November is Native American Heritage Month in the U.S. This month provides an opportunity to learn more about the histories, cultures, and experiences of Indigenous American and Alaska Native communities. It beckons us to amplify the voices and stories of these communities that have been historically silenced in the U.S. It also calls us as Christians to attend to Indigenous Americans’ struggles for liberation and to strive for justice and peace with and for Indigenous Americans and Alaska Natives.

To help churches lift up Indigenous American and Alaska Native histories and stories this November, we at Building Faith have compiled a list of resources as a starting point for further learning. This list features new and recent books, articles, podcasts, videos, virtual exhibits, and church resources. We have included the Indigenous nations for authors and illustrators who identify as Indigenous as a way to counter the colonizing legacy of homogenizing and rendering invisible Indigenous identities in the U.S. We hope that these resources may support your congregations in celebrating, learning from, and engaging in justice efforts with Indigenous leaders and communities.

Books

History & Biography

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, 10th-anniversary edition (Beacon, 2023)
• Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America by Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip) (Ten Speed, 2023)
• The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk (Western Shoshone) (Yale University Press, 2023)
• We Survived the End of the World: Lessons from Native America on Apocalypse and Hope by Steven Charleston (Choctaw) (Broadleaf, 2023)

Faith & Spirituality

• Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future by Patty Krawec (Anishinaabe-Ukranian) (Broadleaf, 2022)
• Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth by Randy Woodley (Cherokee) (Broadleaf, 2022)
• Indigenous Theology and the Western Worldview: A Decolonized Approach to Christian Doctrine by Randy S. Woodley (Cherokee) (Baker Academic, 2022)
• Ladder to the Light: An Indigenous Elder’s Meditations on Hope and Courage by Steven Charleston (Choctaw) (Broadleaf, 2021)
• Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day by Kaitlin B. Curtice (Potawatomi) (Brazos, 2023)
• Spirit Wheel: Meditations from an Indigenous Elder by Steven Charleston (Choctaw) (Broadleaf, 2023)

Books for Youth

• Indigenous America by Liam McDonald (Kanien’kehá:ka) (Penguin Workshop, 2022)
• Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present by Adrienne Keene (Cherokee), illustrated by Ciara Sana (Chamoru, Guam) (Ten Speed, 2021)

Reading Lists for All Ages

• “AICL’s Year in Review for 2022” by Debbie Reese (Nambé Pueblo) and Jean Mendoza, American Indians in Children’s Literature (Dec. 12, 2022) – Books for children and youth
• “Books for Native American Heritage Month” by Nicole, San Mateo County Libraries website (Nov. 3, 2021) – Books for children, youth, and adults
• “Indigenous Joy in Picture Books” by Stephanie Whelan, New York Public Library website (Oct. 5, 2022) – Books for children
• “Native American Heritage Month Book List: 2022” by Sharma, Spokane Public Library website (Oct. 31, 2022) – Books for adults
• “Native American Heritage Month Recommendations for Kids from the Teen Reading Ambassadors” by Rachel Roseberry, New York Public Library website (Nov. 10, 2022) – Books for children

Articles

• “How to Write a Land Acknowledgement for Your Parish” by Kurt J. Huber and Ellen B. Huber, Building Faith (Aug. 23, 2021)
• “Thanksgiving Day: An Alternative View” by Bradley Hauff (Oglala Sioux), Building Faith (Oct. 20, 2021)
• “Which Indigenous Lands Are You On? This Map Will Show You” by Rachel Treisman, NPR website (Oct. 10, 2022)

Podcasts

• Broken Lands, hosted by Matthew Cobb and Leora Tadgerson (Gnoozhikaaning, Bay Mills, and Wiikwemkong) – A podcast that arose out of reparations work in the ELCA Northeastern Minnesota Synod and discusses issues of treaty violations, reparations, and reconciliation; episodes are often approximately 30 minutes long, and season 2 just launched in October
• “Native American History Episodes” on Unsung History, hosted by Kelly Therese Pollock – A playlist from a podcast that highlights lesser known and untold histories of historically marginalized groups, including women, people of color, and Indigenous communities; the collection contains 11 episodes, and episodes are generally 40 – 55 minutes long

Videos

• “Native America” (2018, 2023) – A PBS TV miniseries that focuses on Indigenous American histories and cultures past and present; season 1 has 4 episodes lasting about an hour each, and season 2 started broadcasting and streaming on October 24
• “Without a Whisper – Konnon:kwe” (2021) – A short documentary about the vital role that Indigenous women played in the women’s rights movement in the U.S.

Virtual Exhibits

• “Native American Heritage Month: November 2023,” Smithsonian Institute – A resource hub that provides events, virtual exhibits, and podcast episodes to commemorate Native American Heritage Month
• Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian – This museum’s website includes online exhibitions as well as teaching and learning resources

Church Resources

• Episcopal Church Indigenous Ministries – This landing page contains digital resources on the Doctrine of Discovery, the Episcopal Church’s history with Indian boarding schools, and land acknowledgments, and it includes “A Disciple’s Prayer Book” in English and in Spanish
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations – On this landing page, you can find information about the “Truth & Healing Movement” in the ELCA, other ways to get involved in advocacy with and for Indigenous communities, and a collection of resources, including stories by Indigenous members of the ELCA and a land acknowledgment guide

Featured image is by Peter Klumpenhower (Diné) on Wikimedia Commons; image is licensed under Creative Commons 1.0 and designated as public domain by its author, and it has been cropped from the original