#native nations

[archivistic]

USA friends: If you’re planning on doing lots of reading this Thanksgiving break and would like to keep it thematic, may I recommend some of these books on Native American cultures and histories?

The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson (Dakota), 2021

Novel about generations of women and survival of family ties and the land. Fiction for people who enjoy Robin Wall Kimmerer

Rez Life by David Treuer (Ojibwe), 2013

Stark, fascinating, and humorous nonfiction that reads like a series of journalistic essays on sovereignty, natural resources, poverty, casinos, and culture.

Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Potawatomi), 2003

Noted Indigenous scientist and author in her earliest book for popular audiences. Science writing at its best - beautiful and regenerative, though not without acknowledgement of the destructive power of capitalism, colonization, unequal resource allocation, etc. I read it December 2024 and it was absolutely a balm during a really emotionally tough time. Her other books Braiding Sweetgrass and The Serviceberry are also great reads.

Native Nations: A Millennium in North America by Kathleen DuVal, 2024 (Note: not a Native author)

History of Indigenous nations in now-North America – I learned a lot about what was happening during the 12th-14th centuries, especially in the Southeast, and found it helpful that she brought in context from climate events, astronomy, and comparative societal structures around the world. The book overall aims to reframe European colonization and rule and argues persuasively that Native nations controlled relationships and land for much longer than Europeans claimed. It’s not comprehensive (I especially was disappointed in the lack of West Coast/Cascades region nations, but I can find more of that elsewhere) but coverage is really interesting and extensive.

Tell me about your faves too!

[ometochtli2rabbit]

[email protected]

art by Nakoma Volkman

This map is available here: https://nativeprintee.com/map-na01

[eleanor-arroway]

Recently started reading "Native Nations: A Millenium in North America" by Kathleen DuVal

This book won the Pulitzer Prize for history 2025, and it is fascinating so far!

"A sweeping history of the power of Indigenous North America from ancient cities to fights for sovereignty that continue today, from an award-winning historian In this magisterial history, Kathleen DuVal tells the story of Native nations, from the rise of ancient cities more than a thousand years ago to the present, reframing North American history with Indigenous power and sovereignty at its center. Before and during European colonization, Indigenous North Americans built diverse civilizations and lived in history, adapting to a changing world in ways that reverberated globally. As DuVal explains, no civilization came to a halt when a few wandering explorers arrived, even when the strangers came well-armed. A millennium ago, North American cities rivaled urban centers around the world in size, but following a period of climate change and instability DuVal shows how numerous smaller nations emerged from previously centralized civilizations, moving away from rather than toward urbanization. From this urban past, patterns of egalitarian government structures, diplomacy, and complex economies spread across North America. So, when Europeans arrived in the sixteenth century, they encountered societies they did not understand, having developed differently from their own, and whose power they often underestimated. For centuries after these first encounters, Indigenous people maintained an upper hand and used Europeans in pursuit of their own interests. In Native Nations , we see how Mohawks closely controlled trade with the Dutch--and influenced global markets--and how Quapaws manipulated French colonists. Power dynamics shifted after the American Revolution, but Indigenous people continued to control the majority of the continent. Shawnee brothers Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa forged new alliances and encouraged a controversial new definition of Native identity to attempt to wall off U.S. ambitions. The Cherokees created new institutions to assert their sovereignty on the global stage, and the Kiowas used their preponderance of power in the west to regulate the passage of white settlers across their territory. In this important addition to the growing tradition of North American history centered on Indigenous nations, Kathleen DuVal uses these stories to show how the definitions of power and means of exerting it shifted over time, but the sovereignty and influence of Native peoples remained a constant and will continue far into the future."

So, if anyone's looking for an interesting read about an underemphasized piece of history, I would recommend it so far! Selfishly, I'd like if more people read this since I haven't seen much discussion on the book and would be interested to see more!

[olowan-waphiya]

After COP30, Indigenous advocates celebrate gains while warning of unfinished work

“They can’t decide for us without us.”

[mykhnai]

What is shared with all tribal nations in North America is the knowledge that the earth is a living being, and a belief in the power of language to create, to transform, and to establish change. Words are living beings. Poetry in all its forms, including songs, oratory, and ceremony, both secular and sacred, is a useful tool for the community. Though it is performative there is no separation of audience and performer.

Joy Harjo, introduction to When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry

[sisterofthewolves]

So when I look today and I am living in a house like everybody else. I think about my brother, the wolf, out there. I think about him all the time. How things go with him is how things go with us. They do not like the wolf, they like the symbol, but they try to kill the wolf. When you're killing nature, you're killing yourself

Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Wolf Clan

[im-the-punk-who]

Language Matters: How to Talk about Native Nations

Do you ever feel hesitant when searching for the right language to use to talk about Indian Country? Join us to learn terminology basics!

Are you interested in taking action to support Native nations? Do you ever feel hesitant when searching for the right language to use to talk about Indian Country?

Join Native Governance Center on Wednesday, May 12 2021 from 3:30-4:30 PM CT for a free virtual event, "Language Matters: How to Talk about Native Nations." The event will provide attendees with an overview of terminology related to Native nations. In addition to covering the basics (what's ok, what's not ok), we'll showcase the wide range of opinions on language and terminology within Indian Country. This event is geared toward beginners and open to all: come with your questions!

This event will be closed captioned on Zoom.

Event schedule:

3:30-3:45 CT: Welcome and terminology basics

3:45-4:15 CT: Panel discussion

4:15-4:25 CT: Audience Q&A

4:25-4:30 CT: Closing 

Note: The event is sold out for the Zoom conference but the webinar can be accessed by all through a Facebook Live link on the event page.

This is an event being hosted by one of the Native networks I follow that has done some great work in the past. I highly recommend trying to catch the webinar if you can!

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Celebrating Two-Spirit Pride — for thousands of years!

Perhaps you have heard the term “Two Spirit” used along with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other terms.

By M. Tiahui 

“Two Spirit” is a pan-Indian umbrella term that describes Indigenous people who have mixed or non-binary gender roles. While the term is relatively new, the concept has existed among hundreds of Indigenous Nations for thousands of years. Some Native Nations have terms for up to 4 or 5 different genders, for instance. Two Spirit people are considered to be nonbinary and to hold sacred elements of both feminine and masculine within them.