How to Respect and Support Indigenous Peoples / National Native American Heritage Month

For a good half of this year I committed myself to learning about the history of Indigenous peoples native to North America (like the Seminole nation that is native to the Floridian land where I now live), as well as Native American wisdom and their way of life. They were here before us and have learned (through force) European ways, but settlers then and Americans now know little about them and their ways. It’s time that changed.

In this post I am sharing resources I've found that can help you begin your journey of honoring and respecting Indigenous peoples.

First, it has to be said...

EDUCATE YOURSELF:

Nowadays, in the Age of Information, there's really no excuse for ignorance when there's so many resources out there and with how Google is accessible through the help of libraries and schools and Wi-Fi hotspots. Not to mention that libraries are there for this exact purpose. Only through educating ourselves will we ever be able to grow. Only through educating the next generation will anything change for the better. This doesn't just go for teachers, who should be allowed to teach our children about the true, full history of America (the things that have been erased or covered up or ignored), but this also applies to parents, guardians, and grandparents, even aunts and uncles. In other words, everyone.

Resources:

- Indigenous Resistance Homework - This is a PDF with questions that can help you to begin your Indigenous education journey.

- How to Talk About Native Nations: A Guide from Native Governance Center

- A Self-Assessment from Native Governance Center

READ:

You can participate in the #NativeLiteratureChallenge2021 hosted by @NativeGirlsReading on Instagram. It may be November, but you still have time to read a book or two. With this challenge, you don't have to complete every prompt. You can check out suggest for each theme on The StoryGraph here.

Also check out these book recommendations:

 40 Best Native American Authors to Read in 2021 (article)

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

Why Indigenous Literatures Matter

Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir

The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions

Sister Nations: Native American Women Writers on Community 

Firekeeper’s Daughter (fiction)

FOR TWILIGHT FANS:

Are you a Twilight fan (or do you detest Twilight)? Donate to the Quileute Nation, either way. Why? Stephenie Meyer appropriated from the Quileute Nation who live in Forks (the setting of Twilight) in her series, and she never gave them any compensation for it. 

Move to Higher Ground is a project to help the Quileute Nation relocate their tribal school out of “a tsunami zone at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.”

Read about the cultural appropriation in Twilight: https://filmdaze.net/twilight-sagas-issue-with-indigenous-culture/ 

Learn more about the Quileute Nation: https://quileutenation.org/

Donate To:

Move to Higher Ground: https://mthg.org/

FOR TEACHERS:

Check out these articles:

10 Tips to Decolonize Your Classroom

Lessons Learned in Teaching Native American History

"In many schools, students are learning that Native American tribes no longer exist, or they gain the impression that Native Americans continue to live in teepees—misconceptions and biases that are damaging to modern Native communities." [1]

 

Indigenous History Month / Florida & Seminole History

This is my book stack of non-fiction books for Indigenous History Month, which is recognized in Canada, but regardless of where you live you can learn about the history of the land and the Indigenous peoples who call that land home and were there first, before European colonization. 

I read about Florida’s history and the Seminoles. I'll share what I learned below, but first, to find out which Indigenous nations/tribes first lived on the land you call home, use Native-Land.ca. You can also search the location of where your paternal and maternal families called home for generations, which is equally important.