gathers gifts for her coming baby. It includes Native American cultural details and imagery, with illustrations by Indigenous creators Tasha Spillett-Sumner and Michaela Goade.
If you are looking for more children’s books, you’ll find several suggestions in the PBS Kids article, 12 Books to Celebrate Native American and Alaska Native Heritage. The list was curated by Naomi Bishop, who is Akimel O’odham (from the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona) and a jury member of the American Indian Library Association’s biennial American Indian Youth Literature Awards.
3,000-Year-Old Solutions to Modern Problems is a TEDx Talk by Indigenous musician, Lyla June who is a scholar and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne), and European lineages. In this talk, she shares strategies for the management of Native American food and land. If her Talk inspires you, you might also enjoy the poetry collection she co-authored.
In this brief video from Sesame Street, the Clute family invites viewers to learn about their Mohawk culture, traditions, language, community, and home life. In the video, the family introduces their culture and shares the ways they honor and celebrate their Indigenous identity.
National Native News is a 5-minute daily podcast and information program produced from a Native perspective for public and community radio stations, and available online in podcast form.
Young & Indigenous is a podcast created by the tribal youth of the Lummi Nation to share and preserve Indigenous culture. Each episode shares pieces of Lummi Nation culture such as language, music, and history. This podcast can inspire children and grown-ups of all cultures to learn about where they come from and gain knowledge about the importance of passing down authentic culture and traditions.
