Resource Round-Up: Teaching about Indigenous Americans
Often, I reflect on the gaps in my knowledge. I am a lifelong learner, so I am very aware of how little I truly know. Though I advocate for racial and ethnic diversity, I know that I know the most about Black people because that’s who I am and what I’ve studied most.
Around Thanksgiving, I am always reminded of how little I know. Which nation(s) owned the land I now live on? How can I observe a holiday steeped in genocide and oppression? How do I learn more and how do I teach more authentically about Indigenous Americans?
Well, I may not know the answers, but I know how to find out! Below are some resources I’ve found to help educators grow more knowledgeable in our teaching and learning about our country’s earliest inhabitants.
Here’s a movie about the enslavement of indigenous peoples in America.
Teaching Tolerance explains how to teach the truth this Thanksgiving.
American Indian people are not gone. Learn how inviting Native people into your classrooms can help expand your teaching.
Read more about the power of the words we use when discussing Native American history.
Listen to the advice given to NPR.
Learn about how Native peoples view Thanksgiving.
Build your collection of kidlit featuring Native peoples.
Find even more books.
Don’t forget about intersectional identities! A Mighty Girl lists books about Native women.
I really like book lists, okay?
Keep the conversation going in the comments or in your own circles. Questions for Reflection: How can you expand your and your students’ perception of American Indians? What new stories can you tell this year? How can you add to and complicate the stories you’ve been telling in age-appropriate ways?