LibGuides: American Indian Heritage Month: MS Resources

#StandingRockSyllabus

NYC Stands with Standing Rock Collective
This syllabus project contributes to the already substantial work of the Sacred Stones Camp, Red Warrior Camp, and the Oceti Sakowin Camp to resist the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which threatens traditional and treaty-guaranteed Great Sioux Nation territory. The Pipeline violates the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 and 1851 signed by the United States, as well as recent United States environmental regulations. The potentially 1,200-mile pipeline presents the same environmental and human dangers as the Keystone XL pipeline, and would transport hydraulically fractured (fracked) crude oil from the Bakken Oil Fields in North Dakota to connect with existing pipelines in Illinois. While the pipeline was originally planned upriver from the predominantly white border town of Bismarck, North Dakota, the new route passes immediately above the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, crossing Lake Oahe, tributaries of Lake Sakakawea, the Missouri River twice, and the Mississippi River once. Now is the time to stand in solidarity with Standing Rock against catastrophic environmental damage.

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month
A note on language and identity: Dennis Zotigh, liaison for the National Museum of the American
Indian, reflects on how to refer to people who identify as Native American. “Ultimately, I would like to be referred to by my tribal names of Kiowa, Santee Dakota, and Ohkay Owingeh! Most Native people also appreciate being associated with their particular tribes. But I know this is difficult. In actuality, the reference of Native American vs. American Indian is largely generational. My grandparents and other Native elders first referred to themselves by their tribes, although I also heard them less frequently refer to themselves as American Indian. I refer to myself by my tribal affiliation first, but don’t mind being called Indian. The generation younger than mine refers to themselves as Native Americans.”
Teacher Guide

Native American Heritage Text Set
Native American Heritage Month is a national effort in November, to celebrate and pay tribute to the first Americans and their rich culture, traditions and “contributions” to the establishment and growth of the U.S. Around the U.S. museums, schools and communities gather to witness, cherish, and partake in the traditions rooted in the rich practices that have endured and continue to evolve.
While it is a joyous time of celebration, and paying respects, history continues to be relevant as do the contemporary voices of those we aim to celebrate. Newsela’s approach to providing instructional content for Native American Heritage Month is to recenter the narrative on contemporary voices that shed light on the many narratives, the many truths, the many traditions and the many practices of the first Americans, while examining America’s turbulent history.

Teaching Tolerance
The November 27 Oval Office ceremony honoring Navajo Code Talkers included what has become a highly controversial remark by the president referencing Pocahontas. Use our discussion questions to address this current event—and the history behind it—with your students.
Let's Talk!
Discussing Race, Racism and Other Difficult Topics With Students.

AICL
Established in 2006, American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) provides critical perspectives and analysis of indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books, the school curriculum, popular culture, and society. Scroll down for links to book reviews, Native media, and more.