I’ve been compiling and reading books that pertain to specific tribes as we study Native American History. Here are a few that I keep returning to for the big picture.
Encyclopedia of American Indian History & Culture
“More than 160 tribes are featured in this outstanding new encyclopedia, which presents a comprehensive overview of the history of North America’s Native peoples. From the Apache to the Zuni, readers will learn about each tribe’s history, traditions, and culture, including the impact of European expansion across the land and how tribes live today. Features include maps of ancestral lands; timelines of important dates and events; fact boxes for each tribe; bios of influential American Indians such as Sitting Bull; sidebars on daily life, homes, food, clothing, jewelry, and games; Did You Know facts with photographs; and traditional Native stories. The design is compelling and colorful, packed with full-color photographs.
“To help give kids the lay of the land, this reference is arranged by region, and all federally recognized tribes are included. With nothing comparable available, it is sure to be a valuable resource for kids, students, librarians, and families.” (description from Amazon)
“Twelve Native American kids present historical and contemporary laws, policies, struggles, and victories in Native life, each with a powerful refrain: We are still here!
“Too often, Native American history is treated as a finished chapter instead of relevant and ongoing. This companion book to the award-winning We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga offers readers everything they never learned in school about Native American people’s past, present, and future. Precise, lyrical writing presents topics including: forced assimilation (such as boarding schools), land allotment and Native tribal reorganization, termination (the US government not recognizing tribes as nations), Native urban relocation (from reservations), self-determination (tribal self-empowerment), Native civil rights, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), religious freedom, economic development (including casino development), Native language revival efforts, cultural persistence, and nationhood.” (description from Amazon)
A Kid’s Guide to Native American History
“Hands-on activities, games, and crafts introduce children to the diversity of Native American cultures and teach them about the people, experiences, and events that have helped shape America, past and present. Nine geographical areas cover a variety of communities like the Mohawk in the Northeast, Ojibway in the Midwest, Shoshone in the Great Basin, Apache in the Southwest, Yupik in Alaska, and Native Hawaiians, among others.
“Lives of historical and contemporary notable individuals like Chief Joseph and Maria Tallchief are featured, and the book is packed with a variety of topics like first encounters with Europeans, Indian removal, Mohawk sky walkers, and Navajo code talkers.
“Readers travel Native America through activities that highlight the arts, games, food, clothing, and unique celebrations, language, and life ways of various nations. Kids can make Haudensaunee corn husk dolls, play Washoe stone jacks, design Inupiat sun goggles, or create a Hawaiian Ma’o-hauhele bag. A time line, glossary, and recommendations for Web sites, books, movies, and museums round out this multicultural guide.” (description from Amazon)
Between Earth and Sky, link to read it for free online at archive.org
Gorgeous illustrations accompany the lyrical poetry. The map at the end shows the names and places of many indigenous tribes across North America.
“A collection of ten Native American legends celebrates our nation’s most awe-inspiring natural landscapes, from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls, in a book is complemented by a tribal homeland chart and magnificent landscape paintings.” (description from Amazon)
This is an alphabet book that gives one sentence per letter. Twenty-two of the sentences highlight different tribes. I think an accompanying map to show the location of each of these tribes would have been helpful.
The Author’s Note states that “One of the purposes of Many Nations is to help children recognize the diversity of Native Americans…Those cultures portrayed in Many Nations are only a handful of the hundreds of surviving nations of Native America. It is my hope that this small book will encourage people to respect and learn more about the many original nations of our land.”
“From Anishanabe artists making birch bark bowls to Zuni elders saying prayers for the day that is done, the diversity of Native American cultures is simply presented in this unique and beautiful alphabet book.”