November 2024

Fort Bend County Libraries celebrates Native American Heritage Month by honoring the culture, heritage, and distinguished achievements of these remarkable Americans who deeply enrich the quality and character of our Nation and strengthen the fabric of its history and its future.

What is Native American Heritage Month?

Native American Heritage Month, which is celebrated every year in November, recognizes the traditions, languages, and stories of Native American and Alaska Native communities, ensuring that their rich histories and contributions continue to thrive with each passing generation.
 

After decades of efforts by Indigenous advocates and allies to recognize the history and contributions of Native communities, Native American Heritage Month was officially designated in 1990, when President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations have been issued each year since 1994. This commemorative month provides an opportunity to publicly acknowledge the strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples and to celebrate their diverse cultures, traditions, histories, and contributions to the United States.

Celebrating Indigenous Culture and History

Fort Bend County Libraries is committed to sharing the stories, voices, and perspectives of Indigenous peoples by highlighting just of few of the many resources that portray their lives, their contributions, and their struggles throughout history. This list is just a starting point! There is so much more to explore!

History

• The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History, by Ned Blackhawk

• Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the Fight to Reclaim Native America’s Culture, by Chip Colwell
• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
• 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, by Charles C. Mann
• The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to Present, by David Treuer
• Native Nations: A Millennium in North America, by Kathleen DuVal
• Lakota America: A New History of Indigenous Power, by Pekka Hämäläinen
• We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans in Comedy, by Kilph Nesteroff
• Native American Landmarks and Festivals: A Traveler's Guide to Indigenous United States and Canada, by Yvonne Wakim Dennis

Remarkable People

• Indian Voices: Listening to Native Americans, by Alison Owings
• Great Speeches by Native Americans, edited by Bob Blaisdell
• Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation, by Michael Powell
• Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present, by Adrieene Keene
• Native Women: Changing Their Worlds, by Patricia J. Cutright
• Crazy Brave: A Memoir, by Joy Harjo
• Heart Berries, by Terese Marie Mailhot
• Holding Our World Together: Ojibwe Women and the Survival of Community by Brenda J. Child

Military

• Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces, by Alexandra N. Harris and Mark G. Hirsch
• Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story, by Joseph Bruchac
• Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer, by Traci Sorell
• Crossing: A Doctor-Soldier's Story, by Jon Kerstetter
• Code Talker, by Chester Nez

Struggles / Challenges / Civil Rights

• Thunder in the Mountains: Chief Joseph, Oliver Otis Howard, and the Nez Perce War, by Daniel J. Sharfstein
• The Longest Trail: Writings on American Indian History, Culture, and Politics, by Alvin M. Josephy, Jr.
• By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land, by Rebecca Nagle

• Trail of Tears: A Native American Documentary Series [DVD-videorecording]
• Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, by David Grann
• Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, by S.C. Gwynne
• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West, by Dee Brown
• This Land is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymoth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving, by David J. Silverman
• Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America, by Matika Wilbur
• Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land, by Toni Jensen
• The Lakota and the Black Hills: The Struggle for Sacred Ground, by Jeffrey Ostler

Legends / Myths / Spirituality

• Voices in the Stones: Life Lessons from the Native Way, by Kent Nerburn
• Native American Spiritualism: An Exploration of Indigenous Beliefs and Cultures, by L. M. Arroyo
• Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Novel Collection, edited by Matt Dembicki
• American Indian Stories, Legends and Other Writings, by Zitkala-Sa

Food

• Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky: Modern Plant-Based Recipes Using Native American Ingredients, by Lois Ellen Frank
• The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, by Sean Sherman

• New Native Kitchen: Celebrating Modern Recipes of the American Indian, by Freddie Bitsoie

Poetry

• An American Sunrise: Poems, by Joy Harjo
• Little Big Bully, by Heid E. Erdrich
• The Death of Sitting Bear: New and Selected Poems, by N. Scott Momaday

• Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers: Poems, by Jake Skeets
• Rose Quartz: Poems, by Sasha taqwseblu LaPointe

Adult Fiction

• The Truth According to Ember, by Danica Nava
• Indian Burial Ground, by Nick Medina

• Probably Ruby, by Lisa Bird-Wilson
• Bad Cree, by Jessica Johns
• Blood Sisters, by Vanessa Lillie
• Never Whistle at Night: an Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology, edited by Shane Hawk
• To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquill Blackgoose
• Wandering Stars, by Tommy Orange
• Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko
• Empire of Wild, by Cherie Dimaline
• The Mighty Red, by Louise Erdrich

• Never Name the Dead, by Donna M. Rowell
• The Only Good Indians, by Stephen Graham Jones
• Swim Home to the Vanished, by Brendan Shay Basham

Young Adult Books

• Rez Ball, by Byron Graves
• Sheine Lende, by Darcie Little Badger
• Man Made Monsters, by Andrea L. Rogers
• Looking for Smoke, by K.A. Cobell
• Warrior Girl Unearthed, by Angeline Boulley
• Native Women: Changing Their Worlds, by Patricia J. Cutright

e-Resources 

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• The TSHA (Texas State Historical Association) lists information about Texas Native American groups, such as the Comanche and the Karankawa groups. (This site is freely available online and doesn't require a library card to access.)
• World Book Timelines has entries for Notable Native Americans.
• Salem Press Online has a reference eBook: Defining Documents in American History: Native Americans (1451-2017).
• Other databases – such as the National Geographic Virtual Library -- contain articles, maps, etc. on Native Americans. Using the search tool is the best way to find them (rather than browsing topics).
• Native Land Digital is a searchable global map of Indigenous territories, languages, and treaties, allowing you to enter your address to find the history of land. This site is freely available online and doesn't require a library card to access.
• Access Video on Demand offers a curated list of videos/shows/movies for Native American Heritage Month.
• American History (Infobase) - On the landing page, scroll down on the bar on the right-hand side to select Native-American History under Multicultural America.
• CultureGrams: Under the States Edition, for each state selected, under The People section, users can select Native America. This resource provides some basic information of Native People whose land was in each state.
• Libby/OverDrive has a curated list of Native American Heritage-related ebooks, which are also featured in the online catalog for Staff Picks.
• Hoopla Digital also has a curated list of e-audiobooks on Stories & Experiences for Native American Heritage Month.