Native American Heritage Month

Native American Culture and History is a full of rich traditions, but is not commonly studied or celebrated.

Seattle Public Schools includes instruction that was developed by Tribal Leaders in the state of Washington. You might have heard your scholars eagerly talk about the Wampanoag People or learn about Salmon as a resource for tribes founded in Washington. It is called Since Time Immemorial.

We would also like to feature Birchbark Books. This bookstore is located in the Minneapolis/St. Paul and home to one of the largest concentration of Native people in the United State. This bookstore is a teaching bookstore celebrating the work and livelihood of Native American artists, authors and community organizers.

Seattle occupies the land of the Duwamish Tribe, yet it is not recognized by the Federal Government. Learn more about the Real Rent Movement today.

K-3 Content for Kids

We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorrell

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.

Molly of Denali (PBS)

The daily adventures of 10-year-old Alaska native Molly Mabray, her family, her dog Suki and her friends Tooey and Trini. This PBS link has elements of online games, videos, activities, and podcast content for your scholar to explore You can download the PBS app or the Molly of Denali App MOLLY OF DENALI FEATURES: TEACHING GAMES Veggiezilla: learn how to care for a garden and grow giant vegetables Alaskan Adventure: learn about Alaskan animals Fish Camp: learn about fishing and respecting nature Sled Dog Dash: learn about dog sledding and caring for your dogs Beading Art: learn the tradition of Alaskan Native beadwork with simple patterns Denali Trading Post: interact with customers and fill orders EDUCATIONAL ADVENTURE Step into Molly’s world with character interactivity Pick blueberries for Molly’s dad Have a snowball fight with Trini and Tooey Feed the sled dogs Play the drums with Grandpa Nat MAKE LEARNING FUN Kids from ages 4-8 can get a fun introduction to familiar informational texts and their features Learn how to read field guides, recipes and maps Learn how to understand diagrams, indexes, and captions Learn about dog sledding, sustainable fishing, traditional Alaska Native arts and more EXPLORE A UNIQUE CULTURE Learn about Alaska Native values with a focus on community and traditions Learn common Alaska Native phrases (i.e. “Mahsi-choo!”)

4th Grade/5th Grade+

Inspired by true events, BEANS is about a Mohawk girl on the cusp of adolescence who must grow up fast and become her own kind of warrior during the armed stand-off known as the 1990 Oka Crisis. World Premiered at Toronto IFF 2020. Honored as One of Toronto IFF Canada’s Top 10 films, TIFF Emerging Talent Award, and TIFF’s Rising Star. Winner of Crystal Bear at the Generation Section at Berlinale 2020

Watch on YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime or Apple TV

Winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, The Game of Silence is the second novel in the critically acclaimed Birchbark House series by New York Times bestselling author Louise Erdrich.

Her name is Omakayas, or Little Frog, because her first step was a hop, and she lives on an island in Lake Superior. One day in 1850, Omakayas’s island is visited by a group of mysterious people. From them, she learns that the chimookomanag, or white people, want Omakayas and her people to leave their island and move farther west.

Common Sense Media Recommends age 9+

T eenagers and Adults

There are many Native American activists on social media. They are fighting for Native Culture, the Environment.

If you care about about Greta, you should follow these inspiring activists on social media.

Songs My Brothers Taught Me is a 2015 American independent coming-of-age Native American drama tragedy^[2] film written and directed by Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, The Eternals) in her directorial debut, and produced by Zhao and Forest Whitaker. Developed at the Sundance Institute workshops, the film, set in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, explores the bond between a Lakota Sioux brother and his younger sister.

The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section.^[3] It was later screened in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival where it received a nomination for the Caméra d’Or Award for best first feature film.^[4]

Credit : Wikipedia

Rutherford Falls streaming on Peacock April 22: A comedy about two lifelong best friends, Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms) and Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding), who find themselves at a crossroads – quite literally – when their sleepy town gets an unexpected wakeup call. From co-creators and executive producers, Michael Schur (Parks and Recreation, The Good Place), Ed Helms, and Sierra Teller Ornelas (Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Superstore). Synopsis: A small town in the Northeast and the Native American reservation it borders are turned upside down when local legend and town namesake, Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms), fights the moving of a historical statue.

Available on NBC or Peacock

From Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, Reservation Dogs is a half-hour comedy that follows the exploits of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma who steal, rob and save in order to get to the exotic, mysterious and faraway land of California. The show’s first-of-its-kind Indigenous creative team invites audiences into a surprisingly familiar and funny world.

Available on FX and Hulu