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Culture

We recommend these resources to explore the cultures of Native American people, and take a closer look at traditional and modern practices, and ways of life.

Ceremony

Leslie Marmon Silko, Laguna Pueblo. "The great Native American Novel of a battered veteran returning home to heal his mind and spirit (1977)." (Native contributor)

Dance Boots

Linda LeGarde Grover, Bois Forte. "In this stirring collection of linked stories, Linda LeGarde Grover portrays an Ojibwe community struggling to follow traditional ways of life in the face of a relentlessly changing world (2010)." (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

House Made of Dawn

N. Scott Momaday, Kiowa Tribe. "A young Native American, Abel has come home from war to find himself caught between two worlds. The first is the world of his grandfather's, wedding him to the rhythm of the seasons, the harsh beauty of the land, and the ancient rites and traditions of his people. But the other world--modern, industrial America--pulls at Abel, demanding his loyalty, claiming his soul, and goading him into a destructive, compulsive cycle of depravity and disgust (1968)." (Native contributor)

In the Night of Memory

Linda LeGarde Grover, Bois Forte. "When Loretta surrenders her young girls to the county and then disappears, she becomes one more missing Native woman in Indian Country's long devastating history of loss. But she is also a daughter of the Mozhay Point Reservation in northern Minnesota and the mother of Azure and Rain, ages 3 and 4, and her absence haunts all the lives she has touched—and all the stories they tell in this novel. In the Night of Memory returns to the fictional reservation of Linda LeGarde Grover's previous award-winning books, introducing readers to a new generation of the Gallette family as Azure and Rain make their way home (2019)." (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

Love Medicine

Louise Erdrich, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. "Set on and around a North Dakota Ojibwe reservation, the first novel by bestselling, National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich is the epic story about the intertwined fates of two families: the Kashpaws and the Lamartines (1984)."

The Painted Drum

Louise Erdrich, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. "While appraising the estate of a New Hampshire family descended from a North Dakota Indian agent, Faye Travers is startled to discover a rare moose skin and cedar drum fashioned long ago by an Ojibwe artisan. And so begins an illuminating journey both backward and forward in time, following the strange passage of a powerful yet delicate instrument, and revealing the extraordinary lives it has touched and defined (2005)." (Native contributor)

The Road Back to Sweetgrass

Linda LeGarde Grover, Bois Forte. "Set in northern Minnesota, The Road Back to Sweetgrass follows Dale Ann, Theresa, and Margie, a trio of American Indian women, from the 1970s to the present, observing their coming of age and the intersection of their lives as they navigate love, economic hardship, loss, and changing family dynamics on the fictional Mozhay Point reservation (2014)." (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

The Round House

Louise Erdrich, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. "An exquisitely told story of a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family. Riveting and suspenseful (2013)." (Native contributor)

Stories for a Lost Child

Carter Meland, White Earth Nation. "The summer before going into high school, Fiona receives a mysterious box in the mail, one that she hopes will answer her questions about her Anishinaabe Indian heritage. It contains stories written by the grandfather she never knew, an Anishinaabe man her mother refuses to talk about. As she reads his stories about blackbirds and bigfoot, as well as tales about Indians in space and homeless Native men camping by the river in Minneapolis, Fiona finds other questions arising--questions about her grandfather and the experiences that shaped his stories, questions about her mother's silence regarding the grandfather she never knew. Fiona's desire to know more and her mother's reluctance to share stir up bitter feelings of anger and disappointment that slowly transform as she reads the stories into a warmer understanding of the difficulties of family, love, and the weight of the past (2017)." (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

There, There

Tommy Orange, Cheyenne/Arapaho Nations of Oklahoma. "A relentlessly paced multigenerational story about violence and recovery, memory and identity, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people (2018)." (Native contributor)

This Town Sleeps

Dennis E. Staples, MN Ojibwe. "On an Ojibwe reservation called Languille Lake, within the small town of Geshig at the hub of the rez, two men enter into a secret romance. Marion Lafournier, a mid-twenties gay Ojibwe man, begins a relationship with his former classmate Shannon, a heavily closeted white man. While Marion is far more open about his sexuality, neither is immune to the realities of the lives of gay men in small towns and closed societies (2020)." (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

A Bag Worth a Pony: The Art of the Ojibwe Bandolier Bag

Marcia Anderson. "In A Bag Worth a Pony, Marcia G. Anderson shares the results of thirty years of study, in which she learned from the talented bead artists who keep the form alive, from historical records, and from the bags themselves (2017)."

Crazy Brave: A Memoir

Joy Harjo, Mvskoke Nation. "In this transcendent memoir, grounded in tribal myth and ancestry, music and poetry, Joy Harjo, one of our leading Native American voices, details her journey to becoming a poet. Harjo is the first Native American to hold the honor of United States Poet Laureate (2012)." (Native contributor)

God is Red: A Native View of Religion

Vine DeLoria Jr., Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. "This book remains the seminal work on Native religious views, asking new questions about our species and our ultimate fate (1973)." (Native contributor)

Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists

Jill Ahlberg Yohe and Teri Greeves, Kiowa. "Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists explores the artistic achievements of Native women and establishes their rightful place in the art world (2019)." (Native contributor)

The Sioux Chef

Sean Sherman, Oglala Lakota, and Dana Thompson, Wahpeton-Sisseton/Mdewakanton Dakota. "Committed to revitalizing Native American Cuisine and in the process, re-identifying North American Cuisine and reclaiming an important culinary culture long buried and often inaccessible. Owamni is a full service modern Indigenous restaurant on the banks of the sacred Haha Wakpa (Mississippi) in downtown Minneapolis." (Native contributor)

Thunder Bay

Canadaland, hosted by Ryan McMahon, Couchiching First Nation. "The highest homicide rate in the country. A mayor and his wife charged with extortion. A police chief put on trial for obstruction of justice. Nine tragic deaths of Indigenous teenagers." (Native contributor)

Ma’iingan: Brother Wolf

PBS. "With insight from Ojibwe elders, biologists and artist Rabbett Before Horses Strickland, this film captures enduring spiritual connections with Brother Wolf, the lasting bonds and responsibilities shared between native people and the wolf species, and the opportunities and challenges presented by the reintroduction and protection of the animals across reservation lands (2020)." (Native contributor)

People of the Big Lake

"The traditions of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, shown in historic film footage and today, demonstrates the importance of family, relationships and cultural continuity among this Band from central Minnesota (2017)." (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

All My Relations

Makita Wilbur, Swinomish/Twlaip and Adrienne Keene, Cherokee Nation. "All My Relations explores our relationships— relationships to land, to our creatural relatives, and to one another. Each episode invites guests to delve into a different topic facing Native American peoples today. We keep it real, play some games, laugh a lot, and even cry sometimes. We invite you to join us!" (Native contributor)

Creative Native

Natalie Welch, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. "Native American athletes across the country are dominating on and off the field. This podcast explores their backgrounds, current endeavors, and future aspirations." (Native contributor)

IllumiNative On-Air

IllumiNative. "IllumiNative On-Air podcast uplifts stories and news from across Indian Country to support and illuminate contemporary Native voices, stories, and issues. The podcast was created to increase the visibility of Native people and ensure accurate and authentic portrayals of Native communities are present in pop culture and media." (Native contributor)

Native American Calling

Tara Gatewood, Isleta Pueblo/Navajo. "A live call-in program, linking public radio stations, the Internet, and listeners together into a thought-provoking national conversation about issues specific to Native communities. (Native contributor)

Native Trailblazers

Vincent Schilling, Mohawk and Delores Schilling. "Native Trailblazers is a weekly radio show dedicated to showcasing the amazing contributions of Native American, First Nations, and all other indigenous trailblazers all over the world." (Native contributor)

Red Man Laughing

Ryan McMahon, Couchiching First Nation. "Red Man Laughing is an Indigenous arts and culture podcast rooted squarely at the intersection between the good, the bad and the ugly between Indian Country and the mainstream." (Native contributor)

Returning to the Rez

Kendall Harvey, Dziłná'oodiłii Navajo Nation. "Returning to the Rez will allow you to listen to the life lessons found within the post-graduation journeys of three Diné (Navajo) college graduates in their own words. Each episode shares an interview so that you may listen to what these three Diné scholars have to share about their life and their own insights into their personal stories. I pose questions related to Native students, higher education, the post-graduation journey, and the so-called expectation to return to the rez and give back. I hope you enjoy the conversations!" (Native contributor)

Still Here

Jenni Monet, Laguna Pueblo. "Modern Stories of Resilience, Indigenously Told. Still Here is a podcast about beating the odds told from an indigenous worldview. Each episode features a diverse mix of commentary, interviews, and rich audio storytelling shaped by writers, leaders, and everyday people." (Native contributor)

Toasted Sister

Andi Murphy, Crownpoint Navajo. "Toasted Sister is radio about Native American food because it came a long way. Traditional indigenous foodways were lost, found, redefined and modernized in the last few hundred years. And here it is today, in the hands of Native chefs and foodies who work to keep their traditional flavors and ingredients alive. I'm Andi Murphy and I'm talking to as many Indigenous foodies as I can. Episode 63 is about the Red Lake Nation food summit." (Native contributor)

The Truth Sharing

Eagle Vision, various Indigenous women hosts. "The Truth Sharing Podcasts is a project inspired by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, that gives life to the truth and creates a living legacy of commemoration. This series of podcasts visited five Canadian communities to seek out and give voice to those who have experienced loss, examine the ways in which those affected are trying to heal, and shine a light on those trying to bring about positive change.⁣" (Native contributor)

Unreserved

CBC, hosted by Rosanna Deerchild, O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation. "Unreserved is the radio space for Indigenous community, culture, and conversation. Host Rosanna Deerchild takes you straight into Indigenous Canada, from Halifax to Haida Gwaii, from Shamattawa to Ottawa, introducing listeners to the storytellers, culture makers and community shakers from across the country." (Native contributor)

Cole Redhorse Jacobson

Cole Redhorse Jacobson is an artist from the Prairie Island Indian Community. (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

Heart Berry

Sarah Agaton Howes is an Ojibwe Artist from Fond du Lac Reservation. (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

I Am Anishinaabe

Delina White is an artist and and enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and lives on the Leech Lake Reservation. (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

Indian Country Today

"Native American facts, Indian news and American Indian service, plus Native history and culture." (Native contributor)

Native Report

WDSE news that promotes understanding between cultures and educating viewers about native culture. (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

Native Wellness Institute

"The Native Wellness Institute exists to help create an awareness of where our negative behavior comes from, provide opportunities for growth and healing and most importantly to help our people move forward in a good way.  We do this by providing training and technical assistance based in Native culture that promotes the well-being of individuals, families, communities and places of work." (Native contributor)

Reclaiming Native Truth

First Nations Development Institute & Echohawk Consulting. "Reclaiming Native Truth is a national effort to foster cultural, social and policy change by empowering Native Americans to counter discrimination, invisibility and the dominant narratives that limit Native opportunity, access to justice, health and self-determination. Reclaiming Native Truth’s goal is to move hearts and minds toward greater respect, inclusion and social justice for Native Americans." (Native contributor)

Seven Council Fires Native Art

Seven Council Fires Native Art. "Seven Council Fires Native Art is a 501c3 nonprofit created to empower and promote Native American artists and crafters and to preserve Native arts traditions through youth outreach, selling opportunities, education, events and projects." (Native contributor)

The Jingle Dress Tradition

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. "This program was created by TPT with the MLBO Historic Preservation Office to introduce the story of the Jingle Dress, and its musical and dance traditions, to all Minnesotans. Dancers, drummers, singers and dressmakers from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe worked with elder Larry “Amik” Smallwood and the producer, Rick Anderson, to capture the spirit, meaning, significance and history of the Jingle Dress Dance." (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

Lakota in America

Produced by Square. "Lakota teenager shares her story and her plans for the future." (Native contributor)

Ma-Nee Chacaby talks about Two Spirit identities

OurStories eTextbook. "Author and Indigenous elder Ma-Nee Chacaby talks about Two Spirit identities." (Native contributor)

Obizaan Teachings (Spiritual Advisor from Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe)

"Lee Obizaan Staples is from Aazhoomog, Minnesota. Obizaan is one of the Spiritual Advisors on the Mille Lacs reservation and extends his help to all the surrounding communities. This series of films explains the ceremonies Anishinaabe go though during a lifetime as they were passed down to him. Other communities may vary in teachings, this is the way Obizaan was taught and wants to share them so he does not take these teachings the grave." (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

Strong Women/Strong Nations2: Brenda Child

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). "Interview of Brenda Child, author, Red Lake Nation, MN." (Native contributor and Minnesotan)

What We Have Been Gifted

Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. "What we have been gifted" is an hour long documentary that was originally released in 2009 to DVD and focuses on the lives and culture of the people that make up the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, a reservation in Minnesota. The LLBO's capitol city is Cass, Lake, MN. It was produced by Parthé Visual Communications of Duluth, MN. (Native contributor and Minnesotan)