Suggested Reads for Native American Heritage Month:
November marks Native American Heritage Month, a time to recognize and honor the tribes that inhabited North America for centuries before the formation of the United States. This month, we recommend a list of books by indigenous writers, poets, and scholars. The list was compiled by Tanaya Winder, a singer-songwriter, poet, and educator.
"This Wound is a World" by Billy-Ray Belcourt is a collection of poems that explore love, sex, and gender, offering fresh directions for queer and decolonial theory. In "Brother Bullet," Casandra López confronts the lasting consequences of her brother's murder and grapples with themes of violence, grief, and endurance. "We Are Dancing For You" by Cutcha Risling Baldy tells the story of the revitalization of the Hoopa Valley Tribe's Flower Dance, a coming-of-age ceremony for women, and locates this revival within a broader context of decolonizing praxis.
"New Poets of Native Nations," edited by Heid E. Erdrich, gathers a diverse group of poets whose works showcase the breadth and power of new Native American poetry. Jake Skeets's "Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers" presents an unflinching portrait of the American West, blending beauty and brutality in a Navajo context. Joy Harjo's "Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings" is a musical and magical volume that deals with the complexities of being human.
Michael Wasson's "This American Ghost" addresses the consequences of American expansion, exploring the trauma of Indigenous bodies. In "Our History is the Future," Nick Estes traces the history of Indigenous resistance, leading up to the #NoDAPL movement. "Words Like Love" by Tanaya Winder offers emotional and thoughtful exploration of familial, cultural, and romantic love.
Whether you're a fan of poetry, memoirs, or historical narratives, there's a book on this list that should resonate with you. As we celebrate Native American Heritage Month, consider adding these powerful works to your reading list.
- "New Poets of Native Nations" and "We Are Dancing For You" both contribute to the breadth and power of literature in the realms of home-and-garden (literature) and education-and-self-development (Understanding indigenous culture and history), offering insights into Native American lifestyles.
- In the realm of entertainment, "This Wound is a World" by Billy-Ray Belcourt and Joy Harjo's "Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings" offer unique perspectives, with the former focusing on themes of love, sex, and gender, and the latter dealing with human complexities in a musical and magical manner.
- For those interested in lifelong learning and the understanding of Indigenous experiences, books such as "Brother Bullet," "Our History is the Future," and "Words Like Love" delve deep into themes of violence, grief, endurance, Indigenous resistance, familial love, and cultural legacy, providing a rich educational experience in the home-and-garden sector of learning.
