tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277602402024-03-17T16:24:41.729-05:00American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)Established in 2006 by Dr. Debbie Reese of Nambé Pueblo, American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) provides critical analysis of Indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books. Dr. Jean Mendoza joined AICL as a co-editor in 2016. Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.comBlogger1872125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-4791162425750375032024-03-15T15:35:00.006-05:002024-03-15T15:43:29.169-05:00Native Readers are gonna be PSYCHED to know Arigon Starr has a new SUPER INDIAN book for us all!<div style="text-align: left;">One of my most-dear memories is when I was working with a group of elementary-aged Native children in New Mexico and told them about Arigon Starr's <i>Super Indian. </i>At lunch time, one girl looked for me and asked if she could read it. Of course, I handed it to her and she was riveted! She laughed, and smiled, and I knew that book was gonna be a hit with our communities. <br /><br />As other Native people read <i>Super Indian</i>, the joy in what Arigon Starr created was palpable. There was so much in there -- for readers of all ages -- that it quickly became a favorite of many Native readers. The second volume did, too. <br /><br />And today I am PSYCHED to tell you the third volume is is finished and at the printers! Here's the cover:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50qLmUATBXxLT2HBbhmk9sUxjlfAgkJlxynH8799VyM3lqRFBWi3Bs5DDjpc5jPC23Ij3ER5kpd4rNjz4WtTHHqfN1fz3M0kSuIq8yxn-mq4XgHVJFYq-EJiHrtXqE7eZFNI26_IYgzDiuqUpf7YnRemaygSfZGr7yhTbeFmfFnI4KwV3y2ij/s3056/SI_V3_Cover_Front_2024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3056" data-original-width="1893" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50qLmUATBXxLT2HBbhmk9sUxjlfAgkJlxynH8799VyM3lqRFBWi3Bs5DDjpc5jPC23Ij3ER5kpd4rNjz4WtTHHqfN1fz3M0kSuIq8yxn-mq4XgHVJFYq-EJiHrtXqE7eZFNI26_IYgzDiuqUpf7YnRemaygSfZGr7yhTbeFmfFnI4KwV3y2ij/w397-h640/SI_V3_Cover_Front_2024.jpg" width="397" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's the description:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When an ordinary reservation boy eats tainted commodity cheese and gains superpowers, hilarity ensues! The third volume in the <i>Super Indian</i> graphic novel series includes two new adventures, plus a bonus issue featuring Laguna Woman. Rounding out the edition are profiles of two real-life super Indians, MLB Baseball All-Star Allie Reynolds and formidable American Indian Movement activist Fern Eastman Mathias. Arigon Starr returns as writer/artist, with Janet Miner as the editor. 64 full-color pages of action, adventure and laughs for all ages.<br /> <br /><span style="background-color: white;">ISBN: <u></u></span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;">978-0-9859-5354-6<br /></span>Trade Paperback<br />Wholesale price per book: $17.00<br />Retail Price per book: $24.99</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1in;"><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1in;"><u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1in;"><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1in;"><u></u></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And here's the full announcement: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>ARIGON STARR RELEASES THE LONG-AWAITED GRAPHIC NOVEL</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>“SUPER INDIAN VOLUME THREE</b>”</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>When An Ordinary Reservation Boy Eats Tainted Commodity Cheese, Hilarity Ensues.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Native American Superhero Returns With New Adventures For All Ages.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>March 14, 2024 – Los Angeles, CA – Wacky Productions Unlimited and Rezium Studios are excited to announce the release of <i>SUPER INDIAN VOLUME THREE</i>, the latest collection of comic tales of the reservation sensation Super Indian. The 64 page full color graphic novel features words and art from multiple American Indian Youth Literature award-winner Arigon Starr and is edited by Janet Miner.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Super Indian Volume One</i> and <i>Super Indian Volume Two</i> have both found enthusiastic audiences within the Native American community, educational institutions and libraries across the US and Canada. <i>Volume One</i> is on its tenth printing, with <i>Volume Two</i> on its seventh printing. <i>Super Indian </i>has been featured in <i>World Literature Today</i> and <i>First </i><i>American Art</i> print magazines and online via PBS Books online. Arigon’s comic art has been recognized and included in major art exhibitions including the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ; the Gilcrease Museum, Philbrook Museum, First American Museum and Oklahoma Contemporary, all in Oklahoma, and at the KHM – Musuemsverband in Vienna, Austria.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Super Indian</i> was introduced as a comedy audio theater broadcast in 2006. Native Voices at the Autry, a Los Angeles theater company dedicated to producing new works by Native Americans, commissioned an audio theater series based on the initial ten-minute radio play. The program debuted on college, independent and Native radio stations in 2007.</div><div><br /></div><div>Arigon Starr developed her radio scripts into a comic book. “I wanted the art of the comic to have a timeless look, a homage to my favorite 1980s and 90s comics,” she enthused.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wacky Productions Unlimited, an independent publisher, released the first <i>Super Indian</i> graphic novel in 2012. The graphic novel gained attention with Native American readers and was championed by librarians, teachers and college educators. Arigon and her work on <i>Super Indian </i>has been featured in online and print media, with appearances in books such as <i>Dreaming In Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices </i>and <i>The Routledge </i><i>Companion to Native American Literature</i>. Starr’s comic work garnered awards in 2018 from the American Indian Library Association's Youth Literature Award for her anthology <i>Tales of the Mighty Code </i><i>Talkers</i> and in 2023 for her illustrations for <i>Contenders: Two Native Americans, One </i><i>World Series</i>. Arigon’s artwork has also been featured online via <i>The Nib</i>, Vox Media’s <i>Polygon</i> and Colorado’s Pop Culture Classroom series <i>Colorful History.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Starr’s work as a multimedia artist brought her to the attention of Providence Pictures, the producers of the PBS series <i>Native America</i>. She was profiled in the episode <i>Women </i><i>Rule</i>, alongside three other trail blazers. Arigon showcased her musical talents, humor, wisdom and work on Super Indian. The program aired nationally in 2023, bringing attention to the diversity of Native American contributions to contemporary culture.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Super Indian Volume Three</i> includes:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Super Indian Issue #8, “Old School,”</i> A tale of revenge featuring a new-age guru who uses an evil scented gel to take over the Leaning Oak Reservation and the aged avenger who helps Super Indian regain himself.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Super Indian Issue #9, “Call of the Wild,”</i> A thrilling adventure featuring a sentient Mother Bear, a world-renowned Native American scientist and the twisted rock star who hunts to kill on the Leaning Oak Reservation.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Laguna Woman Issue #1, “Lo, The Poor Laguna Woman,”</i> features female superhero Phoebe Francis/Laguna Woman, who has the worst day ever on her homelands in New Mexico.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Real Super Indians:</i> Real life profiles of Major League Baseball All-Star Allie Reynolds and fiery American Indian Movement Activist Fern Eastman Mathias.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Super Indian’s adventures provide a glimpse into the contemporary world of Native Americans. The fun, edgy humor can be experienced on many levels by a wide variety of readers,” said CEO/Publisher/Editor Janet Miner. Arigon Starr beams, </div><blockquote><div><span style="font-size: medium;">“It has been the highlight of my life to bring these comics to life. I am creating the Native themed comics I dreamed about as a kid.”</span></div></blockquote><div>The book is available for purchase from the <a href="https://superindiancomics.com/" target="_blank">Super Indian Comics</a> website and Amazon.com.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wacky Productions Unlimited is a female led, Native co-owned company based in Los Angeles, CA. Wacky has released four music CD projects from Arigon Starr, co-produced her stage and audio theater productions and is the publisher of the Super Indian catalog.</div><div><br /></div><div>Contact: Janet Miner</div><div><br /></div><div>info@superindiancomics.com</div><div>Website: https://superindiancomics.com</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-67565779229682055932024-03-13T12:19:00.002-05:002024-03-13T12:19:19.084-05:00Facts in WE ARE STILL HERE: NATIVE AMERICAN TRUTHS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW are characterized as being a "negative slant on white people"<div style="text-align: left;">Today (March 13, 2024) I read an <a href="https://gothamist.com/news/books-on-black-history-immigration-found-in-trash-by-staten-island-school-sparking-investigation?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=shared_twitter" target="_blank">article in </a><i><a href="https://gothamist.com/news/books-on-black-history-immigration-found-in-trash-by-staten-island-school-sparking-investigation?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=shared_twitter" target="_blank">The Gothamist</a> </i>that starts with this image:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-sYjxTMBMh7_yVq70YT-ERyl50RL4UoB_I1IqCm89sdpDYrL2X73gj1YN_B0zQgNsB1Qus6s6fqaMne_mA0ZsQArNKVHibeYS6_Drm2Pv7EibWnDAdXbb0zXudEQes1Uka5l3ZnfdHONggoRCLKHvRaf3HGXAiAOA0_fAtjJQviXOgoXvtr2/s1386/Screenshot%202024-03-13%20at%2012.15.38%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1386" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-sYjxTMBMh7_yVq70YT-ERyl50RL4UoB_I1IqCm89sdpDYrL2X73gj1YN_B0zQgNsB1Qus6s6fqaMne_mA0ZsQArNKVHibeYS6_Drm2Pv7EibWnDAdXbb0zXudEQes1Uka5l3ZnfdHONggoRCLKHvRaf3HGXAiAOA0_fAtjJQviXOgoXvtr2/w400-h278/Screenshot%202024-03-13%20at%2012.15.38%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">What you're looking at is a stack of twelve copies of Sorell and Lessac's <i>We Are Still Here: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know </i>with a sticky note that says "Not Approved 3rd." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Reading on, I see that someone determined that the book has a "negative slant on white people." The subtitle of the book is <i>Native American Truths Everyone Should Know. </i>Here's the cover. See those stickers on the right side of the cover? Those tell teachers that people who study children's books think <i>We Are Still Here! </i>is exceptional and that it should be used in classrooms.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEnjhOTZw9jG0h9XD5c01EHhS-V_CSt-61oDmf1yWmQO5WLnsF4j0hZwyhUKJmi5-UYLPlVkYJuSPdkUfuE8gil4zWFS3HFboIG2QC8qJ-ivtIlr7SMCaLriliJTFdnAK6lmQZeprdp0mhGzSBSTkJfrzFKIZcQKKGXDZnzJ6cOO34t-jH_J7d" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1361" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEnjhOTZw9jG0h9XD5c01EHhS-V_CSt-61oDmf1yWmQO5WLnsF4j0hZwyhUKJmi5-UYLPlVkYJuSPdkUfuE8gil4zWFS3HFboIG2QC8qJ-ivtIlr7SMCaLriliJTFdnAK6lmQZeprdp0mhGzSBSTkJfrzFKIZcQKKGXDZnzJ6cOO34t-jH_J7d=w363-h400" width="363" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Traci Sorell (the author) is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. I'm tribally enrolled at Nambé Owingeh. Both are tribal nations. The "We" in the title is Native people. We are among the hundreds of tribal nations in the United States. This book affirms our existence <b>because </b>of the truths Sorell gives us in this book!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What is the "negative slant" in the book? Is it the content on page 4, where Sorell writes that "Our ways of life changed when white people arrived from Europe." Or where she writes that the federal government did not always keep its promises to tribes, and that federal laws and policies have been devastating? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzNXPXy53HiSUgCB6A-AKfuMah1JbbX9OQKJD5fixEt5m8cpQGb8OPg23cigMGxFace5kbR-tQyKjnYRlUJPM_Fr5bo099oBj7X5TNyWAsMhrxd3sKWIo3tOfU9CkkPO2sxu5FzTGw0jDrOVe-pKM_grgHF3TtmNL6nEbwcm8UgZ0NHEoHHlg/s824/Screenshot%202024-03-13%20at%2012.38.33%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="824" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzNXPXy53HiSUgCB6A-AKfuMah1JbbX9OQKJD5fixEt5m8cpQGb8OPg23cigMGxFace5kbR-tQyKjnYRlUJPM_Fr5bo099oBj7X5TNyWAsMhrxd3sKWIo3tOfU9CkkPO2sxu5FzTGw0jDrOVe-pKM_grgHF3TtmNL6nEbwcm8UgZ0NHEoHHlg/w400-h333/Screenshot%202024-03-13%20at%2012.38.33%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Is it page six, where Sorell wrote that some US leaders did not respect our ways and thought it would be better for us to adopt their beliefs and practices? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Is it page eight, where she wrote that white people wanted to control and sell tribal lands?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Page after page, Sorell presents solid information in straightforward ways. What she wrote is true. A "slant" implies an unfair bias. There's nothing unfair or biased in the factual presentation of information. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In fact, Sorell's book corrects negative depictions of Native people and omissions of our existence that you can easily find in children's books, textbooks, and educational materials. I hope your school has multiple copies, and that you'll ask for it at your local library. I hope you'll bring it into your home and read it with your children. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-73601676188097986192024-03-04T11:01:00.000-06:002024-03-04T11:01:02.822-06:00American Indians, Alaska Native, First Nation, Native American people and the 2023 Diversity Baseline Survey<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 2015, Lee and Low released the results of its first Diversity Baseline Survey (DBS), which is a survey to document how diverse employees in publishing entities are. That sentence feels awkward but I think you know what I mean. A second survey was done in 2019. <br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On Feb 28, 2024 Lee and Low released the results of its <a href="https://blog.leeandlow.com/2024/02/28/2023diversitybaselinesurvey/?fbclid=IwAR2gJFPuy0GjrH3BDyZsov7_QUl1Vy7vxsMH_1IlqPJe7owKY4jTf2NzPLA" target="_blank">2023 Diversity Baseline Survey (DBS)</a>. It was created<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #2b2b2b; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> by Lee & Low Books with co-authors <span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Laura M. Jiménez</span>, PhD, Boston University College of Education & Human Development Language and Literacy; <span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Betsy Beckert</span>, PhD candidate, Boston University College of Education & Human Development Language and Literacy; <span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rory Polera</span>, data analyst; and <span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jake C. Dietiker</span>, undergraduate, Boston University College of Engineering.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>I encourage you to go read the results. Almost 200 companies responded to the survey. That includes 11 review journals, 37 university presses, 62 literary agencies, and 81 trade publishers. <br /><br />Here, I focus on the findings about the presence of Native people in the publishing industry. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall, American Indian/Alaskan Native/First Nation/Native American staff is less than 0.1%. The survey had 8,644 responses. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">0.1% of 8,644 means 8.6 people -- but the report says <b>less than</b> 0.1%, so is it 8 people? I don't know. I know of one Native editor at one of the trade publishers. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I read through the list of publishers that was sent the survey, I see Annick Press. Based in Canada, they publish some terrific books by Native writers and illustrators. Do they have an editor there who is Native? I hope so.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't see Kegedonce on the list of publishers. They're located in Canada and have published excellent books for children and young adults. Their founder and editor is Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm. She's of the Chippewas of Nawah Unceded First Nation. I don't see Chickasaw Press on the list (or their imprints, White Dog Press and Leaning Dog Press). They've done some great books, too. I assume they have Native people working there but I don't know. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I mention Kegedonce and Chickasaw presses because I know about them. Including them in the next survey may push the <0.1% up a bit (my mention of them is not a criticism of the team that did the survey) but the larger issue is the need to have Native people working as editors, agents, reviewers, and interns across the publishing industry. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm grateful to the teams that have done these three surveys. That is very hard and necessary work. Data helps us know what needs doing. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br /></span><br /></span></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-53413313934461822982024-02-20T12:51:00.006-06:002024-02-21T13:19:24.518-06:00Leaders of Abenaki Nations request Educators stop making space for specific individuals in Vermont's "Abenaki" tribes<div style="text-align: left;"><i>Update from Debbie on Feb 21: I edited the title of this blog and the second paragraph to more accurately reflect the request in the Odanak leader's letter. My initial emphasis was on books but the concern is much broader than that. It includes the performances the named individuals do. To me that includes storytelling, flute playing, drumming, and craft activities. If your school or library has made space (on-site or via a field trip) for the named individuals, please reconsider doing that in the future. <b>As educators, our responsibility is to accuracy--especially in things we provide to children in our schools and classrooms. </b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i><br />February 20, 2024<br /><br />Dear Colleagues,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Last year, I wrote <a href="https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2023/09/is-joseph-bruchac-truly-abenaki.html" target="_blank">"Is Joseph Bruchac truly Abenaki?"</a> explaining why I can no longer recommend books by Joseph Bruchac, Marge Bruchac, and James Bruchac. I included links to items that were important as I made that decision. <br /><br />Below I am sharing a letter that is being shared in Native networks today (Feb 20, 2024). It asks educators in Vermont to stop making space for the performance of appropriated and invented Abenaki rituals, music, dance, and art from these individuals:</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">Fred Wiseman, Vera Sheehan, Joseph and Jesse Bruchac, Rich Hulschuh, Lisa Brooks, Melody Mackin, Don Stevens, Brenda Gagne, Paul Pouliot, and Judy Dow.</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">I think it is important that educators (from early childhood to university classrooms) outside of Vermont who use their books, articles, or educational materials read the letter. It includes links to several online items.<br /><br />I am pasting the contents of the letter below; beneath it you will find screen captures of the letter that show the letter is signed by Chief Rick O'Bomsawin, Abenakis of Odanak and Chief Michel R. Bernard, Abenakis of W8linak. If you need a pdf, let me know. <br /><br />As this 2023 video shows, Chief O'Bomsawin invited the Vermont groups to meet with them to discuss concerns. The Feb 8 letter suggests to me that the Vermont groups chose to reject the invitation. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A-TBlRNj6UI" width="320" youtube-src-id="A-TBlRNj6UI"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br />Debbie</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">****</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="x1e56ztr" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cd91e051-7fff-4ceb-2031-7dd2bff600fb"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">February 8, 2024</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Subject: Request for a meeting to discuss issues related to Vermont's self-proclaimed "abenaki" tribes</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kwaï,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We write to you as representatives of the Abenaki People of the Odanak First Nation and Wolinak First Nation. We are the First People of these lands.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We are writing to you, Vermont’s educators and keepers of knowledge, to raise our concerns about the teaching of false histories of our people, as well as the platforming of those who preach and profit by appropriating our heritage and history.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We have come through centuries of war, dispossession and removal from the lands that became the United States and Vermont. The Canadian-American border cut our traditional territory into two. We continued to travel, live and trade in our ancestral lands. Over the last twenty years, we have raised concerns about the proliferation of self-proclaimed ‘Abenaki’ groups in Vermont and New Hampshire. In 2011 we tried to voice our concern about Vermont's state recognition process which gave state authority to these groups, but we were excluded from that process.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We do not recognize any of those groups as Abenaki as they have never demonstrated that they have any Abenaki ancestry or heritage. In <a href="https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2022-05-05/odanak-first-nation-denounces-vt-state-recognized-tribes-as-pretendian" target="_blank">April of 2022</a> for the first time we were given the opportunity to share our history at the University of Vermont. <a href="https://youtu.be/O8t3LxwhBhI?si=wQsqS0ZggDvPJs-9" target="_blank">At that event</a> we also denounced these groups and explained the harm their appropriation of our heritage has caused us. As Odanak Councillor Jacques Watso put it, “they are erasing us by replacing us.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We are not the only ones to call their claims into question. Vermont’s own <a href="https://ago.vermont.gov/sites/ago/files/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/RESPONSE-to-Abenaki-Petition-Jan2003v.pdf" target="_blank">Attorney General’s report </a>thoroughly investigated these claims twenty years ago, as did the <a href="https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/ofa/068-sfaben-vt" target="_blank">Bureau of Indian Affairs in 2007</a>. Both found a lack of Abenaki ancestry or historic link to any North American Indian tribe. <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5gr0t78t" target="_blank">Recent peer-reviewed scholarship</a> as well as <a href="https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brave-little-state/2023-10-19/vermont-recognized-tribes-canada-abenaki-first-nations-odanak-wolinak" target="_blank">investigations by Vermont Public</a>, <a href="https://vtdigger.org/2023/11/14/a-false-narrative-abenaki-leaders-dispute-the-legitimacy-of-vermonts-state-recognized-tribes/" target="_blank">vtdigger</a>, and the <a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/investigates/aptn-investigates-people-of-the-dawn-abenaki-quebec-vermont-cultural-identity-theft/" target="_blank">Aboriginal Peoples Television Network</a>, all confirm that they are <a href="https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2023-05-22/review-of-genealogies-other-records-fails-to-support-local-leaders-claims-of-abenaki-ancestry" target="_blank">not Indigenous</a> or Abenaki. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">These self-proclaimed ‘tribes’ are instead part of a growing movement that anthropologist <a href="https://www.unmpress.com/9781934691441/becoming-indian/" target="_blank">Circe Sturm </a>calls ‘race-shifting’: non-Natives claiming indigenous ancestry with little or no basis for doing so. As Professor <a href="https://www.unmpress.com/9781934691441/becoming-indian/" target="_blank">Kim TallBear</a> made clear in a recent <a href="https://youtu.be/7tYHqJhvg8c?si=g8QqtEL45WPXh9Dl" target="_blank">presentation at the University of Vermont</a>, race-shifters carry out a final act of colonization by replacing actual Native People with the voices and the bodies of the invader. “Self indigenization,” said TallBear, “is an act of genocidal elimination.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If it is your intention to work with those who have preserved the culture and language of the Abenaki across 400 years of colonization, we are those people. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We were never in hiding, or the targets of Vermont's eugenics programs. As Vermont Public and vtdigger reported, this is mythology, not history. UVM historian David Massell makes this plain. “No reputable scholar has seen or shared any credible historical evidence to support the theory (now a widely-embraced myth) that Vermont's eugenics campaign had any interest in, or in any way sought to target, the Abenaki,” Massell told vtdigger. “None.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We ask that you teach actual, evidence-based history and consider the sources in your curriculum. We ask that you no longer make space for the performance of appropriated and <a href="https://www.wcax.com/2023/11/14/south-burlington-school-takes-part-abenaki-flag-raising-ceremony/" target="_blank">invented Abenaki rituals</a>, music, dance and art. We ask that you stop <a href="https://shelburnefarms.org/calendar/afternoon-campfire-with-abenaki-chief-don-stevens" target="_blank">platforming and elevating</a> those who <a href="https://abenakiart.org/" target="_blank">claim to represent us</a>. This includes <a href="https://vermonthistory.org/calendar/who-are-the-american-abenakis-of-vermont" target="_blank">Fred Wiseman</a>, Vera Sheehan, <a href="https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2023/09/is-joseph-bruchac-truly-abenaki.html" target="_blank">Joseph and Jesse Bruchac</a>, Rich Holschuh, Lisa Brooks, Melody Mackin, <a href="https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2023-05-22/review-of-genealogies-other-records-fails-to-support-local-leaders-claims-of-abenaki-ancestry" target="_blank">Don Stevens</a>, Brenda Gagne, Paul Pouliot and Judy Dow. None of these people have Abenaki ancestors. None speak from an indigenous perspective. None are our kin.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We do not seek land or resources in Vermont, only recognition of who we are. We request that Vermont’s educators learn and honor the true history of the Abenaki people.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We request a timely opportunity to discuss these concerns with you and in the coming weeks we will send an invitation to a meeting between Vermont education leaders, representatives of the Abenaki People, and allies from the Wabanaki Confederacy for further learning.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To participate in that meeting, please contact Daniel G. Nolett, Executive director at the Abenaki Council of Odanak at 450-568-2810 or dgnolett@caodanak.com.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We request that you share this letter widely with your colleagues, faculty, staff, board members, etc., depending on your organizational context.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In Peace and Friendship,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rick O’Bomsawin, Chief, Abenaki of Odanak</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 10pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Michel R. Bernard, Chief, Abenaki of W8linak</span></p><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzux6Bzh9gFQdDiGHkbTT1CMzUCfV2YQazRIChXEq45VVVH1KaN4firrLEz0jXX96loHj7KoIlwZF35U_HylVo7moPX-BhrlOvbZ09l5yOH_ZboKvGb0kyBFCxk0h7vwhk-UHpgkQ_lbcXvTcD5rfuLpDR3RLikDMcZ8G71eA2IYXc1FK5HFj/s1360/Screenshot%202024-02-20%20at%2012.46.45%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1058" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzux6Bzh9gFQdDiGHkbTT1CMzUCfV2YQazRIChXEq45VVVH1KaN4firrLEz0jXX96loHj7KoIlwZF35U_HylVo7moPX-BhrlOvbZ09l5yOH_ZboKvGb0kyBFCxk0h7vwhk-UHpgkQ_lbcXvTcD5rfuLpDR3RLikDMcZ8G71eA2IYXc1FK5HFj/w498-h640/Screenshot%202024-02-20%20at%2012.46.45%20PM.png" width="498" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-FrUn09T0Z6Ne7HJCLWq0w2-0vbjand8ZP0IsMBLU4Xegjgrxb7bB7SuCZvF9y-pF3KbREUdoFze5Jv1HAtfjgw2GcTi7T_iHIvlQr5jHQQdMZswFswxXm53hqpu3pEquvcqyxcNpXwiEFbUHfs8_-q9bOvWEAkZY-YjXPxKfYPXqH3eWFLf/s1374/Screenshot%202024-02-20%20at%2012.47.03%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1374" data-original-width="1076" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-FrUn09T0Z6Ne7HJCLWq0w2-0vbjand8ZP0IsMBLU4Xegjgrxb7bB7SuCZvF9y-pF3KbREUdoFze5Jv1HAtfjgw2GcTi7T_iHIvlQr5jHQQdMZswFswxXm53hqpu3pEquvcqyxcNpXwiEFbUHfs8_-q9bOvWEAkZY-YjXPxKfYPXqH3eWFLf/w502-h640/Screenshot%202024-02-20%20at%2012.47.03%20PM.png" width="502" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-11923619863338444132024-02-08T16:02:00.002-06:002024-02-08T16:02:19.754-06:00Highly Recommended: A GIRL CALLED ECHO OMNIBUS<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8ai6hKY0hwdSm7dIjElCgfIPAK7_E9_hoD2LKM3dzVtA845FK3UO-0QSsRNXzhGVBG8KjZknZRdHiOXIc8oPSZSV4B1HimQYHRKElDZc7A2A4TmrkKaQfeNm_0kneVpZx-3BeYZmkos8pnGJTmBDJAZyIJtPJ8md2jdRKhPKClSj-85NIm3FZg/s884/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%203.37.25%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="884" data-original-width="578" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8ai6hKY0hwdSm7dIjElCgfIPAK7_E9_hoD2LKM3dzVtA845FK3UO-0QSsRNXzhGVBG8KjZknZRdHiOXIc8oPSZSV4B1HimQYHRKElDZc7A2A4TmrkKaQfeNm_0kneVpZx-3BeYZmkos8pnGJTmBDJAZyIJtPJ8md2jdRKhPKClSj-85NIm3FZg/s320/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%203.37.25%20PM.png" width="209" /></a></div><br /><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">A Girl Called Echo Omnibus</span></i></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Written by Katherena Vermette (Red River Metis)</span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Illustrated by Scott B. Henderson (not Native); Colors by Donovan Yaciuk (not Native)</span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Published in 2023</span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Publisher: Highwater Press</span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reviewer: Jean Mendoza</span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Review Status: Highly Recommended</span></span></p><p>You might have seen AICL's positive comments about katherena vermette's graphic novel series <i>A Girl Called Echo. </i>I guess I should clarify that this "Echo" has nothing to do with the mini-series currently getting a lot of attention! I haven't seen it yet.</p><p>Vermette's protagonist Echo is a socially isolated Metis teen in what is currently called Winnipeg, Manitoba. She finds herself abruptly pulled against her will into key events in the history of the Metis -- events which involved some of her direct ancestors. She meets them, witnesses their individual struggles, and is just as abruptly transported back to her present. Her time travels carry her through generations of traumas and (often short-lived) victories. The past echoes in her. </p><p>Gradually, in her present time, she makes friends at school. She connects with her seemingly tireless and caring foster mother, and prepares for her mom to come home from what appears to be an inpatient facility of some kind.</p><p>If you've appreciated <i>A Girl Called Echo</i> as much as I have, you'll be pleased to know that in 2023, Highwater Press published <i>A Girl Called Echo OMNIBUS </i>-- a collection of all four books, with some new informational material, evocative end papers, a foreword by Dr. Chantal Fiola, and a critical essay by Brenda Mcdougall. The timelines, maps, and other information from the individual volumes are also part of the <i>Omnibus,</i> providing important context for Echo's experiences. It's available in paperback and as an e-book. </p><p>The Omnibus is a visually pleasing, "one-stop" resource for fans of Echo, for educators, and for anyone who wants to better understand the history of the Metis in what is currently called Canada -- and how that history can play out in the hearts and minds of contemporary Metis, like Echo and her family. </p><p>Portage and Main has also published a teacher guide for <i>A Girl Called Echo</i>, created by Anishinaabe educator Reuben Boulette. It's available as an e-book or in coil-bound soft-cover. </p><p>You can view excerpts of it on the publisher's Web site -- highly recommended!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnV5ECNtYSzwWPJRKa1uM6mSxQvexpMLFbs1VwM-umGQ87pMgCmPNXeNbzzy-jXpZzmqhUPi1KpTKtRuUu_6MD_qYgQj53wl__JXoJMoMua151RsIyeepa3iM7SZ0ySh-Svhqnj8cPA4WLOdFGktFYkRiQh4NhFLXed8XdG33rPLOndv6QQUITxw/s750/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%203.45.59%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="578" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnV5ECNtYSzwWPJRKa1uM6mSxQvexpMLFbs1VwM-umGQ87pMgCmPNXeNbzzy-jXpZzmqhUPi1KpTKtRuUu_6MD_qYgQj53wl__JXoJMoMua151RsIyeepa3iM7SZ0ySh-Svhqnj8cPA4WLOdFGktFYkRiQh4NhFLXed8XdG33rPLOndv6QQUITxw/s320/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%203.45.59%20PM.png" width="247" /></a></div><p>With the success of <i>A Girl Called Echo</i>, it's my fervent hope that we'll begin to see more graphic-novel explorations of Indigenous people's history of what's currently called the United States. -- grounded in the present as well as in accurate representations of the past.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i><br /></i></p>Jean Mendozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082939369068823250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-54629289795586070112024-01-24T07:46:00.000-06:002024-01-24T07:46:03.217-06:00News! Louise Erdrich's THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE will be available as an audiobook<div style="text-align: left;">As far as I know, there are no 'anniversary editions' of Louise Erdrich's <i>The Birchbark House. </i>Today, a teacher wrote to me about the book. She's using it with her students. So--it is on my mind. I realized it came out 25 years ago. I went over to Birchbark Books and saw that come May 7th of this year, you can listen to Erdrich reading the book! Yes--it is going to be made available as an audiobook. Birchbark Books works with <a href="https://birchbarkbooks.com/pages/audiobooks?_pos=1&_sid=477f2fa48&_ss=r" target="_blank">Libro</a> to make audio books available. When I clicked through, I saw this:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RCrfoaseJDOnwEdduDsSu5lhctB4qwZUsTTHHgaWSDuC25hw-wguIrOfKPaf4g8JtMWtTRiL33b_u_mkk6lZcH0Vwqj2XHJJxDQ3q6yJsl3x7-8jnFccyVmkVQcQm0-PLH-dFfj1eBuf0obkI38uEeTgUduLO5AO1dp9JKlOP-setkWaTaBW/s2186/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20at%208.36.04%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1392" data-original-width="2186" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RCrfoaseJDOnwEdduDsSu5lhctB4qwZUsTTHHgaWSDuC25hw-wguIrOfKPaf4g8JtMWtTRiL33b_u_mkk6lZcH0Vwqj2XHJJxDQ3q6yJsl3x7-8jnFccyVmkVQcQm0-PLH-dFfj1eBuf0obkI38uEeTgUduLO5AO1dp9JKlOP-setkWaTaBW/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20at%208.36.04%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I ordered it, of course! I've listened to Erdrich read her work before and am really looking forward to this! Back in 1999, I was in graduate school. I had completed my coursework and was working on my dissertation, which was a study of children's books that were recommended or written about in <i>Young Children. </i>That is a practitioner's journal published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. As you might guess, I was looking specifically at images of Native peoples in those books. For the most part I found book by non-Native writers, stereotypes and bias. I ought to look at the journal now. I hope they feature books by Native writers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the midst of that study, a wonderful book came out: <i>The Birchbark House </i>by Louise Erdrich. It was first published in 1999 by HyperionBooks for Children and <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/39985631" target="_blank">according to WorldCat</a>, there are now 37 editions. This year -- 2024 -- marks the 25th year since its initial publication. Here's the original cover:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_FL4moru0wN7pHT3MnkrQGyKIMBaam5haG5KAgvxALzUQmSt8xXChzACkW8SNCPkC1JHzAaf_q74RfjLGugJNpSuPK0HqedJTYWrEguOTeDCV8ocn-9miARZmFJmD36UurpCgICjDTzRvKs6mh0nXi9err_FO71X0uaTK9MDSEJD9TYr7BPTP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_FL4moru0wN7pHT3MnkrQGyKIMBaam5haG5KAgvxALzUQmSt8xXChzACkW8SNCPkC1JHzAaf_q74RfjLGugJNpSuPK0HqedJTYWrEguOTeDCV8ocn-9miARZmFJmD36UurpCgICjDTzRvKs6mh0nXi9err_FO71X0uaTK9MDSEJD9TYr7BPTP=w461-h640" width="461" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Erdrich did the illustration on the cover--and inside, too. Over the next years, the cover changed. It was a finalist for the National Book Award, and so that seal appeared on subsequent printings. And, Erdrich wrote more books about the character, Omakayas, and so the words "Book One of the Birchbark House Series" were also added to the cover:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHeBDDzHViqaoC7PAiykEs0wSsOoighNrZDwON4Jqx3ZM3WsUSpgsnHETdoacG_wjJeRZsVhLjDDznx134DEr1ldirOrsyeJvNY8zkT8stt083mEam07_47ocmcsTG6fm9rJRHElBZOn0wIaKUGIx5yGZWS3Ux5-MvvISrdQPoMAWcf1q39qB/s1572/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20at%208.15.48%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1572" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHeBDDzHViqaoC7PAiykEs0wSsOoighNrZDwON4Jqx3ZM3WsUSpgsnHETdoacG_wjJeRZsVhLjDDznx134DEr1ldirOrsyeJvNY8zkT8stt083mEam07_47ocmcsTG6fm9rJRHElBZOn0wIaKUGIx5yGZWS3Ux5-MvvISrdQPoMAWcf1q39qB/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20at%208.15.48%20AM.png" width="218" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The teacher who wrote to me about the book wanted help specifically with the pronunciation of the Ojibwe words in the book. Come May, we'll hear Erdrich speaking them aloud. Tiffany--your email inspired this post today. Thank you. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-1946090715435365832024-01-23T08:43:00.016-06:002024-01-24T16:49:28.222-06:00News: American Indian Library Association announced its 2024 Youth Literature Awards<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Good morning, AICL readers! Yesterday (Jan 22, 2024) the American Library Association announced its annual book awards. Below a list of the winners of the American Indian Library Association's Youth Literature Awards, given every two years (even-numbered years). Soon, all these books listed below will have the AIYLA seal on them! The photo below is from the AILA website and shows a selection of the books with their seals. <br /><br />You can <a href="https://ailanet.org/activities/american-indian-youth-literature-award/" target="_blank">order seals for your copies</a>, directly from the American Indian Library Association. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW3Mp6SIqDeEX9PEd6A2_kkRl73_c5hrVINfRTXYT_ATmxiLq7c7RNZEybjdUOGTMVqkQH1mNTMwXoTyaMZJ8S978q2vyXyunhP4v2tT7Upm_Gkcd96dy11AagDFBoXK1WheSrdovTW-TqGOb1dfXUwoti9YE3k37qQVz-02SLBx3phEr0w4u0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1924" data-original-width="1765" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW3Mp6SIqDeEX9PEd6A2_kkRl73_c5hrVINfRTXYT_ATmxiLq7c7RNZEybjdUOGTMVqkQH1mNTMwXoTyaMZJ8S978q2vyXyunhP4v2tT7Upm_Gkcd96dy11AagDFBoXK1WheSrdovTW-TqGOb1dfXUwoti9YE3k37qQVz-02SLBx3phEr0w4u0=w367-h400" width="367" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here is a photo of the AILA Youth Literature Award committee members who were there for the announcements and Cindy Hohl (far right) who is the 2024-2025 president of the American Library Association (thank you to Hannah Buckland for permission to use the photo). Cindy Hohl is a member of the Santee Sioux Nation. Members of the committee this year were Naomi Bishop, Akimel O'odham; Mandi Harris, Cherokee Nation; Tara Kenjockety, Ho-Chunk & Seneca Nations; Kelley Kor, Cherokee Nation; Debbie Reese, Nambe Owingeh; Ophelia Spencer, Dine; Duane Yazzie, Hopi and Navajo; and Allison Waukau, Menominee and Navajo. The committee was co-chaired by Joy Bridwell, Chippewa Cree Tribe; and Danielle Burbank, Dine. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidSuXuioR8xkS12OjaZQlgMHCR6lp_drvQ4GuMAPSN8t002D5syxqL4rob2xO3xb77oTUqe3dtXffMFJVZLaPR5fUMwlhytIUhiijlGL42t3boTEaOm6IRMANrC2xRQVjs7pRSt2wkBlCGNS4o4rXpkVYZWIATJzAVv7L4oYvinMfCkpK3Em3U" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidSuXuioR8xkS12OjaZQlgMHCR6lp_drvQ4GuMAPSN8t002D5syxqL4rob2xO3xb77oTUqe3dtXffMFJVZLaPR5fUMwlhytIUhiijlGL42t3boTEaOm6IRMANrC2xRQVjs7pRSt2wkBlCGNS4o4rXpkVYZWIATJzAVv7L4oYvinMfCkpK3Em3U" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">PICTURE BOOK AWARD </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Forever Cousins </i></span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #494949;">written by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan & Hidatsa and Tsimshian), illustrated by Jonathan Nelson (Navajo/Diné) and published by Charlesbridge</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #494949;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfuULoyhyktzd6mdxnWHQ6fMj64AVHTFETymVQ6VWgRYqf41tzk4M5H0vm5OSJpGVH9XdnfA1mRVakfo_ZQxAPjerbvnclMeKJAcB35cJbt5UjuIqhgAXCuAsjuoTSr_XYyaEhgbpxT0BvpowTzX-VBVu-I_8XuLvBM-tqyXeskCy_jcWWUyd/s644/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.41.03%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfuULoyhyktzd6mdxnWHQ6fMj64AVHTFETymVQ6VWgRYqf41tzk4M5H0vm5OSJpGVH9XdnfA1mRVakfo_ZQxAPjerbvnclMeKJAcB35cJbt5UjuIqhgAXCuAsjuoTSr_XYyaEhgbpxT0BvpowTzX-VBVu-I_8XuLvBM-tqyXeskCy_jcWWUyd/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.41.03%20PM.png" width="258" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #494949;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #494949;"><i>A Letter for Bob </i>written by Kim Rogers (Wichita & Affiliated Tribes), illustrated by Jonathan Nelson (Navajo/Diné) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #494949;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4-G0jVm1cIQaUjZTlKNgjLkrkzDUVhqq8ReNnAf-523rL6jA_9re5OL0DH4bldc_1OlYIgVJnxZM_7ygD1SBZmr9eYE7Ef_X1APIGTCc5-gP3z_u_jQf2VNWo7g_8o4DzU4Uxz5ytRQGcBgGoCS9Q5Z6aJCVcAKDkE3v4g8o3IRSEDXd6uGb/s846/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%203.09.45%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="846" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4-G0jVm1cIQaUjZTlKNgjLkrkzDUVhqq8ReNnAf-523rL6jA_9re5OL0DH4bldc_1OlYIgVJnxZM_7ygD1SBZmr9eYE7Ef_X1APIGTCc5-gP3z_u_jQf2VNWo7g_8o4DzU4Uxz5ytRQGcBgGoCS9Q5Z6aJCVcAKDkE3v4g8o3IRSEDXd6uGb/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%203.09.45%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #494949;"><br /></span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">PICTURE BOOK HONORS</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Berry Song </i><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">written and illustrated by Michaela Goade (Tlingit Nation) and published by Little, Brown and Co., a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWH4jy7QZCGL4G31Ph56d97BhOQ3k2sw2ykQbQCReZh3rDHp6HcfhgOPzwVacL8buN3goWOijuundolKzafIayZKQUOS29O4vaZA906qU9CsKakIS-1pDDA1_tS-LF6N0aUNDF6DLdsBZ8Qs485v9zkgZ3f1MiNM6voXEPW8pNR9hBTKQHeRm-/s682/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.38.46%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="524" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWH4jy7QZCGL4G31Ph56d97BhOQ3k2sw2ykQbQCReZh3rDHp6HcfhgOPzwVacL8buN3goWOijuundolKzafIayZKQUOS29O4vaZA906qU9CsKakIS-1pDDA1_tS-LF6N0aUNDF6DLdsBZ8Qs485v9zkgZ3f1MiNM6voXEPW8pNR9hBTKQHeRm-/w308-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.38.46%20PM.png" width="308" /></a></div><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Rock Your Mocs </i>by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan & Hidatsa and Tsimshian), illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw Nation) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tFsaAEQ11zaTmkGDIG-dXrjiLFxyew4p2arV9IXnuS7cVh1EdrdMODMjtaZReaZgcIzsTwE1pdpWwQXY_gCiMVe6U1cFizFMxvO5omd3EyhyqJOcMRyItpaRgQR8x46S3596hXjCROrirSE5m_Wk5hBJVGvPFZIjZOIbiZiNOJY7gpTqDy1D/s862/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%203.09.54%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="862" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tFsaAEQ11zaTmkGDIG-dXrjiLFxyew4p2arV9IXnuS7cVh1EdrdMODMjtaZReaZgcIzsTwE1pdpWwQXY_gCiMVe6U1cFizFMxvO5omd3EyhyqJOcMRyItpaRgQR8x46S3596hXjCROrirSE5m_Wk5hBJVGvPFZIjZOIbiZiNOJY7gpTqDy1D/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%203.09.54%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Remember </i>by Joy Harjo (Mvskoke Nation), illustrated by Michaela Goade (Tlingit Nation) and published by Random House Studio, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House </span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5rdJbI_fMCgFRqGqIksY0l8Cq3-cprvBfPUnlW2oKGdiaHr9ea34_UF2aR9CbhDXgJpAgdcgMsOi2cSDJb-6Lgn_Pyun663PfOsswi5ueP9EaY-Gy1GvIilLJBI4INxfo_SU2zwFfB9BMS-zX1ZEslGQ53nKBIFz4dO0TvvTG3QsZBJwfey_/s578/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.36.01%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5rdJbI_fMCgFRqGqIksY0l8Cq3-cprvBfPUnlW2oKGdiaHr9ea34_UF2aR9CbhDXgJpAgdcgMsOi2cSDJb-6Lgn_Pyun663PfOsswi5ueP9EaY-Gy1GvIilLJBI4INxfo_SU2zwFfB9BMS-zX1ZEslGQ53nKBIFz4dO0TvvTG3QsZBJwfey_/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.36.01%20PM.png" width="295" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Celebration </i>by Lily Hope (Tlingit), illustrated by Kelsey Mata Foote (Tlingit) and published by Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe88KlTqrzFlVphYtDuBXQ9H5blwPtHZB52boINHh0TUHN1S4E53LN_eb8AwPNW7SqAFVI8QCwf1wNy0marpKmc_kwpNOEgx2ozncUOfZzw83X6whgq5g6JlMK6zXYS8IDzBucYaG71GmXm44Va3DSi_diQ47asmVFykty6xPn4bByvWews1jn/s604/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.37.01%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe88KlTqrzFlVphYtDuBXQ9H5blwPtHZB52boINHh0TUHN1S4E53LN_eb8AwPNW7SqAFVI8QCwf1wNy0marpKmc_kwpNOEgx2ozncUOfZzw83X6whgq5g6JlMK6zXYS8IDzBucYaG71GmXm44Va3DSi_diQ47asmVFykty6xPn4bByvWews1jn/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.37.01%20PM.png" width="282" /></a></div><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Contenders </i>by Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation), illustrated by Arigon Starr (Kickapoo Tribe) and published by Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FVZdmA8A2HNBcUq4gP-5zNivmYuKykooMnWo0bo6FMo5N1Dg9CcLwF_9y8BrgMooQjf9ShSXwI7VzRR65aTBmhn-67Ijtp9bo6UWBt2daeG4Cwd2AfybC9s0zdAu9tf9fg4Z0arzGLIrVTNUspV_-D-gmH8fDQSgUirvuN0xhxQKZugbtV4V/s558/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.37.51%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="558" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FVZdmA8A2HNBcUq4gP-5zNivmYuKykooMnWo0bo6FMo5N1Dg9CcLwF_9y8BrgMooQjf9ShSXwI7VzRR65aTBmhn-67Ijtp9bo6UWBt2daeG4Cwd2AfybC9s0zdAu9tf9fg4Z0arzGLIrVTNUspV_-D-gmH8fDQSgUirvuN0xhxQKZugbtV4V/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.37.51%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">MIDDLE GRADE AWARD</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #494949;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>We Still Belong</i> written by Christine Day (Upper Skagit), cover art by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw Nation) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #494949;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #494949;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQB_XwTlXNRTYZHJqR2XG4AqMMvjkIJ6q4l5N8L-wVcPIb5pZ67jwvYra2wabWg-UCj5FeUasefSDP0DltrhfB3NmQRdKU3AcSIO7z3pcDvbdV0sLPPbCKh512ErbzggIFGWGklonR2kk8mOVVXX3M4DbD46NnPJDubGEmhIZwaWGPT0sa2hy/s1150/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%203.08.50%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="766" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQB_XwTlXNRTYZHJqR2XG4AqMMvjkIJ6q4l5N8L-wVcPIb5pZ67jwvYra2wabWg-UCj5FeUasefSDP0DltrhfB3NmQRdKU3AcSIO7z3pcDvbdV0sLPPbCKh512ErbzggIFGWGklonR2kk8mOVVXX3M4DbD46NnPJDubGEmhIZwaWGPT0sa2hy/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%203.08.50%20PM.png" width="213" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">MIDDLE GRADE HONOR BOOKS</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>She Persisted: Maria Tallchief </i>by Christine Day (Upper Skagit), illustrated by Alexandra Boiger and Gillian Flint and published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ykw9q69vW0UZ3wXJKFbNFOMa_Q7cN8TH3sq-BtLVHae9rZcysaOXIv2e6gYZh7h7V_Sh82UTfWjjEg1MNMPRA1QZx6KIFrH1GhX7cpAxnw38kICeQDrNkw2LmGxSDDlH09HUwsksP8vCi2MzCW6fWUInV7oz0UgzoI58-_LLN1FmmG1anSOI/s806/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%202.59.46%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="558" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ykw9q69vW0UZ3wXJKFbNFOMa_Q7cN8TH3sq-BtLVHae9rZcysaOXIv2e6gYZh7h7V_Sh82UTfWjjEg1MNMPRA1QZx6KIFrH1GhX7cpAxnw38kICeQDrNkw2LmGxSDDlH09HUwsksP8vCi2MzCW6fWUInV7oz0UgzoI58-_LLN1FmmG1anSOI/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%202.59.46%20PM.png" width="222" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>She Persisted: Deb Haaland</i> by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan & Hidatsa and Tsimshian), illustrated by Alexandra Boiger and Gillian Flint and published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.</span></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhiiTTTtc0jkxPuT8-6E5if1MiHhFnPCVyDynWQqz2EU0-itWVJunFCicFl-cKjLqvBudcsJb7Gs-hmypjPsyMxN9rHKSRPXh5L1o4ok1p3U52bimtyeSBe27k5VTaWeWrosnSvPWIl9Hs9iJ7FPBwLxKZPh1V8c6eqWAneiDntknns3ErQos/s812/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%203.00.38%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="566" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhiiTTTtc0jkxPuT8-6E5if1MiHhFnPCVyDynWQqz2EU0-itWVJunFCicFl-cKjLqvBudcsJb7Gs-hmypjPsyMxN9rHKSRPXh5L1o4ok1p3U52bimtyeSBe27k5VTaWeWrosnSvPWIl9Hs9iJ7FPBwLxKZPh1V8c6eqWAneiDntknns3ErQos/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%203.00.38%20PM.png" width="223" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Eagle Drums </i>written and illustrated by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson (Iñupiaq) and published by Roaring Brook Press</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuikyxkVo1CJAt-lCq7GTzzEExIfbrZt969qcxiYUTqPlMnIG7lpOnHR-a22fV5OBDwJGkyhJKPueWEtiSkFh_Q3ssF4kainAp1rnrWBL09-pnBdNuO94kW7cDDLnSWVAq5pX7osHmZhK2ZPrLUF7YnytnpriV7frxdTFIebgkQrpv8PT9gEu/s582/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%202.50.58%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="384" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuikyxkVo1CJAt-lCq7GTzzEExIfbrZt969qcxiYUTqPlMnIG7lpOnHR-a22fV5OBDwJGkyhJKPueWEtiSkFh_Q3ssF4kainAp1rnrWBL09-pnBdNuO94kW7cDDLnSWVAq5pX7osHmZhK2ZPrLUF7YnytnpriV7frxdTFIebgkQrpv8PT9gEu/w264-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%202.50.58%20PM.png" width="264" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Jo Jo Makoons: Fancy Pants </i>by Dawn Quigley (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe), illustrated by Tara Audibert (Wolastoqey) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers</span></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJZ4cEsHcJA30c52CYOJx3uX7v5ejPzROHnmFlvR5SVaD_I_6Y4oo67LsIf3zU3gSZQYBol32FRufAm59vcFRV7anxbQIJMQ7diP1mf8SNW4sWnqe08zVV8WKVJ7jrQfEXyC0wDs2QsKftC3RQH5XIOUgzQ_li4GxpE4kuywt-TZmncyyWhqp/s940/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%203.09.10%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="660" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJZ4cEsHcJA30c52CYOJx3uX7v5ejPzROHnmFlvR5SVaD_I_6Y4oo67LsIf3zU3gSZQYBol32FRufAm59vcFRV7anxbQIJMQ7diP1mf8SNW4sWnqe08zVV8WKVJ7jrQfEXyC0wDs2QsKftC3RQH5XIOUgzQ_li4GxpE4kuywt-TZmncyyWhqp/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%203.09.10%20PM.png" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Jo Jo Makoons: Snow Day </i>by Dawn Quigley (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe), illustrated by Tara Audibert (Wolastoqey) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61aoANCNdQjMjDsoPv7CSt78OFztqRtiZzQgnbh5Da059CVMYp2erNnUv1CM-dyxj5rvZG8qVl82zl7QfW_7HIc2dOYVnPboN_-BC9amxsZJ828pnk5W9_-0cei-oYlntzVPUJXjmAeiInqM-ezBWNoq1Aws1jx2lpA85eTfdeYEWjDFQ_ele/s940/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%203.09.19%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="622" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61aoANCNdQjMjDsoPv7CSt78OFztqRtiZzQgnbh5Da059CVMYp2erNnUv1CM-dyxj5rvZG8qVl82zl7QfW_7HIc2dOYVnPboN_-BC9amxsZJ828pnk5W9_-0cei-oYlntzVPUJXjmAeiInqM-ezBWNoq1Aws1jx2lpA85eTfdeYEWjDFQ_ele/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%203.09.19%20PM.png" width="212" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Mascot </i>by Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation) and Charles Waters, jacket illustration by Nicole Neidhardt (Navajo) and published by Charlesbridge</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOHsBEackPN_J19XHzDsl9XVGENB4erJu9_RqUexPhvgqsYjteB-NRgbXd36kUDlSaofrLdC2Th0Q-aiUqx2EIKWezZfI0rOCVDgChHy6g6hcoCJYZzBs9_LHfvstU6_NQn_IWG95pkFyse6iEyCpj9K25jui8XJDgIjuM6OoEkdYwFvOIBMa/s396/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.25.22%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="278" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOHsBEackPN_J19XHzDsl9XVGENB4erJu9_RqUexPhvgqsYjteB-NRgbXd36kUDlSaofrLdC2Th0Q-aiUqx2EIKWezZfI0rOCVDgChHy6g6hcoCJYZzBs9_LHfvstU6_NQn_IWG95pkFyse6iEyCpj9K25jui8XJDgIjuM6OoEkdYwFvOIBMa/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.25.22%20PM.png" width="225" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>She Persisted: Wilma Mankiller </i>by Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation), illustrated by Alexandra Boiger and Gillian Flint and published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdzAIqCL5eoMIfxtbaikwmojqY39Qsqi6-BTLpX0do4xgdsAo4wjKiXvm9L2u5eElhTuHF1kNNHekEbWoW5E9jj0DgEfOf9ZmfwJi-SriMVXYq9lLifRrnTPRTBIPNwO8CH25FgL-1o1_CxK73z5ZRmH4vX99kd3_okgrEuH-c0xktkmGgBdq/s806/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%202.58.08%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="568" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdzAIqCL5eoMIfxtbaikwmojqY39Qsqi6-BTLpX0do4xgdsAo4wjKiXvm9L2u5eElhTuHF1kNNHekEbWoW5E9jj0DgEfOf9ZmfwJi-SriMVXYq9lLifRrnTPRTBIPNwO8CH25FgL-1o1_CxK73z5ZRmH4vX99kd3_okgrEuH-c0xktkmGgBdq/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%202.58.08%20PM.png" width="226" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">YOUNG ADULT AWARD</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Rez Ball </i>by </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #494949;">written by Byron Graves (Ojibwe), jacket art by Natasha Donovan (Métis) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #494949;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #494949;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgP7cjxFSC8hw57dzZXGk4EvrCNcTl2OcEiXNTMC-_2y939dMUWIHzwKz0glfRICoMMDZ7ytnXp3sS9Hr-dt3VbfaP5SUkd9SO5CCPRFyQoAAo6aE9-gOChoFFYqz-dgl3rUQsHYdjwS2CBL5YHd1sl9jhEK0KHzVATSmlJPOQZQZYgnIt1tpQk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1688" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgP7cjxFSC8hw57dzZXGk4EvrCNcTl2OcEiXNTMC-_2y939dMUWIHzwKz0glfRICoMMDZ7ytnXp3sS9Hr-dt3VbfaP5SUkd9SO5CCPRFyQoAAo6aE9-gOChoFFYqz-dgl3rUQsHYdjwS2CBL5YHd1sl9jhEK0KHzVATSmlJPOQZQZYgnIt1tpQk=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">YOUNG ADULT HONOR BOOKS</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><i>Warrior Girl Unearthed</i> by Angeline Boulley (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), jacket illustrations by Michaela Goade (Tlingit Nation) and published by Henry Holt and Company, a trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTympAQ5Os9oKcZdaesl-uDZLmg8CVRsn8x2llwvqOq39-LY5_EeKD4FWHvN5tg9MjrscO3qW-xgIFiRUP_HkT35vuDsNC35nFN3hK9VT5Vtrb3m0I-FgOPrm9w0Q3ACZfAy_L4ExJiHMm7Zvg3zXf0mmrd5QKr48_nHk2P3GZLOrgYFapWxAy/s458/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.27.30%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTympAQ5Os9oKcZdaesl-uDZLmg8CVRsn8x2llwvqOq39-LY5_EeKD4FWHvN5tg9MjrscO3qW-xgIFiRUP_HkT35vuDsNC35nFN3hK9VT5Vtrb3m0I-FgOPrm9w0Q3ACZfAy_L4ExJiHMm7Zvg3zXf0mmrd5QKr48_nHk2P3GZLOrgYFapWxAy/w278-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.27.30%20PM.png" width="278" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Funeral Songs for Dying Girls </i>by Cherie Dimaline (Métis) and published Tundra Books, an imprint of Tundra Book Group, a division of Penguin Random House of Canada Limited </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-GAt-EKflTMnrM9ERw0iqjcE1sBRj6ExpR0L-ml2vGke1ToTw6mWa8dYrIEulM0jEOWS0ULNs0ZMafuJUPmiZGPMpyX9gCnSomg0-BcS9nEthAsCUcxDcmcjcEn32QS_2NdVRk_sAykc6oXl4PCKFfqyx3odAYNZyIA0kZil7GbIssy7fye5/s412/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.26.53%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="266" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-GAt-EKflTMnrM9ERw0iqjcE1sBRj6ExpR0L-ml2vGke1ToTw6mWa8dYrIEulM0jEOWS0ULNs0ZMafuJUPmiZGPMpyX9gCnSomg0-BcS9nEthAsCUcxDcmcjcEn32QS_2NdVRk_sAykc6oXl4PCKFfqyx3odAYNZyIA0kZil7GbIssy7fye5/w259-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.26.53%20PM.png" width="259" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Running with Changing Woman </i>by Lorinda Martinez (Diné), cover design by Brittany Gene (Navajo) and published by Salina Bookshelf</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_qVCf90BGDc2j0bLvaxhx9sqzLtbB8wEX8-itRn7QGtVrEGnEZJbIFwx99-WwomaxcaJHGyBlifVFExxdN85rwhn5NUsI3pnC47kE0Uos8KxYbhSlM67A5sol39hFduoNp8lJr27s_T-jXNPYwp-OzCReseS5O4SCmoCS6ZXWLIxG3EXc3ag/s460/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.26.08%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="298" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_qVCf90BGDc2j0bLvaxhx9sqzLtbB8wEX8-itRn7QGtVrEGnEZJbIFwx99-WwomaxcaJHGyBlifVFExxdN85rwhn5NUsI3pnC47kE0Uos8KxYbhSlM67A5sol39hFduoNp8lJr27s_T-jXNPYwp-OzCReseS5O4SCmoCS6ZXWLIxG3EXc3ag/w259-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.26.08%20PM.png" width="259" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Man Made Monsters </i>by Andrea L. Rogers (Cherokee Nation), illustrated by Jeff Edwards (Cherokee Nation) and published by Levine Querido</span></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8N1KK4x2NztON4efA310XeOLTjqSsElAnQHObhnMvoAX9KYPCYZnkyQ3f98hNI9ugz5eMdLA-r8CYHY7Giqf0Sj8IGdBpN7NA57tW3KVMzWAA43JNMZsDU1nA0NsyYNVQpLRhBVgZnM4t8FKRI9XZPrBwS9xnOZL9wEjrPT3EiLw-GhYxOvD/s474/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.28.16%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="312" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8N1KK4x2NztON4efA310XeOLTjqSsElAnQHObhnMvoAX9KYPCYZnkyQ3f98hNI9ugz5eMdLA-r8CYHY7Giqf0Sj8IGdBpN7NA57tW3KVMzWAA43JNMZsDU1nA0NsyYNVQpLRhBVgZnM4t8FKRI9XZPrBwS9xnOZL9wEjrPT3EiLw-GhYxOvD/w264-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%204.28.16%20PM.png" width="264" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Heroes of the Water Monster </i>by Brian Young (Navajo Nation), jacket art by Shonto Begay (Diné) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9K8GtCfmSsThQmmm3Heko_JNR4aM7eKT-u6MDqmxlxNJUK-KuM7oPpiyA8GV84orFRhyrpkbkIzvQ8nbQMLrwkf4KBpyNulvQpYfRirmZtNUa_EVxKlYeGqfEmG82DbPazqO4Mwk0qz7w6TDEQVVLCyaPF9Yo5HuOWKxzPUBbElmxpKwmzn4k/s936/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%202.55.02%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="624" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9K8GtCfmSsThQmmm3Heko_JNR4aM7eKT-u6MDqmxlxNJUK-KuM7oPpiyA8GV84orFRhyrpkbkIzvQ8nbQMLrwkf4KBpyNulvQpYfRirmZtNUa_EVxKlYeGqfEmG82DbPazqO4Mwk0qz7w6TDEQVVLCyaPF9Yo5HuOWKxzPUBbElmxpKwmzn4k/w266-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-23%20at%202.55.02%20PM.png" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></span></span></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-56911336556884898152024-01-20T12:56:00.001-06:002024-01-20T12:56:27.179-06:00News! JUST LIKE GRANDMA written by Kim Rogers ...<div style="text-align: left;">Wonderful news! Yesterday on social media, Kim Rogers (enrolled member of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes) told us that <i>Just Like Grandma</i> won the 2024 Charlotte Zolotow Award! Here's her screencap:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbaO_S6pTUhh2gFSEZ4A_OTRHZZTRzsXqGK3LL8B9FqOLF7Wb5b7mtYabzi8Tm7brYE7KTwzuGUTzKAPU-5lcW-Gvszwjg4UNTG5VdJeovbIvDVnNQDj6H74p1L_l9S-xzPgAF9hlTdBML5wftYZLBIt1r7-pQxTndrBZftaSS_9-vlBLZWqBw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="851" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbaO_S6pTUhh2gFSEZ4A_OTRHZZTRzsXqGK3LL8B9FqOLF7Wb5b7mtYabzi8Tm7brYE7KTwzuGUTzKAPU-5lcW-Gvszwjg4UNTG5VdJeovbIvDVnNQDj6H74p1L_l9S-xzPgAF9hlTdBML5wftYZLBIt1r7-pQxTndrBZftaSS_9-vlBLZWqBw=w355-h400" width="355" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And I'm seeing this graphic being shared, too. I think Cynthia Leitich Smith created it:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuX0eft23lsR_1tZ4GfoutWLODQNoLr9XMIbZ5sbzKT5qifoVyTUiJZVe-4cM0vO61jaVniHASP3OSpBDLVmf9owEGdTOov9PruZqy_z4KytVCzI9BEawMVXCakjPpXLb9UXpsCrzwgVQ9C4mtMfCgDj7lA0MFhgRkQQQJi2Yp5aVoXDmvwTx/s882/Screenshot%202024-01-20%20at%201.43.07%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="882" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuX0eft23lsR_1tZ4GfoutWLODQNoLr9XMIbZ5sbzKT5qifoVyTUiJZVe-4cM0vO61jaVniHASP3OSpBDLVmf9owEGdTOov9PruZqy_z4KytVCzI9BEawMVXCakjPpXLb9UXpsCrzwgVQ9C4mtMfCgDj7lA0MFhgRkQQQJi2Yp5aVoXDmvwTx/w400-h359/Screenshot%202024-01-20%20at%201.43.07%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It is on AICL's list of Best Books of 2023. Do you have a copy yet? </div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-52240603309166159382024-01-02T09:32:00.011-06:002024-01-29T04:58:54.412-06:00New in 2024: Books by Native writers and illustrators<div style="text-align: left;">Last year (on Twitter) I did a thread of books by Native writers and illustrators slated for release in 2023. I'm going to do that list here. IMPORTANT: I have not read these books yet! If I do you'll find a review post later in 2024, and/or they may show up on our end-of-year list. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">They're not in any particular order. I could arrange the list by release date or alphabetically but the point is just to show you what's coming in 2024. I'll add to the post when I see covers. At this moment I see some titles but no covers yet, and I want you to see covers! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One more note of importance: I wish publishers would include names of Native illustrators on fiction book covers! That's not the standard (typically, only the author's name is shown on the cover) but I think it should be there! And if there's a Native language in the book, the translator's name should be on the cover, too. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you know of a book to add here, let me know! </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Last update: Jan 29, 2024.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivOj7rMk3pMgPWf7OVKqPBxyeLVpzXZfI28-NGrqBSm22rQuY4NbBQwjRvgUsM7LwX2RgKZ8B4rJvQTukEmvHXmFejjta6HZ9oKis5FEoTCpEg-xVtjsSILipWZb016nKBUgdFa4sK5GQAYXdvIwKRXQ2p3T6k1W4nonRMeYLWr4AtjFDO1yMV" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="805" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivOj7rMk3pMgPWf7OVKqPBxyeLVpzXZfI28-NGrqBSm22rQuY4NbBQwjRvgUsM7LwX2RgKZ8B4rJvQTukEmvHXmFejjta6HZ9oKis5FEoTCpEg-xVtjsSILipWZb016nKBUgdFa4sK5GQAYXdvIwKRXQ2p3T6k1W4nonRMeYLWr4AtjFDO1yMV=w322-h400" width="322" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: 0.2px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiep6NDcQHlz4YMe0XoWZ602qA3RuKTWVbbAPGNBmEnzzCBqHYjAHQxUAJdMd951quxMfd1Kqvco64mhY_mAtj5cAaXbKgtah6MZpFdNPFcbLr52gRPZSiXRuYt1skDnbEcmdDQJoCQ8QwENLYcroRPyPqGQrorL4mJUSGyLhBP4NlVz2ABkSf7" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiep6NDcQHlz4YMe0XoWZ602qA3RuKTWVbbAPGNBmEnzzCBqHYjAHQxUAJdMd951quxMfd1Kqvco64mhY_mAtj5cAaXbKgtah6MZpFdNPFcbLr52gRPZSiXRuYt1skDnbEcmdDQJoCQ8QwENLYcroRPyPqGQrorL4mJUSGyLhBP4NlVz2ABkSf7=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQhKpOL1OxEblyht7MOEpcFyEwLLlYz9rkgcJPTIiFKYBwyHNwqjoDGjaIda8pBg19JAaee_GJjSZfdCWF_VG8u9ruADzodA58CNnECzuG9ckIF32MVObWgIApm6q6eSFVwolYgQ-vZ4ikCySn5YV5MfTK-39g0EjL9Aq5Y72-mD_Tmi6u9a7I" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="600" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQhKpOL1OxEblyht7MOEpcFyEwLLlYz9rkgcJPTIiFKYBwyHNwqjoDGjaIda8pBg19JAaee_GJjSZfdCWF_VG8u9ruADzodA58CNnECzuG9ckIF32MVObWgIApm6q6eSFVwolYgQ-vZ4ikCySn5YV5MfTK-39g0EjL9Aq5Y72-mD_Tmi6u9a7I=w400-h328" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZ81O4VrsNaZGvYAVMwaBqwnGz2ATHAcR47XclL-mdpbiEyccsF5gSXWVqwfOvxRlF2LEbwDMVj3ai7lD0IMqPWrwJ5mR0tfgpvnF3BO_jjwiniQUWHpcUP2WN_0s5iJiE76I7q8evaVjo6ArifUs5CUAhddXnxMwjUiJHcT9Xr8mZ1TZA4Qrw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZ81O4VrsNaZGvYAVMwaBqwnGz2ATHAcR47XclL-mdpbiEyccsF5gSXWVqwfOvxRlF2LEbwDMVj3ai7lD0IMqPWrwJ5mR0tfgpvnF3BO_jjwiniQUWHpcUP2WN_0s5iJiE76I7q8evaVjo6ArifUs5CUAhddXnxMwjUiJHcT9Xr8mZ1TZA4Qrw=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEDxHyEhxqTisiujaiNVp6DV27S60ivPaHi6OXfA-SsIjSJF6XXJcRTrGCPevB4U9btcr8hBWwGkgl0LQPVP_X5jrZnuj_KiOxR0Bh6vHmFGlHiDw_IVT4mx9r15mKJq0EtI6bEfaEpoAw_BqYjVHZGvS5f1THoma_oE4jPL2OoXdcdSV76str" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEDxHyEhxqTisiujaiNVp6DV27S60ivPaHi6OXfA-SsIjSJF6XXJcRTrGCPevB4U9btcr8hBWwGkgl0LQPVP_X5jrZnuj_KiOxR0Bh6vHmFGlHiDw_IVT4mx9r15mKJq0EtI6bEfaEpoAw_BqYjVHZGvS5f1THoma_oE4jPL2OoXdcdSV76str=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></div></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-76188725507466759472023-12-16T10:45:00.003-06:002023-12-16T12:00:59.282-06:00About Native Women<div style="text-align: left;">Earlier this week I was at a holiday gathering in Washington DC. Across the room, I saw the Native woman who wrote one of my all-time favorite children's books: Sharice Davids. Her book, <i>Sharice's Big Voice </i>came out in 2021. Here's the cover:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1PnvqjSuoTGYgDGTKcnhl21l1XE0rc3gKIIpNyDCmDs7T7xK5DUSZRiTDaYbmLkvsjvB3S-67gEdVpYOSK234_8Ru_uwL_LxhdS6iZtNz5_DpJDTsUq5Ls0aFthk1lOyzpCUfmbrTCfpXVtk1JqL8RpKZPK6DIhqwE5Mp2Wl4Uu6QoU7jT0_/s350/ShariceBigVoice.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="350" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1PnvqjSuoTGYgDGTKcnhl21l1XE0rc3gKIIpNyDCmDs7T7xK5DUSZRiTDaYbmLkvsjvB3S-67gEdVpYOSK234_8Ru_uwL_LxhdS6iZtNz5_DpJDTsUq5Ls0aFthk1lOyzpCUfmbrTCfpXVtk1JqL8RpKZPK6DIhqwE5Mp2Wl4Uu6QoU7jT0_/w400-h329/ShariceBigVoice.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Some context: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Back in 2016, Native people were excited when Sharice Davids was running to represent Kansas in the U.S. House. She's Ho-Chunk. During that same time, Deb Haaland was running to represent New Mexico. She is Laguna. There was a lot of joy when they won!<br /><br />And when they were sworn in, Native people shared the footage from CBS of Davids and Haaland embracing. From then on, they were Representative Davids, and Representative Haaland. Here's a screen capture from the CBS video:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9nLe5zFVmZf8bUjZpS4RO8c8eg5ZA0d244y7k4XCpTu45LP7g4oOSCxtVmeLQgyCdxJeAKlEfSxKFTENARPFbeNBR8zrvSpBGk_0TyT01YFJ0aeHjftGu4WiLEE3RJ7kbriN8bURlceC8-Kl2hHftdNAkO4B7tXZaTmKGwE1kv3gzLDBtriI/s1798/Screenshot%202023-12-16%20at%209.00.55%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1658" data-original-width="1798" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9nLe5zFVmZf8bUjZpS4RO8c8eg5ZA0d244y7k4XCpTu45LP7g4oOSCxtVmeLQgyCdxJeAKlEfSxKFTENARPFbeNBR8zrvSpBGk_0TyT01YFJ0aeHjftGu4WiLEE3RJ7kbriN8bURlceC8-Kl2hHftdNAkO4B7tXZaTmKGwE1kv3gzLDBtriI/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-16%20at%209.00.55%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />I remember being so excited! And of course, I thought that we need some children's books about them. Now--in 2023--there are several books. What made meeting Sharice Davids even better was when I was saw she had Laurel Goodluck's biography of Deb Haaland with her. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbIjzbOwoNbyzTH5mmtrLkj2w5w5B388IULsog34RC2K3Fqobl6zRDHtPYHXX_eMo0CKagrWonsuF0qE0bQMTkDgs-lopD6E87xpmSkq-eAhndo92lec4mblmOm9McJqoM7y8FPKc94k8OElx1KF-attEd-g0oTYOEBuId6rUZXh_N5WmNqrF/s1048/Screenshot%202023-12-16%20at%209.26.28%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="762" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbIjzbOwoNbyzTH5mmtrLkj2w5w5B388IULsog34RC2K3Fqobl6zRDHtPYHXX_eMo0CKagrWonsuF0qE0bQMTkDgs-lopD6E87xpmSkq-eAhndo92lec4mblmOm9McJqoM7y8FPKc94k8OElx1KF-attEd-g0oTYOEBuId6rUZXh_N5WmNqrF/w291-h400/Screenshot%202023-12-16%20at%209.26.28%20AM.png" width="291" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The event was hosted by Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland. In 2021, President Biden selected her to serve in his Cabinet. On the other side of the wall where that photo of me and Representative Davids was taken, Secretary Haaland was about to speak to all of us who were there for the holiday gathering. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Why was I there? Well, my daughter--Elizabeth Hidalgo Reese--invited me to go with her. In April of 2023, she began working as the Senior Policy Advisor for Native Affairs in President Biden's Domestic Policy Council. When Secretary Haaland delivered her remarks that night, she said a few things about Liz and her work on the 2023 Tribal Nations Summit! Of course, I was beaming. I am so proud of her! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsl_LyG0K3a46NPcBfLy5MvZQgDAJ__jEk-OYoW5gWTBJO2ywA2Y8Bz-FRLVDc5aNm1bRMZ4v_NsZORjpXCJIPs7GwGQ6mZmd7_at2-xTILVbmfvCWO6W7O3dZkz4iMPMO7b74WPFHSOCKFUJ233V9VgNuxVwYvBvYgcHZPtUrPGh2zZ3mung/s4032/IMG_2071.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsl_LyG0K3a46NPcBfLy5MvZQgDAJ__jEk-OYoW5gWTBJO2ywA2Y8Bz-FRLVDc5aNm1bRMZ4v_NsZORjpXCJIPs7GwGQ6mZmd7_at2-xTILVbmfvCWO6W7O3dZkz4iMPMO7b74WPFHSOCKFUJ233V9VgNuxVwYvBvYgcHZPtUrPGh2zZ3mung/w300-h400/IMG_2071.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />As I reflect back on that night, I feel a tremendous sense of community. The community of Native women who devote time and energy to make change in the lives of Native people. I'm in that community, too, like my mom is, and like my grandmother was. As 2024 approaches, the memory of that gathering warms my entire being. I'll close by saying Kú'daawó'háa to Liz and everyone who works for the well-being of Native children, in whatever way you do. It matters. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Again, Kú'daawó'háa. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">__________</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ask for the books at your local library!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Sharice's Big Voice </i>by Sharice Davids</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>She Persisted: Deb Haaland </i>by Laurel Goodluck</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Deb Haaland: First Native American Cabinet Secretary </i>by Matthew Martinez and Jill Doerfloer</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>What Your Ribbon Skirt Means to Me: Deb Haaland's Historic Inauguration </i>by Alexis Bunten</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Native Women Changing Their Worlds </i>by Patricia J. Cutright</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-78873389754301675892023-11-28T11:48:00.006-06:002023-12-21T04:57:07.549-06:00AICL's Year In Review for 2023<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AICL'S YEAR IN REVIEW: 2023</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cca0f67b-7fff-7276-bce1-8224b0fce58a"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">American Indians in Children's Literature </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">is pleased to share our annual year-end list of books we want you to know about. We'd like multiple copies of them to be in every classroom, school, and public library. (<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oZTBChNj9Ec7ky-N5N5McnmqLK2hKCDC/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Download AICL's 2023 Year In Review pdf if you wish</a>.)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Yf3W7b_cc-bWpbxdjgHTC_Ue7lUs7bpaP8VUv2Bb0XS2tbI1-3UOGyYxBeXN6XXVq3Y6yqMZGzXrdtYcfZY82ksovNiZSTuOMUWhOYJ3l-ZPfRGaiqfmuxx50XPVEC8Jg67GAIr9-gp0jd9LbxZUXVd26ytepLP-af5hKTPNYSjQf4gyWfyZ/s674/DebBBPhoto.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="674" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Yf3W7b_cc-bWpbxdjgHTC_Ue7lUs7bpaP8VUv2Bb0XS2tbI1-3UOGyYxBeXN6XXVq3Y6yqMZGzXrdtYcfZY82ksovNiZSTuOMUWhOYJ3l-ZPfRGaiqfmuxx50XPVEC8Jg67GAIr9-gp0jd9LbxZUXVd26ytepLP-af5hKTPNYSjQf4gyWfyZ/w400-h239/DebBBPhoto.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJnvw8mdvr1uon8S85LIsmTtceQZVbIE-cSaWY9Cuxmex234I4i_WeY5NecHHFQLs38YJ2cOPnaeFVHzhjaGmrBTgnUkAVKG4FGN-grBLLulNCfG95ty9n6x5K_0yTu_VTBLW6qe3MbaNlO2mEynr0aYAtzP-uHPTy1tpA2olHQb3kg6cWF-0/s4032/JeanBBPhoto.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJnvw8mdvr1uon8S85LIsmTtceQZVbIE-cSaWY9Cuxmex234I4i_WeY5NecHHFQLs38YJ2cOPnaeFVHzhjaGmrBTgnUkAVKG4FGN-grBLLulNCfG95ty9n6x5K_0yTu_VTBLW6qe3MbaNlO2mEynr0aYAtzP-uHPTy1tpA2olHQb3kg6cWF-0/w400-h300/JeanBBPhoto.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our emphasis is books by Native writers and illustrators whose Nations are on the continent we know as North America. Most are ones that came out in 2023. In some way, they've touched our hearts as parents of Native children or as former school teachers who want children to have accurate and honest books about Native peoples. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">For each book, we list the Tribal Nation of the author/illustrator and we encourage you to use that information when reading the book. For example, in the picture book category you'll see </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A Letter for Bob </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">by Kim Rogers. We encourage you to introduce the book by saying something like:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 30pt; margin-right: 30pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 30pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"This is </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A Letter for Bob. </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It is written by Kim Rogers, an enrolled member of the Wichita Affiliated Tribes. The illustrations are by Jonathan Nelson. He's Diné." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 30pt; margin-right: 30pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 30pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You'll modify that according to the way you're using the book. The main point is that we want you to be tribally specific. That means you specify the author and illustrator's Tribal Nation. If possible, show students the websites of the author/illustrator and of their Tribal Nations. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now, it is important to say a few things about claims to Native identity. In October of 2023, Native people in the US and Canada were shocked to learn that an iconic singer, Buffy Sainte-Marie, is not Native. People who follow Native news media know that–in the past few years–there have been several expose’s of individuals who assert a Native identity and use that identity in their professional or academic work. It touches children’s literature, too. In 2023, we withdrew our recommendations of books by <a href="https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2023/11/about-buffy-sainte-marie.html" target="_blank">Buffy Sainte-Marie</a>, <a href="https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2023/09/is-joseph-bruchac-truly-abenaki.html" target="_blank">Joseph Bruchac</a>, <a href="https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2023/09/is-joseph-bruchac-truly-abenaki.html" target="_blank">Marge Bruchac, James Bruchac</a>, and <a href="https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2023/11/my-thoughts-on-claims-to-cherokee.html" target="_blank">Art Coulson</a> (click on their names for details). One way that investigations of such claims begin is by someone noticing that the ways a person asserts that identity shifts over time in problematic ways. The shift may be in the tribal nation(s) being claimed, or by shifts in language used to make the claim. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sometimes, however, a change marks an effort to be more accurate. Using Debbie as an example, she used to say “Nambé Pueblo” but now says “Nambé Owingeh” because “Pueblo” is an externally imposed word, while Nambé and Owingeh are Tewa words (Tewa is the language spoken at Nambé). She also says she is “tribally enrolled” because she meets the requirements at Nambe to be included on the tribal census. Her father and grandmother are enrolled at Nambé. Her mother is from Ohkay Owingeh; her mother’s father is from Hopi. Debbie does not list either one in her email signature line because she grew up at, and is enrolled at, Nambé. In a biographical statement, she might include both because they are part of her life and experiences as a Native woman. She would have a lot more to say about Ohkay Owingeh because she spent a lot of time there as a kid and very little time at Hopi. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In some cases, the membership or citizenship requirements of a person’s Nation mean that a person’s child cannot be included on a tribal census but they are considered part of the community. We encourage you to read Christine Day’s note in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We Still Belong. </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Her main character cannot be enrolled in the Nation her mother is enrolled in. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There are hundreds of Tribal Nations, which means there are hundreds of ways in which a person’s nation decides who its citizens are. We are not suggesting that there is a single ‘best’ way of stating a Native identity. Indeed, we learn more about Native identity each year. This year, we learned that some Tribal Nations issue ‘descent’ cards to children of family members who–like the character in Christine Day’s book–can’t be enrolled in their mother’s Nation. Many Nations have moved away from “blood quantum” requirements to lineage. We encourage you to read </span><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/09/583987261/so-what-exactly-is-blood-quantum" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">an interview that NPR did with Elizabeth Rule</span></a><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (she is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and her book, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Indigenous DC</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, is on our list this year in the Crossover section).</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You will also see “not Native” because there are</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">non-Native </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">writers (like John Coy and Debby Dahl Edwardson who are on last year’s list</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, or Charles Waters on this year’s</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">) whose writing includes Native content or characters in respectful ways. Several books on this year’s list also are illustrated by non-Native artists.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Before moving on to our list, we want to note that claims – like the one made by Buffy Sainte-Marie – have a harmful impact on Native people who were disconnected or removed from their Native families and communities. Across North America, there are Native people trying to find their way home. It is not an easy process. For many it is full of obstacles put there by agencies that sought to destroy Native Nations. When false claims are called out, people who are trying to find their families and those who are trying to build relationships with their families may feel vulnerable and fearful of being challenged about their search. That vulnerability is an unseen harm done by false claims. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In our list you will find an author’s Tribal Nation in parenthesis after their name. We use an author’s identity as they name it (and the spellings/capitalizations of their personal names) on their own website (sometimes we write to them to ask for clarification). If they do not have a website, we use what their publisher uses. We are happy to make edits as needed! Let us know.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Though our list is organized by age/grade levels, we encourage you to use picture books with readers of any age, and we want every teacher and librarian to read all the books. They are far better than the books most people read in their childhood. These will help you understand who Native people really are. We welcome your questions and comments about these introductory paragraphs, or the books we list, below.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And join us in celebrating the growing number of books we list each year!</span><span style="color: #9900ff; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">*</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Many win awards, and the range of what we’re all able to read is outstanding! Across genre, format, and author/illustrator’s Tribal Nations, Native literature is something to pay attention to!</span></p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Comics and Graphic Novels </span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cohen, Emily Bowen (Jewish and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation). <i>Two Tribes, </i>illustrated by the author. Heartdrum (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Van Camp, Richard (Thlicho Dene), <i>The Spirit of Denendeh, Vol. 2: As I Enfold You in Petals</i>, illustrated by Scott B. Henderson (not Native) and Donovan Yaciuk (not Native). Highwater Press (2022). Canada.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Van Sciver, Noah (not Native), <i>Paul Bunyan: The Invention of an American Legend </i>includes an introduction by Lee Francis (Pueblo of Laguna), stories and art by Marlena Myles (enrolled Spirit Lake Dakota), and a postscript by Deondre Smiles (citizen of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe). Toon Graphics (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">vermette, katherena (Red River Métis), <i>A Girl Called Echo Omnibus, </i>illustrated by Scott Henderson (not Native) and Donovan Yaciuk (not Native). Highwater Press (2023). Canada.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Board Books </span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Taos Pueblo Winter</i>, illustrated by Leonard Archuleta (Taos). Seventh Generation. US. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Taos Pueblo Spring</i>, illustrated by Frank Rain Leaf (Taos). Seventh Generation. US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Taos Pueblo Summer</i>, illustrated by Janell Lujan (Taos). Seventh Generation. US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Taos Pueblo Fall</i>, illustrated by Deanna Autumn Leaf Suazo (Taos). Seventh Generation. US</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Picture Books </span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Barrett, Elizabeth S. (Red Lake Ojibwe). <i>Mashkiki Road: The Seven Grandfather Teachings, </i>illustrated by Jonathan Thunder (Red Lake Ojibwe). Minnesota Historical Society Press (2022). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bunten, Alexis (Unangan and Yup'ik). <i>What Your Ribbon Skirt Means to Me, </i>illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt (Diné of the Kiiyaa'áanii Clan). Christy Ottaviano Books (2023). US. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cooper, Nancy (member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation), <i>Biindigen! Amik Says Welcome, </i>illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (Ojibwe, member of Wasauksing First Nation). Owl Kids (2023). Canada.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dupuis, Jenny Kay (Member of Nipissing First Nation). <i>Heart Berry Bling, </i>illustrated by Eva Campbell (not Native). Highwater Press (2023). Canada.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goodluck, Laurel (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Tsimshian), <i>Rock Your Mocs! </i>illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (member of the Chickasaw Nation). Heartdrum (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Greendeer, Danielle<span> (<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;">Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Citizen, Hawk Clan</span>),</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>Anthony Perry (citizen of the Chickasaw Nation), and Alexis Bunten <span>(<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Unangan and Yup'ik</span>). </span><i>Keepunumuk: Weeachumun's Thanksgiving Story</i>, illustrated by Garry Meeches Sr. (tribe). Charlesbridge (2022). US.<i> </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Harjo, Joy (member of the Mvskoke Nation), <i>Remember. </i>Illustrated by Michaela Goade (enrolled member of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska). Random House (2023). US.<i> </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Janicki, Pegg<span>y (<span style="background-color: white;">Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nation</span>). </span><i>The Secret Pocket</i>, illustrated by Carrielynn Victo<span>r (<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529;">a descendant of Coast Salish ancestors)</span>. </span>Orca Book Publishers (2023). Canada.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lindstrom, Carol<span>e (<span style="background-color: white;">Anishinaabe/Metis and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe)</span> <i>Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior. </i>Illustrated by Bridget George<span> (</span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.145204px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bear Clan from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation)</span>. Roaring Brook Press (2023). US.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lindstrom, Carole (<span style="background-color: white;">Anishinaabe/Metis and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe</span>.) <i>My Powerful Hair</i>, illustrated by Steph Littlebird<span> (</span><span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">member of Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes</span>). Harry N. Abrams (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Newell, Chris (citizen of Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township). <i>If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving</i>, illustrated by Winona Nelson (member of Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa). Scholastic (2021), US. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rogers, Ki<span>m (enrolled member of Wichita and Affiliated Tribes). <i>Just Like Grandma, </i>illustrated by Julie Flett (Cree-Métis). Heartdrum (2023). US. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rogers, Kim (enrolled member of Wichita and Affiliated Tribes). <i>A Letter for Bob</i>, illustrated by Jonathan Nelson (Diné). Heartdrum (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sapiel, Minquansis (Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Nation). <i>Little People of the Dawn, </i>illustrated by Minsoss Bobadilla-Sapiel (Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Nation). Black Bears and Blueberries (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sorell, Traci (enrolled citizen, Cherokee Nation), <i>Powwow Day,</i> illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (member of the Chickasaw Nation). Charlesbridge (2022). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sorell, Traci (enrolled citizen, Cherokee Nation), <i>Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series, </i>illustrated by Arigon Starr (enrolled member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma). Kokila (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Early Chapter Books </span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buckley, Patricia Morris (Mohawk). <i>The First Woman Cherokee Chief: Wilma Pearl Mankiller, </i>illustrated by Aphelandra (Filipino and Oneida ancestry). Random House Books for Young Readers (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Day, Christine (citizen of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe). <i>She Persisted: Maria Tallchief, </i>illustrated by Alexandra Boiger (not Native) and Gillian Flint (not Native)<i>. </i>Philomel Books (2021). US.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goodluck, Laurel (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Tsimshian). <i>She Persisted: Deb Haaland, </i>illustrated by Alexandra Boiger (not Native) and Gillian Flint (not Native). Philomel Books (2023). US.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Quigley, Dawn (enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe). <i>Jo Jo Makoons: Fancy Pants, </i>illustrated by Tara Audibert (Wolatoqiyik). Heartdrum (2022). US.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Quigley, Dawn (enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe). <i>Jo Jo Makoons: Snow Day</i>, illustrated by Tara Audibert (Wolatoqiyik). Heartdrum (2023). US.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sorell, Traci (citizen, Cherokee Nation). <i>She Persisted: Wilma Mankiller, </i>illustrated by Alexandra Boiger (not Native) and Gillian Flint (not Native).<i> </i>Philomel Books (2022). US.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">For Middle Grades </span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anselmo, Anthony (Sault Ste Marie Band of Ojibwe), <i>The Spirit of the North Wind</i>. Black Bears and Blueberries (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Coombs, Linda (member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah). <i>Colonization and the Wampanoag Story. </i>Crown Books for Young Readers (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Day, Christine (Upper Skagit), <i>We Still Belong. </i>Cover art by Madelyn Goodnight (citizen of Chickasaw Nation). Heartdrum (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hobson, Brandon (Cherokee Nation), <i>The Storyteller. </i>Scholastic (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hopson, Nasugraq Rainey (tribally enrolled Inupiat). <i>Eagle Drums. </i>Roaring Brook Press (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">John-Kehewin, Wanda (Cree), <i>Hopeless in Hope</i>. Portage and Main/Highwater Press (2023). Canada.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Martinez, Lorinda (Lok' aa' Diné'e). <i>Running With Changing Woman. </i>Salina Bookshelf (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Waters, Charles (not Native) and Sorell, Traci (Cherokee Nation), <i>Mascot. </i>Charlesbridge (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Young, Brian (Diné). <i>Heroes of the Water Monster. </i>Cover art by Shonto Begay (Diné). Heartdrum (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">For High School</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Boulley, Angeline (<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians</span>), <i>Warrior Girl Unearthed. </i>Cover art by Michaela Goade (enrolled member of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska). </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dimaline, Cherie (Metis Nation of Ontario), <i>Funeral Songs for Dying Girls</i>. Tundra Books (2023). Canada.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Graves, Byron (enrolled member of the Red Lake band of Ojibwe), <i>Rez Ball. </i>Cover illustration by Natasha Donovan. Heartdrum (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mosionier, Beatrice (Metis), <i>In Search of April Raintree, 40th Anniversary Edition. </i>Foreword by </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">katherena vermette (Metis); afterword by Raven Sinclair (Cree/Assiniboine/Salteaux, Gordon's First Nation). Portage and Main/Highwater Press (2023). Canada.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Smith, Cynthia Leitich (citizen of the Muscogee Nation). <i>Harvest House. </i>Cover art by Britt Newton (citizen of the Muscogee Nation). Heartdrum (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Crossover Books (written for adults; appeal to teens/young adults)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blackhawk, Ned (Western Shoshone), <i>The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of US History. </i>Yale University Press (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Powers, Susan. <i>A Council of Dolls</i>. Harper Collins (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rule, Elizabeth. <i>Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation's Capital.</i> Georgetown University Press (2023). US.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">_____</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-cca0f67b-7fff-7276-bce1-8224b0fce58a"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">*AICL differs from review journals like </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Horn Book </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">or </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">School Library Journal. </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Publishers send them books. At AICL, some publishers send us books, but for the most part, Debbie and Jean buy books themselves, or check them out from a library. It is just the two of us, talking with each other about books. There are some we haven’t yet read and they will–no doubt–be on next year’s list. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-74809216847071660652023-11-14T10:33:00.001-06:002023-11-14T10:33:31.815-06:00My Thoughts on Claims to Cherokee Identity -- and Art Coulson<div style="text-align: left;">I've been reading, studying, and writing about children's books for over thirty years. The ones I write about are those about Native people, and those written by Native people. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">How do I know if someone is Native? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For most of those thirty years, I've taken a person's word. In some cases, they were circulating with people I know to be Native. My assumption is that a person that claims to be Native and hangs out with other Natives is who they say they are, but as I reflect on that assumption, I see it as naive. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When I find out later there's no substance for a person's claim, I go through a range of emotions: humiliation, embarrassment, and dread. Dread, because now I have to withdraw my previous support or recommendations of their work. And I try to remember editors to whom I've said "work with this person" to let them know. I hate all of that. It feels awful. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From past experience, I know the author will be upset and may write to me and have their friends write to me, angry, or pleading with me not to withdraw my support. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The bottom line for me is this: I recommend books in which Native kids see themselves. Native kids are at the center of my work. I imagine myself, back in a classroom, handing a child a book and saying "this author is from the same tribe you are from!" And then I imagine myself trying to figure out what to tell that child when I learn the person is not who I thought they were. I could ignore it but that wouldn't be ethical. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I agonize over saying anything at all, here on AICL, but I know that AICL creates ripples. What I say here is cited in book chapters and articles. What I say here is used by acquisition editors looking for books by Native writers. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So here's where I am with respect to writers who say they're of Cherokee descent. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In 2020, a group of Cherokee scholars, writers, and educators launched "Think Tsalagi: A Cherokee-centric place by Cherokee scholars." On their site is a statement called <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/50f488c4e4b07b02ee52ad27/t/5e45c047a5db6b6a6cf715be/1581629512314/Cherokee+Scholars%E2%80%99+Statement+on+Sovereigntyand+Identity.pdf" target="_blank">Cherokee Scholars' Statement on Sovereignty and Identity</a>. I'm noting key parts of it here:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>In 2008 at a joint council meeting of the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a resolution was adopted that opposed non-citizen self-identified Cherokee individuals. </li><li>In bold, they write "Only individuals recognized as citizens of the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and the United Keetowah Band of Cherokee Indians should claim a Cherokee identity as part of their professional or personal identity."</li><li>They encourage individuals who believe they are Cherokee to contact the appropriate Cherokee government to inquire about citizenship. If that government determines they do not have a right to Cherokee citizenship, they should immediately cease identifying as Cherokee. </li></ul><div>The Cherokee Scholars' Statement also says:</div><blockquote><div>Any person who publicly identifies as Cherokee has initiated a public discussion about their identity. It is appropriate to ask such persons to explain the verifiable basis upon which they are claiming a Cherokee identity.</div></blockquote><div>So, I think that's what I'm doing with this blog post. I'm initiating a public discussion with Art Coulson about his claim to being of Cherokee descent. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Since 2013, I've been talking about his books. I often include information about them in collection and curriculum development workshops I do with librarians and teachers. Two weeks ago, I was developing a presentation. In recent years, I've included a sentence that suggests how a teacher or librarian could introduce an author's book. I talk about that sentence and what it does, educationally. One: it has present tense verbs, which interrupts the idea we no longer exist. Two: it names an author's tribal nation, which interrupts the idea that we're all the same. </div><div><br /></div><div>So with Art Coulson, I was going to say "Art Coulson is ... " </div><div><br /></div><div>When I write those sentences, I often go back to an author's webpage to make sure I use what they say. I went to Art's page and clicked on the "About Art" tab. Not a word, there, about being Cherokee. I went back to the home page and there, I saw "Art Coulson is a writer of Cherokee, English and Dutch descent..." </div><div><br /></div><div>I was taken aback. I had been sure he was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. I've met Art. I've talked with him online and in person. So I wrote to him to ask about the information on his website. He said it is correct and that he is ineligible for citizenship because his grandmother's family is not on the Dawes Roll, which is what the Cherokee Nation uses to determine who its citizens are. That did not sit well with me, and so I did not recommend his book in that presentation. <br /><br />With the Cherokee Scholars statement and the 2008 resolution in mind, it is important to respect their request and withdraw my recommendations of Art Coulson's books. If you're a person who asserts that you are Cherokee, I think it is important that you respect the Cherokee Nation, too. If you think you are a citizen of Cherokee Nation, get that figured out before you start using that information in your professional work. If you think your ancestry is from one of the other two Cherokee Nations, check with them. </div></div></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-54046639165779642422023-11-11T18:07:00.001-06:002023-11-12T09:54:37.543-06:00About Buffy Sainte-Marie<div style="text-align: left;">On October 27, 2023 <i>CBC News</i> published <a href="https://twitter.com/IndigenousWome4/status/1718779275455717808" target="_blank">Who is the real Buffy Sainte-Marie?</a> and <i>The Fifth Estate</i> did a segment, <a href="https://youtu.be/eMsqCWNCUc4?feature=shared" target="_blank">Investigating Buffy Sainte-Marie's claims to Indigenous ancestry</a>. In Native networks, people were asking questions in the days leading to the broadcast. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since then, many Native people have written about her and the investigation. Below is a set of links to the items I read. It is a curated list. I do not include articles that repeat the information shared in the CBC and Fifth Estate broadcast. I selected articles primarily by Native people, or that include interviews with Native people. These are being shared in Native circles. Based on all I've read, I've decided to withdraw my recommendation of her picture book, <i>Still This Love Goes On</i>, published by Greystone Books in 2022. I will insert a note to the page where I recommended that book. The articles are arranged chronologically. The date on which I added an item is provided in brackets. The list is a work-in-progress. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>October 25, 2023</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="A former Juno Awards judge and nominee is calling on the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to revoke the awards given to Buffy Sainte-Marie throughout her long career. Tim Johnson, an Ohsweken resident and the artistic producer for Celebration of Nations held annually at the Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines, said Sainte-Marie’s deception about her Indigenous identity has caused incalculable reputational and financial damage to authentic Indigenous musicians. “When you are a Juno Award-winning artist, opportunities open for you both in terms of notoriety, income and prestige,” said Johnson, a Mohawk, Wolf Clan, from Six Nations of the Grand River." target="_blank">Canadian documentary focuses on 'icon' who based career on Native identity</a> by Acee Agoyo at Indianz.com. [Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>October 27, 2023</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/buffy-sainte-marie" target="_blank">Who is the real Buffy Sainte-Marie?</a> by Geoff Leo, Roxanna Woloshyn and Linda Guerriero at CBC News. [Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://youtu.be/eMsqCWNCUc4?feature=shared" target="_blank">Investigating Buffy Sainte Marie's claims to Indigenous ancestry</a> at <i>The Fifth Estate. </i>[Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article-theres-nothing-simple-about-questioning-buffy-sainte-marie-an-icon-of/" target="_blank">Buffy Sainte Marie is an icon of mythic proportions. There's nothing simple about questioning her origins</a> by Drew Hayden Taylor at <i>The Globe and Mail.</i> [Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/buffy-sainte-marie-reaction-piapot-1.7011149" target="_blank">Acting Piapot chief, other Sask. Indigenous people react to CBC investigation into Buffy Sainte-Marie</a> by Alexander Quon at <i>CBC News. </i>[Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>October 29, 2023</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/i-loved-buffy-sainte-marie-now-like-many-indigenous-people-i-feel-betrayed-by-her/article_db162a35-f1fd-53f4-b094-e031f5d40b29.html" target="_blank">I loved Buffy Sainte-Marie. Now, like many Indigenous people, I feel betrayed</a> by Darrel Mcleod at <i>Toronto Star. </i>[Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>October 30, 2023</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/buffy-saint-marie-mislead-indigenous-people-indigenous-women-s-collective-1.7012847" target="_blank">Indigenous Women's Collective calls for Buffy Sainte-Marie's 2018 Juno to be rescinded after CBC News investigation</a> at CBC News. [Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote>An advocacy group devoted to amplifying the voices of Indigenous women says Buffy Sainte-Marie, a musician known for decades of Indigenous activism, appears to have engaged in a great deception regarding her origins as an Indigenous Sixties Scoop Survivor.</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/arts/commotion/two-indigenous-artists-react-to-the-questions-raised-about-buffy-sainte-marie-s-ancestry-1.7012424" target="_blank">Two Indigenous artists react to questions raised about Buffy Sainte-Marie's ancestry</a> at <i>CBC Arts. </i>The artists are ShoShona Kish and Michelle Good. [Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-those-who-pretend-to-be-indigenous-only-distract-from-the-things-that/" target="_blank">Those who pretend to be Indigenous distract from the things that really matter</a> by Tanya Talaga at <i>The Globe and Mail. </i>[Date added: November 12, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>October 31, 2023</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2023/10/31/Unmaking-Icon-Buffy-Sainte-Marie/" target="_blank">Unmaking an Icon Named Buffy Sainte Marie. </a> by Kevin Ward at <i>The Tyee. </i>[Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">As much as anyone, I want the allegations of her deception and dishonourable conduct to be untrue. I want her to stay firmly on the pedestal I and many others have put her on. But the evidence against her, as hard as it is to say, does not look good. And now I'm reeling, as are all Buffy fans, especially Indigenous ones like me. </div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>November 2, 2023</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://indiginews.com/first-person/the-supposed-unmasking-of-buffy-sainte-marie-doesnt-bring-vindication-only-more-hurt" target="_blank">The supposed unmasking of Buffy Sainte-Marie doesn't bring vindication--only more hurt</a> by Eden Fineday at <i>IndigiNews. </i>[Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>November 5, 2023</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/poet-january-rogers-blood-sport-buffy-sainte-marie-1.7016854" target="_blank">January Rogers laments Buffy Sainte-Marie ahead of new play debut about Indigenous identity theft </a>at <i>CBC News. </i>[Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Unraveling the Buffy Sainte-Marie contr<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-ca/video/news/unraveling-the-buffy-sainte-marie-controversy-with-journalist-tanya-talaga/vi-AA1jutlM#details" target="_blank">oversy with journalist Tanya Talaga</a> at <i>Global News. </i>[Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>November 7, 2023</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.northdeltareporter.com/news/duped-indigenous-musicians-upset-over-buffy-sainte-marie-ancestry-story-6842705" target="_blank">'Duped': Indigenous musicians upset over Buffy Sainte-Marie ancestry story</a>, at <i>North Delta Reporter</i>. [Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>November 8, 2023</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://thewalrus.ca/pretendian-investigations/" target="_blank">What's the Point of "Pretendian" Investigations?</a> by Michelle Cyca at <i>The Walrus. </i>[Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">Whether we like it or not, at least part of the truth has been revealed. It is up to Indigenous people to make sense of it, to reconcile our pain and disbelief, and to figure out how to move forward with care and respect for one another's responses to these revelations. That's our burden, one that the CBC, or any major news outlet, does not have to carry. They can move on to the next story.</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>November 9, 2023</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/niagara-region/artistic-producer-for-niagara-s-celebration-of-nations-calls-on-junos-to-rescind-buffy-sainte/article_a3840a90-405a-56dc-8ed4-2c33dfe61c82.html" target="_blank">Artistic producer for Niagara's Celebration of Nations calls on Junos to rescind Buffy Sainte-Marie's awards</a> by Bill Sawchuk at <i>The Standard. </i>[Date added: November 11, 2023]</div><blockquote><p>Tim Johnson, an Ohsweken resident and the artistic producer for Celebration of Nations held annually at the Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines, said Sainte-Marie's deception about her Indigenous identity has caused incalculable reputational and financial damage to authentic Indigenous musicians. </p></blockquote><blockquote><p>"When you are a Juno Award-winning artist, opportunities open for you both in terms of notoriety, income and prestige," said Johnson, a Mohawk, Wolf Clan, from Six Nations of the Grand River. </p></blockquote>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-89614126300553630002023-10-15T09:49:00.001-05:002023-10-15T09:49:14.039-05:00HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving, by Chris Newell and Winona Nelson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjcY2DQqrYWBrJsR4EuvXu3k9XJtCeu0iCGr7NCpXj1w93c37IZhzCNqu0KA0NrnaIeav6nzEVSpN_50hINPDEqBBeiiU6tHFv3bPgSPIUOwNVGJnMrQlNb-Woqi3AMpGTwbF1iIS7jV06ESnMRKmKrpsGHBZxg3-aagTwuAlj23CwguZiv9O/s836/Screenshot%202023-10-15%20at%2010.35.21%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="836" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjcY2DQqrYWBrJsR4EuvXu3k9XJtCeu0iCGr7NCpXj1w93c37IZhzCNqu0KA0NrnaIeav6nzEVSpN_50hINPDEqBBeiiU6tHFv3bPgSPIUOwNVGJnMrQlNb-Woqi3AMpGTwbF1iIS7jV06ESnMRKmKrpsGHBZxg3-aagTwuAlj23CwguZiv9O/w400-h365/Screenshot%202023-10-15%20at%2010.35.21%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Written by Chris Newell (citizen of <span style="text-align: left;">Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Illustrated by Winona Nelson (member of <span style="text-align: left;">Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Published in 2021</div><div style="text-align: center;">Published by Scholastic</div><div style="text-align: center;">Reviewer: Debbie Reese</div><div style="text-align: center;">Status: Highly Recommended</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">****</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There are many sentences and passages in <i>If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving </i>that I wholeheartedly welcome. Here's one from page 8:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">"The story of the <i>Mayflower</i> landing is different </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">depending on whether the storyteller </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">viewed the events from the boat or from the shore."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That line jumped out as I started reading Chris Newell and Winona Nelson's nonfiction picture book<i>. </i>The cover art positions the reader in a different place. Think for a moment about the cover of most books you've seen about Thanksgiving. They show "Pilgrims and Indians" gathered around a table, or, they show the Mayflower en route. With the cover art of <i>If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving</i>, readers are invited to revisit this moment from the vantage point of a Native person. Here's a close up of that part of the cover:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsy4XS87kU7IBtKXhwCkwLO7rHHPB1wvkWvgpQAphAfbM0rOP9yy0uJ-nKzHsuBUSnQ0V65gyInBQ3ttRZTO9ZLE3kq3z8z8nPRVIqHtj4JEoBARahM9b04fUq7VAs1tKPT-mC8Re-3xXxIxSAhYSN76BiUu6u6B-VGZQg2MqsrSyO5AcY_hKQ/s1244/Screenshot%202023-10-13%20at%207.46.30%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1244" data-original-width="858" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsy4XS87kU7IBtKXhwCkwLO7rHHPB1wvkWvgpQAphAfbM0rOP9yy0uJ-nKzHsuBUSnQ0V65gyInBQ3ttRZTO9ZLE3kq3z8z8nPRVIqHtj4JEoBARahM9b04fUq7VAs1tKPT-mC8Re-3xXxIxSAhYSN76BiUu6u6B-VGZQg2MqsrSyO5AcY_hKQ/w276-h400/Screenshot%202023-10-13%20at%207.46.30%20AM.png" width="276" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Published in 2021 by Scholastic Press, it offers teachers a Native perspective--not just on Thanksgiving--but on history. Most readers are likely familiar with the "If You Lived" series that includes ones that purport to be about Native peoples but that are chock full of errors and bias. I'm glad to see this book -- written and illustrated by Native people. From that vantage point, everything in the book is different from the hundreds (thousands?!) of children's books about Thanksgiving. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In this review, I'm choosing to select a few passages like the one on page 8 that are different than what you have probably seen in other books, before. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Many books say the Mayflower arrived in the "New World." Newell's book says:</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">...the ship arrived in Wampanoag territory at the village of Meeshawm, in what is now known as Provincetown, Massachusetts.</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">Newell names the tribal nation (Wampanoag) and the name of their village, Meeshawm. I bet you've never seen "Meeshawm" before. And he used the phrase "what is now known." As you spend more time reading newer books and articles you'll see more and more writers using that phrase. It may feel awkward but those words are powerful. They tell readers there's a longer history to that place and its name. The phrase invites readers to ask 'what was it known as before?' and 'who called it that?' </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Throughout the book, Newell provides "Did You Know?" boxes in bright colors, like this one in yellow: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodcdcSn5BMcIdyQGobxV4LehPka5bdjOYNCzGPxKx76ERMJpO56MKZDpVTL1YufISl-ZlliMy2Sn-d9UWR2ocR0pKVUOjWxAjciOhTEFhvAAUwhfn6b9_6sNndVwYtH2FGcVMd_HyMCUFhiIqLyxNm3r_g0V9rpqSsbtQHAPVlSgZPkSUuEQK/s318/Screenshot%202023-10-15%20at%208.30.37%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="318" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodcdcSn5BMcIdyQGobxV4LehPka5bdjOYNCzGPxKx76ERMJpO56MKZDpVTL1YufISl-ZlliMy2Sn-d9UWR2ocR0pKVUOjWxAjciOhTEFhvAAUwhfn6b9_6sNndVwYtH2FGcVMd_HyMCUFhiIqLyxNm3r_g0V9rpqSsbtQHAPVlSgZPkSUuEQK/s1600/Screenshot%202023-10-15%20at%208.30.37%20AM.png" width="318" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The complete text in that box is:</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">The English commonly used the labels "Indians" or "savages" to describe the multiple nations of peoples and cultures they encountered in America. "Savages" was incredibly demeaning. Even though the terms were inaccurate and dehumanizing, they became familiar in English terminology. Today the language has changed and generalized terms like "American Indian," "Native American," "First Nation," "Indigenous," or 'Native" are all in use. However, Native peoples prefer to be called by their tribe or nation whenever possible. </div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">In professional development workshops I do, I talk about the importance of being tribally specific. That's what Newell is asking readers to do. Use the name of a person's nation. When you talk about Newell's book, you can say "This book is by Chris Newell, a citizen of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township. It is illustrated by Winona Nelson, who is a member of the Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa." You could show students the <a href="https://www.passamaquoddy.com/" target="_blank">website of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township</a> and the website of the <a href="https://www.llojibwe.org/" target="_blank">Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa. </a> You can use their sites as primary sources of information. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In many books you'll find information about Pilgrims camped on shore in December of 1620, huddled around a campfire for warmth. Illustrations will also show "Indians" in very little clothing shooting arrows at those Pilgrims. The "Indians" are shown that way throughout these books, no matter the season. Winona Nelson's illustrations in <i>If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving </i>are different. They are accurate. In winter, she shows them in clothing appropriate for the cold temperatures: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXqG1wE8XpWZz79yBY8Srimuc6iTAS_PAcZR-W_C5dzoZGd-D66I_UbTISy1LERkiWSQXyvYMYHXhXRuQmarF4RPzfvNF1C_Cko79fSF8axkd7jbht_ke0JiYUXSsEMFD2VdSGz9L_NAjy6UXbChe2ziyAtaLc7hNtjhpx3svGf0Fr_h4PtLg/s446/Screenshot%202023-10-15%20at%209.19.01%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="446" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXqG1wE8XpWZz79yBY8Srimuc6iTAS_PAcZR-W_C5dzoZGd-D66I_UbTISy1LERkiWSQXyvYMYHXhXRuQmarF4RPzfvNF1C_Cko79fSF8axkd7jbht_ke0JiYUXSsEMFD2VdSGz9L_NAjy6UXbChe2ziyAtaLc7hNtjhpx3svGf0Fr_h4PtLg/s320/Screenshot%202023-10-15%20at%209.19.01%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I recommend you study illustrations carefully. In many books you'll see the "Indians" barefoot--again, regardless of season or what they are doing. In <i>If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving, </i>the only bare feet you'll see are those of this toddler-in-arms. Another reason Nelson's illustrations stand out is <b>because </b>they include women and children. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInab3CbBeRxk05rppB_6_DwvnDJ7GOqnAoBIGi8sM3wyRnXJdWmeErKD_mXV7WjSmZW7cYtjGOGtl289OJeCrJM7eQauDwyB7B1-_UKYPz883KWeULsWDYARX0LUpDp-AYvYyxNfnKtFHUw-o_iOx0pBEK_RuMxkFpZ8ga6Ce1XUEgKmaKI47/s198/Screenshot%202023-10-15%20at%209.34.14%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="136" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInab3CbBeRxk05rppB_6_DwvnDJ7GOqnAoBIGi8sM3wyRnXJdWmeErKD_mXV7WjSmZW7cYtjGOGtl289OJeCrJM7eQauDwyB7B1-_UKYPz883KWeULsWDYARX0LUpDp-AYvYyxNfnKtFHUw-o_iOx0pBEK_RuMxkFpZ8ga6Ce1XUEgKmaKI47/w275-h400/Screenshot%202023-10-15%20at%209.34.14%20AM.png" width="275" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I recommend that teachers get a copy of <i>If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving</i> and study it carefully. Use it with students, in part or in whole, but use it! What you gain from reading it yourself will help you improve your instruction about Native peoples, overall. What you learn by reading it will help you spot problematic text and illustrations in whatever book you're reading. It'd be great if you do more with it: consider forming a study-group with fellow teachers where you use this book to revisit the ways that the Mayflower or Thanksgiving or Native content is presented in your school. The possibilities! There are many. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-74444269219154337432023-10-04T07:02:00.004-05:002023-10-04T07:02:51.554-05:00Debbie--have you seen ALONE by Megan E. Freeman?<div style="text-align: left;">A reader submitted a comment to my open letter to Kate DiCamillo about <i>Island of the Blue Dolphins</i>, asking if I've seen <i>Alone </i>by Megan E. Freeman. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzTvz48QddvuMXZyShDanJywCTJkYY_l-SEPOliucTLeowNhBaTM87Ycv61sKLWdJI5mW9NjAAqo9CpnKdNFg_LEL2lcfKdy_93zXIgy_UmBfKR3D260-97wPlz_UVfwqw_Yk6bTyNj6sOtfpJsGjHY12g15JsnDK_LbmGVgzN9eLf1asRIn9/s558/Screenshot%202023-10-04%20at%208.01.15%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzTvz48QddvuMXZyShDanJywCTJkYY_l-SEPOliucTLeowNhBaTM87Ycv61sKLWdJI5mW9NjAAqo9CpnKdNFg_LEL2lcfKdy_93zXIgy_UmBfKR3D260-97wPlz_UVfwqw_Yk6bTyNj6sOtfpJsGjHY12g15JsnDK_LbmGVgzN9eLf1asRIn9/s320/Screenshot%202023-10-04%20at%208.01.15%20AM.png" width="291" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Freeman's book refers to <i>Island of the Blue Dolphins. </i>I haven't seen it, but am glad to know about the book and plan to get a copy as soon as I can. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-87585861770396200332023-10-02T16:54:00.001-05:002023-10-02T16:54:32.168-05:00House and Senate Resolutions Regarding Book Banning and Threats to Freedom of Expression in the US<div style="text-align: left;">On 9/27/2023, the US Senate introduced S.RES.372 (a resolution). You can read and track the resolution <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-resolution/372/text" target="_blank">here</a>. I'm pasting it below, as part of the record that AICL maintains. It specifically mentions Kevin Noble Maillard's <i>Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story. </i>The House has a similar resolution: <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/733/text" target="_blank">H.Res.733</a>. I maintain a log of Native-authored books that have been challenged or banned. As of today (Oct 2, 2023) there are 29 different books, many of them challenged or banned in more than one location. The 29 books are by 31 different Native authors and illustrators from 22 distinct Native Nations.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">****</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span class="lbexLegisNumAvg" style="font-size: 36pt; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: -2pt;">S. RES. 372</span></div><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;" /><p class="lbexHang" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem 2em; text-indent: -2em;">Expressing concern about the spreading problem of book banning and the proliferation of threats to freedom of expression in the United States.</p><hr style="background-color: #333333; border: none; box-sizing: content-box; color: grey; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; height: 1px; margin: 1em auto; overflow: visible; width: 340px;" /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span class="lbexChamber" style="font-size: 15pt;">IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">September 27 (</span>legislative day<span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">, September 22), 2023</span></div><div class="lbexHang" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: -2em;"><p class="lbexHangSmall" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-align: center; text-indent: -2em;">Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Schatz</span> (for himself, Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Reed</span>, Mrs. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Feinstein</span>, Ms. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Hirono</span>, Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Wyden</span>, Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Murphy</span>, Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Merkley</span>, Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Whitehouse</span>, Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Booker</span>, Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Cardin</span>, Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Sanders</span>, Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Durbin</span>, Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Padilla</span>, Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Markey</span>, and Mr. <span class="lbexSimplecap" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Blumenthal</span>) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary</p></div><hr style="background-color: #333333; border: none; box-sizing: content-box; color: grey; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; height: 1px; margin: 1em auto; overflow: visible; width: 340px;" /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bolder;"><span class="lbexLegisType" style="font-size: 30pt;">RESOLUTION</span></span></div><p class="lbexHangWithMargin" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem 2em; text-indent: -2em;">Expressing concern about the spreading problem of book banning and the proliferation of threats to freedom of expression in the United States.</p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas the overwhelming majority of voters in the United States oppose book bans;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas an overwhelming majority of voters in the United States support educators teaching about the civil rights movement, the history and experiences of Native Americans, enslaved Africans, immigrants facing discrimination, and the ongoing effects of racism;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas, in 1969, the Supreme Court of the United States held in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969), that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate”;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas, in 1982, a plurality of the Supreme Court of the United States wrote in Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853 (1982), that schools may not remove library books based on “narrowly partisan or political grounds”, as this kind of censorship will result in “official suppression of ideas”;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protects freedom of speech and the freedom to read and write;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas PEN America has identified nearly 3,400 instances of individual books banned, affecting 1,557 unique titles from July 2022 through June 2023 alone, representing a 33-percent increase in bans compared to the prior year of July 2021 through June 2022;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas of the 2,532 bans in the 2021–2022 school year, 96 percent of them were enacted without following the best practice guidelines for book challenges outlined by the American Library Association, the National Coalition Against Censorship, and the National Council of Teachers of English;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas the unimpeded sharing of ideas and the freedom to read are essential to a strong democracy;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas books do not require readers to agree with topics, themes, or viewpoints but instead allow readers to explore and engage with differing perspectives to form and inform their own views;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas suppressing the freedom to read and denying access to literature, history, and knowledge are repressive and antidemocratic tactics used by authoritarian regimes against their people;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas book bans violate the rights of students, families, residents, and citizens based on the political, ideological, and cultural preferences of the specific individuals imposing the bans;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas book bans have multifaceted, harmful consequences on—<a id="HE206B4F7AB984871B8371C7C3221F4D3" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a></p><p class="lbexIndent" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: 2em;">(1) students, who have a right to access a diverse range of stories and perspectives, especially students from historically marginalized backgrounds whose communities are often targeted by thought control measures;</p><a id="HF9204E09647E4903AA1A856E6FDA1E50" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent HF9204E09647E4903AA1A856E6FDA1E50-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(2) educators and librarians, who are operating in some States in an increasingly punitive and surveillance-oriented environment and experience a chilling effect in their work;</p></div><a id="H113A316819B5419783AAA750CE01A2D1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H113A316819B5419783AAA750CE01A2D1-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(3) authors whose works are targeted and suppressed;</p></div><a id="HD9E101837BB94918915898D59F044D4D" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent HD9E101837BB94918915898D59F044D4D-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(4) parents who want their children to attend public schools that remain open to curiosity, discovery, and the freedom to read; and</p></div><a id="H151ABA3B6B7F4FB0A6C0A038B0EF719D" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H151ABA3B6B7F4FB0A6C0A038B0EF719D-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(5) community members who want free access to a range of uncensored information and knowledge from their public libraries;</p></div></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas classic and award-winning literature and books that have been part of school curricula for decades have been challenged, removed from libraries pending review, or outright banned from schools, including—<a id="HBBA24E68B85640E2BBEA38C1E2E84694" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a></p><p class="lbexIndent" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: 2em;">(1) “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley;</p><a id="H8E57E843459B4FB3BC1F91174069A8B6" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H8E57E843459B4FB3BC1F91174069A8B6-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(2) “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood;</p></div><a id="H23DED393F9A94527953C4A4CBD7E114F" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H23DED393F9A94527953C4A4CBD7E114F-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(3) “Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation” adapted by Ari Folman;</p></div><a id="HDAA803DC68674CD4BDA87B08A3FEA31C" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent HDAA803DC68674CD4BDA87B08A3FEA31C-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(4) “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neal Hurston; and</p></div><a id="H9B142848F10B420291D314DB765064DA" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H9B142848F10B420291D314DB765064DA-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(5) “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee;</p></div></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas books, particularly those written by and about outsiders, newcomers, and individuals from marginalized backgrounds, are facing a heightened risk of being banned;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas, according to PEN America, 36 percent of instances of books banned or otherwise restricted in the United States from July 2021 to June 2023 have LGBTQ+ characters or themes that recognize the equal humanity and dignity of all individuals despite differences, including—<a id="H4E1111A22F454232BD4C27F23FAFB2AF" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a></p><p class="lbexIndent" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: 2em;">(1) “And Tango Makes Three” by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell; and</p><a id="HA36448EDC35E477B8478B7FD01EB9671" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent HA36448EDC35E477B8478B7FD01EB9671-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(2) “This Book Is Gay” by Juno Dawson;</p></div></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas 37 percent of instances of books, both fiction and nonfiction, that have been banned or otherwise restricted in the United States from July 2021 to June 2023 are books about race, racism, or feature characters of color, including—<a id="H05BBE1E69F844AFF944C6BCFCE6451F7" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a></p><p class="lbexIndent" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: 2em;">(1) “The Story of Ruby Bridges” by Robert Coles and illustrated by George Ford;</p><a id="H222895B8703741C6B1B993720F54D6E0" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H222895B8703741C6B1B993720F54D6E0-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(2) “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr.;</p></div><a id="H2FB57E391B7E4559A6AC59F95CE76722" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H2FB57E391B7E4559A6AC59F95CE76722-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(3) “Thank You, Jackie Robinson” by Barbara Cohen;</p></div><a id="HD305E3BA88A8465EAFCA61ED5DF0D144" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent HD305E3BA88A8465EAFCA61ED5DF0D144-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(4) “Malala: A Hero For All” by Shana Corey;</p></div><a id="H925401CA974F4476B8EDE96BC2F6D596" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H925401CA974F4476B8EDE96BC2F6D596-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(5) “Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story” by Kevin Noble Maillard;</p></div><a id="HCADB808932B64A56ADFFE5EBDC0C12EE" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent HCADB808932B64A56ADFFE5EBDC0C12EE-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(6) “Hair Love” by Matthew A. Cherry;</p></div><a id="H026FB6ED25A04A1380B64761220A3E45" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H026FB6ED25A04A1380B64761220A3E45-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(7) “Good Trouble: Lessons From the Civil Rights Playbook” by Christopher Noxon; and</p></div><a id="H9E4409F2C1764BA2AB47A7212C28221A" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H9E4409F2C1764BA2AB47A7212C28221A-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(8) “We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures”;</p></div></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has reported a dramatic surge in challenges at libraries and schools to the inclusion of graphic novels that depict the diversity of civic life in the United States and the painful and complex history of the human experience, including—<a id="H1E8D57E3797E46E18BA5662266EF1D22" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a></p><p class="lbexIndent" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: 2em;">(1) “New Kid” by Jerry Craft;</p><a id="H28487001C95D423098D40F558F5A9B62" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H28487001C95D423098D40F558F5A9B62-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(2) “Drama” by Raina Telgemeier;</p></div><a id="HDB81667B90664108BAA711D05452DEC6" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent HDB81667B90664108BAA711D05452DEC6-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(3) “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang; and</p></div><a id="H878BA49C6C3B4690A6F05379E87B3DEA" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H878BA49C6C3B4690A6F05379E87B3DEA-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(4) “Maus” by Art Spiegelman;</p></div></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas books addressing death, grief, mental illness, and suicide are targeted alongside nonfiction books that discuss feelings and emotions written for teenage and young adult audiences that frequently confront these topics;</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas, during congressional hearings on April 7, 2022, May 19, 2022, and September 12, 2023, students, parents, teachers, librarians, and school administrators testified to the chilling and fear-spreading effects that book bans have on education and the school environment; and</p></ul><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><p class="lbexHang" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: -2em;">Whereas, according to PEN America, from July 2022 to June 2023, States across the country limited access to certain books for limited or indefinite periods of time, including—<a id="HC8CE978C7A084503A6B665F87BA6F8B2" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a></p><p class="lbexIndent" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: 2em;">(1) Florida, where at least 1,406 books in total have been banned or restricted in 33 school districts;</p><a id="H9409D017B5F7407994F7AC35B92D5BB8" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H9409D017B5F7407994F7AC35B92D5BB8-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(2) Texas, where at least 625 books in total have been banned or restricted in 12 school districts;</p></div><a id="HE82EECD2F55B406FB372E43437614371" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent HE82EECD2F55B406FB372E43437614371-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(3) Missouri, where at least 333 books in total have been banned or restricted in 14 school districts;</p></div><a id="H3EE907662B4A4DC0A2891C3F6CA39FF1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H3EE907662B4A4DC0A2891C3F6CA39FF1-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(4) Utah, where at least 281 books in total have been banned or restricted in 10 school districts;</p></div><a id="H0355B358316D47AD931EC427C752B352" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H0355B358316D47AD931EC427C752B352-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(5) Pennsylvania, where at least with 186 books in total have been banned or restricted in 7 school districts;</p></div><a id="HBA45B642D5C842DFBEA621DDC8B13285" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent HBA45B642D5C842DFBEA621DDC8B13285-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(6) South Carolina, where at least with 127 books in total have been banned or restricted in 6 school districts;</p></div><a id="H0719DDB83CBF491DAE087F769A21F932" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H0719DDB83CBF491DAE087F769A21F932-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(7) Virginia, where at least 75 books in total have been banned or restricted in 6 school districts;</p></div><a id="H4685635AAD854E909A4A43BD1CAA5B0B" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H4685635AAD854E909A4A43BD1CAA5B0B-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(8) North Carolina, where at least with 58 books in total have been banned or restricted in 6 school districts;</p></div><a id="H53FF63946B7F4ED197C839EE9E33B328" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H53FF63946B7F4ED197C839EE9E33B328-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(9) Wisconsin, where at least with 43 books in total have been banned or restricted in 5 school districts;</p></div><a id="H985F2DDCA8364993863A25985FBED93E" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H985F2DDCA8364993863A25985FBED93E-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(10) Michigan, where at least with 39 books in total have been banned or restricted in 12 school districts;</p></div><a id="H42700A7BD92D4B2494544087F907B159" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent H42700A7BD92D4B2494544087F907B159-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(11) North Dakota, where at least with 27 books in total have been banned or restricted in 1 school district;</p></div><a id="id2af336b3946f4aeea992d1a550a0c90e" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent id2af336b3946f4aeea992d1a550a0c90e-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(12) Tennessee, where at least 11 books in total have been banned or restricted in 5 school districts; and</p></div><a id="id91aa29251bee48d69f5959ed205074e8" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndent id91aa29251bee48d69f5959ed205074e8-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 0px; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(13) New York, where at least 6 books in total have been banned or restricted in 3 school districts: Now, therefore, be it</p></div></ul><p class="lbexIndent" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; text-indent: 2em;"><em>Resolved, </em><a id="HFED580379A2C4B15BEDDB1A467025851" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a>That the Senate—<a id="H101EDDD5997A47B492075065C7B60212" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a></p><p class="lbexIndentParagraph" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem 2em; text-indent: 2em;">(1) expresses concern about the spreading problem of book banning and the proliferating threats to freedom of expression in the United States;</p><a id="H877C65DC6C96439DA00D5D1294552B06" style="background-color: white; color: #3366cc; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndentParagraph H877C65DC6C96439DA00D5D1294552B06-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 2em; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(2) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to supporting the freedom of expression of writers that is protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution and the freedom of all individuals in the United States to read books without government censorship;</p></div><a id="H45F9CD8EB41E4145A7C7D5AC5F1E937B" style="background-color: white; color: #3366cc; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndentParagraph H45F9CD8EB41E4145A7C7D5AC5F1E937B-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 2em; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(3) calls on local governments and school districts to follow best practice guidelines when addressing challenges to books; and</p></div><a id="HD5748AA3A7FE4DE18517945ED547C9FD" style="background-color: white; color: #3366cc; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><p class="lbexIndentParagraph HD5748AA3A7FE4DE18517945ED547C9FD-content" style="margin: 0px 30px 1.25rem 2em; position: relative; text-indent: 2em; z-index: 10;">(4) calls on local governments and school districts to protect the rights of students to learn and the ability of educators and librarians to teach, including by providing students with the opportunity to read a wide array of books reflecting the full breadth and diversity of viewpoints and perspectives.</p><div><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem;"><a id="HF9204E09647E4903AA1A856E6FDA1E50" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"></a><div class="deep-link" style="align-items: center; position: relative;" tabindex="0"></div></ul></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-73649633249446020772023-09-30T12:25:00.008-05:002023-10-20T10:04:14.061-05:00"Is Joseph Bruchac truly Abenaki?"<div style="text-align: left;">On September 30, 2023 the <i>Times Union</i> (a newspaper in New York), published a commentary titled <a href="https://www.timesunion.com/churchill/article/churchill-joseph-bruchac-truly-abenaki-18391772.php?IPID=Times-Union-HP-spotlight" target="_blank">"Is Joseph Bruchac truly Abenaki?"</a> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMnx1tp7GoYkSueA052Soor5dJvRt2ylIp4_dHT3zUI99QymowYcMqEPA6VZlwh-w5awBDOZy7MsYrR1sM9W1Ti0AirVoHdVG-icQWGhnfC09L5zSIW7thfaQvlLYNKT6iuZkBoPBvGTS6xnMKdzTjToZh3qd8zaxtGqXWxdVLhZNpKx0gJ6i/s1226/Screenshot%202023-09-30%20at%201.09.07%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="1226" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMnx1tp7GoYkSueA052Soor5dJvRt2ylIp4_dHT3zUI99QymowYcMqEPA6VZlwh-w5awBDOZy7MsYrR1sM9W1Ti0AirVoHdVG-icQWGhnfC09L5zSIW7thfaQvlLYNKT6iuZkBoPBvGTS6xnMKdzTjToZh3qd8zaxtGqXWxdVLhZNpKx0gJ6i/s320/Screenshot%202023-09-30%20at%201.09.07%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />It is the latest in many items about him and the groups in Vermont who claim to be Abenaki. This is the first one I know of in which he was asked directly. His answer, "Am I not a black belt because I wasn't born as one?" is deeply troubling. He is suggesting that anyone can be Native. That is not true!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">In March of 2022, I attended (virtually) the <a href="https://henryg.msu.domains/projects/unsettling-genealogies-conference/" target="_blank">Unsettling Genealogies Conference</a> organized by Professor Gordon Henry (enrolled citizen of the White Earth Anishinaabe Nation in Minnesota), and hosted by Michigan State University. The online conference addressed race-shifting, pretendians, and other ways in which people appropriate a Native identity. You can view the presentations <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@msudepartmentofenglish7615/videos" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jacques Watso (Councillor, Odanak) spoke about groups in Vermont that claim to be Abenaki. One of them is the group that Joseph Bruchac claims. Watso's remarks begin at the <a href="https://youtu.be/7Stu7t984pw?t=3430" target="_blank">57 minute mark in this video.</a> </div><div><br /></div><div>I found Mr. Watso's remarks compelling. In February of 2021 I had begun compiling a <a href="https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/p/native-or-not-resource-list.html" target="_blank">list of reading materials and videos about claims to Native identity</a>. I added the conference to that list and continue to add to it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some quick background: I grew up on Nambé Pueblo's reservation. Throughout elementary and junior high school, I knew kids from other pueblos. In high school when I started visiting colleges, I met people from other tribal nations. During undergraduate years at the University of New Mexico, I met even more people, primarily from Oklahoma. Their ways were different from ours but nothing about them made me doubt who they said they were. </div><div><br /></div><div>That sense of doubt changed when I went to Illinois in the 1990s, to work on my PhD. I started to meet people who said they were Native, but in some cases, what they said about who they are seemed off. That was my initial feeling about Joseph Bruchac but some people in Native circles worked with him, so I pushed those feelings aside. Since then I've gone through several painful episodes of having trusted someone's claim to Native identity, only to learn they are not. </div><div><br /></div><div>Prior to the Unsettling Genealogies conference, I had studied other writings about the groups in Vermont. Through Mr. Watso's presentation, I learned of an event that was scheduled to take place at the University of Vermont on April 29 from 8-11:00 AM ET, titled "Beyond Borders: Unheard Abenaki Voices from the Odanak First Nation." I registered and attended that event. Vermont Public Radio subsequently did a segment about it. I strongly encourage you to listen to/read it: <a href="https://www.vpr.org/vpr-news/2022-05-05/odanak-first-nation-denounces-vt-state-recognized-abenaki-tribes-as-pretendian" target="_blank">Odanak First Nation denounces Vt. state-recognized Abenaki tribes as 'Pretendian.'</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Based on what I've learned over the last several years, I no longer feel confident saying that Joseph Bruchac, his sister Marge, or his sons are Native. All of them have written books for children. For decades--teachers have used Bruchac's books believing he is Native. In the past--believing he is Native--I have recommended his books. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I can no longer recommend books by Joseph Bruchac, </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">his sister Marge Bruchac, or his sons. </span></div></div><div><br /></div><div>I will be revisiting AICL pages on which I've written about them or their books or articles, and I plan to insert a link to this post and a brief note about my decision. <br /><br />For convenience I am pasting the items from the Native or Not resource here. I recommend you read them. I'm updating the list as I can. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Reports, Statements and Articles about the four groups in </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Vermont that claim to be Abenaki, </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">including the "Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe" that </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Joseph Bruchac, Margaret Bruchac, and James Bruchac claim:]</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">[Last update: Oct 20, 2023]</span></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><a href="https://ago.vermont.gov/sites/ago/files/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/RESPONSE-to-Abenaki-Petition-Jan2003v.pdf" target="_blank">State of Vermont's Response to Petition for Federal Acknowledgement of the St. Francis/Sokoki Band of the Abenaki Nation of Vermont</a> in <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">December 2002</span>. [Added on Oct 10, 2023]</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://ago.vermont.gov/sites/ago/files/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Executive-Summary-of-State-Response.pdf" target="_blank">Executive Summary and Background: Response to the Vermont Abenaki Petition for Acknowledgement as an Indian Tribe</a>, from the State of Vermont, on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">December 2002</span><span style="background-color: white;">. [Added on Oct 10, 2023]</span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/19/67/0c3f221c4c11a07624923257438f/2003-odanak-resolution.pdf" target="_blank">Odanak Band Resolution, <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">September 29, 2003</span></a> stating the Conseil de Bande d'Odanak "does not recognize at this time any organizations claiming to be Abenaki First Nations in the United States or Canada, with the exceptions of our brothers and sisters at Wolinak and Penobscot. Signed by Chief Gilles O'Bomsawin, and four Conseiller's. [Added on Oct 8, 2023].</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2007/07/02/E7-12727/final-determination-against-federal-acknowledgment-of-the-st-francis-sokoki-band-of-abenakis-of" target="_blank">Final Determination against Federal Acknowledgement of the St. Francis/Sokoki Band of Abenakis of Vermont</a> published in the Federal Register on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">July 2, 2007</span>. Below is the summary; I encourage you to read the entire document. </div><div><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;">The summary:</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div></div><div><blockquote>Pursuant to <a class="cfr external" href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-25/section-83.10#p-83.10(l)(2)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">25 CFR 83.10(l)(2)</a>, notice is hereby given that the Department of the Interior (Department) declines to acknowledge the group known as the St. Francis/Sokoki Band of Abenakis of Vermont (SSA), P.O. Box 276, Swanton, Vermont 05488, c/o Ms. April Merrill, as an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. This notice is based on a determination that the petitioner does not satisfy four of the seven mandatory criteria for acknowledgment, specifically 83.7(a), 83.7(b), 83.7(c), and 83.7(e), as defined in <a class="cfr external" href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-25/part-83" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">25 CFR part 83</a>. Consequently, the SSA petitioner does not meet the requirements for a government-to-government relationship with the United States.</blockquote></div></div></div><div><div><div><br /><a href="https://www.vpr.org/vpr-news/2022-05-05/odanak-first-nation-denounces-vt-state-recognized-abenaki-tribes-as-pretendian" target="_blank">Odanak First Nation denounces VT-state recognized Abenaki tribes as 'Pretendian' </a>by Elodie Reed, Mitch Wertlieb, and Karen Anderson at Vermont Public Radio on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">May 5, 2022</span> is good summary of "Beyond Borders: Unheard Abenaki Voices from the Odanak First Nation" [Added on May 11, 2022]</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/O8t3LxwhBhI" target="_blank">Beyond Borders: Unheard Abenaki Voices from the Odanak First Nation</a> - full video (approximately 4 hours) of event posted to Youtube on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">May 12, 2022</span> includes Opening Songs, Welcomes, "The Past" panel, "The Present" panel, Closing Comments, and an Honor Song. [Added on May 12, 2022]</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CAO_Letter-to-Governor-Scott.pdf" target="_blank">Letter from Rick O'Bomsawin, Chief of the Abenaki Council of Odanak</a>, to Phil Scott, Governor of Vermont, requesting a meeting to discuss Vermont recognition of groups that Vermont recognizes as being nations. Letter is dated <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">September 6, 2022</span>. [Added on October 3, 2022]</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brave-little-state/2022-09-08/odanak-first-nations-mali-obomsawin-tells-indigenous-stories-through-music?fbclid=IwAR2nHI7dszF7TsrlI8aYhDJj3xXwpYMb3CMwZqbJpXUSvgKeVkcQwhEPO_c" target="_blank">Odanak First Nation's Mali Obomsawin tells Indigenous stories through music</a> by David Hess at Vermont Public Radio includes conversation with Obomsawin about groups in Vermont that claim to be Native. Broadcast is dated <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">September 8, 2022</span>. [Added on October 3, 2022]</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/abenanki-nation-in-quebec-says-tribes-bearing-its-name-in-vermont-should-not-be-recognized/" target="_blank">Abenaki Nation in Quebec says tribes bearing its names in Vermont should not be recognized</a> by Tom Fennario at APTN National News on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">September 12, 2022</span>. [Added on October 3, 2022]</div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://abenakiheritage.org/" target="_blank">Declaration: The Abenakis are the sole guardians of their language, culture, and tradition</a> at Abenaki Heritage. [Added to resource list on May 31, 2023] </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2023-03-10/amid-legitimacy-dispute-odanak-abenaki-chief-invites-vt-state-recognized-tribes-to-visit?fbclid=IwAR17LYSmiJeRNjMJTCQmEwa7f8nP9zwBnAAPFBv6OKRtMxx2sYvUztYGQXU" target="_blank">Amid legitimacy dispute, Odanak Abenaki chief invited Vt. state-recognized tribes to visit</a> by Elodie Reed and David Littlefield of Vermont Public Radio on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">March 10, 2023</span>. [Added to resource list on May 31, 2023] </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2023-04-14/as-vt-truth-reconciliation-commission-begins-odanak-chief-repeats-request-for-inclusion" target="_blank">As VT Truth & Reconciliation Commission begins, Odanak chief repeats request for inclusion</a> by Elodie Reed of Vermont Public Radio on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">April 14, 2023</span>. [Added to resource list on May 31, 2023] </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://ici.radio-canada.ca/espaces-autochtones/1975077/abenakis-odanak-vermont-identite" target="_blank">Controversy surrounding the Abenaki identity of four groups in Vermont</a> by David Savoy of Radio-Canada on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">April 30, 2023</span>. [Added to resource list on May 31, 2023] </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://ici.radio-canada.ca/espaces-autochtones/1975077/abenakis-odanak-vermont-identite" target="_blank">Odanak First Nation requests Burlington museum remove photo of ancestors from exhibit</a>, by Elodie Reed of Vermont Public Radio on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">May 20, 2023</span>. [Added to resource list on May 31, 2023] </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://abenakiheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Press-release-Abenaki-Heritage-Response-to-Abenaki-Alliance-2023-05-08.pdf" target="_blank">The real ethnocide is self-Indigenization: The Abenakis of Odanak and W8linak respond to self-proclaimed 'Abenaki' groups of Vermont</a>, press release on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">May 8, 2023</span>. [Added to resource list on May 31, 2023] </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2023-05-22/review-of-genealogies-other-records-fails-to-support-local-leaders-claims-of-abenaki-ancestry" target="_blank">Review of genealogies, other records fails to support local leaders' claims of Abenaki ancestry</a> by Julia Furukawa of New Hampshire Public Radio on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">May 22, 2023</span>. [Added to resource list on May 31, 2023] </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>The editorial note accompanying Furukawa's article is compelling:</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin: 20px auto; max-width: 700px;"><i style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In reporting this piece, NHPR independently fact-checked claims of Indigenous ancestry using professional genealogies; requested verification from tribal nation records; and asked sources to share what evidence they have to support their claims of Indigenous ancestry. NHPR also consulted with members of the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) and multiple experts on Indigenous identity, including <a class="Link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aV6HbLY0-4" style="background-color: transparent; background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank">this NAJA training</a> on “Understanding Indigenous Claims and Connections.”</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333;">NHPR acknowledges that our newsroom has not sought to verify claims of Indigenous ancestry before, relying on sources to self-identify. We now understand that verifying such claims – especially when it comes to people who claim leadership or speak on behalf of an Indigenous community and are not members of a federally recognized tribal nation – is part of our basic responsibility as journalists. Going forward, we pledge to take steps to better ensure the accuracy of our coverage of Indigenous communities and issues.</i> </span></p></blockquote><div><a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5gr0t78t" target="_blank">State Recognition and the Dangers of Race Shifting: The Case of Vermont</a> by Darryl Leroux, published in <i>American Indian Culture and Research Journal </i>Volume 46, Issue 2, on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">July 14, 2023</span>. [Added to resource list on July 17, 2023]<br /><br /><a href="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/0e/a2/d9a3e53b4964bbf1dbf002349f08/abenaki-heritage-press-release-dleroux-research.pdf" target="_blank">"Abenaki" Group of Missisquoi: Research Findings Reveal Troubling Irregularities in the State of Vermont's Recognition Process</a> is a press release issued by <a href="https://abenakiheritage.org/" target="_blank">Abenaki Heritage</a> on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">July 31, 2023</span>. [Added to resource list on August 19, 2023]</div><div><br /><a href="https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2023-08-08/why-vermont-tribes-new-hampshire-groups-might-claim-to-be-abenaki-without-ever-proving-ancestry" target="_blank">Why Vermont tribes, New Hampshire groups might claim to be Abenaki without even proving ancestry</a> by Julie Furukawa and Elodie Reed at <i>Vermont Public Radio </i>on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">August 8, 2023</span>. [Added to resource list on August 19, 2023]</div><br /><a href="https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/odanak-musician-mali-obomsawin-talks-music-community-and-vermonts-pretendian-problem/Content?oid=39185869&utm_content=buffer0c169&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer" target="_blank">Odanak Musician Mali Obomsawin Talks Music, Community and Vermont's 'Pretendian Problem' </a>by Ken Picard at <i>Seven Days </i>on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">September 27 2023</span>. [Added to resource list on September 30, 2023]</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.timesunion.com/churchill/article/churchill-joseph-bruchac-truly-abenaki-18391772.php?IPID=Times-Union-Capital-Region-spotlight&fbclid=IwAR1uk-PtKfZIQ2aNGJQquOsoKCJ_VXa8jw5ax-67x_mrTJJeJHxJFlR7AJI" target="_blank">Is Joseph Bruchac truly Abenaki?</a> by Chris Churchill at <i>Times Union </i>on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">September 30 2023</span>. [Added to resource list on<span style="background-color: white;"> <span>September 30, 2023</span></span>]</div><div><br /></div><div>Why are Abenaki Nations challenging legitimacy of Vermont's state-recognized tribes? by Elodie Reed, Josh Crane, and Sabine Poux on <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">October 20, 2023</span>. [Added to resource list on October 20, 2023]</div><div><br /></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-31606611554929601912023-09-28T10:26:00.002-05:002023-09-28T10:26:13.240-05:00NOT RECOMMENDED: "Native Americans Part 1" (a Video on PBS)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqKCoF-r9WPgpi5NyzkAtV54hrsPO7FSQVs4S51Rex9vY8zKjUTtec2awj7UEfJz01bYHXy-XxuEX3bIocG53CecHjGwSLAorIdxtAtNlfIoMEhRdKiAKy6ZdJUZepiqvHGChqLEc394G1QDwPLZa-mM7Vqw15jHzjvML1cNuofNnj7hGK8sD/s1552/Screenshot%202023-09-28%20at%2011.24.40%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="1552" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqKCoF-r9WPgpi5NyzkAtV54hrsPO7FSQVs4S51Rex9vY8zKjUTtec2awj7UEfJz01bYHXy-XxuEX3bIocG53CecHjGwSLAorIdxtAtNlfIoMEhRdKiAKy6ZdJUZepiqvHGChqLEc394G1QDwPLZa-mM7Vqw15jHzjvML1cNuofNnj7hGK8sD/w400-h236/Screenshot%202023-09-28%20at%2011.24.40%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A reader wrote to ask me about a video on PBS, titled <a href="https://www.pbs.org/video/native-americans-part-1-2nd-social-studies-tagf1k/" target="_blank">Native Americans, Part 1; 2nd [grade] Social Studies</a>. I've loaded it and will watch and pause as I do to make notes here. The person in the video is a teacher, Mrs. Huson. She works in Missouri. The video aired on December 16, 2020 and is still available on the PBS site. I think this set of notes is going to make people feel bad for the teacher in the PBS video. She's doing what she thinks is good work and obviously someone at PBS thought so, too. But one minute after another, there are errors. (For those who don't know who I am, I'm tribally enrolled at Nambé Owingeh, was a schoolteacher and assistant professor in American Indian Studies, and now work as an educational consultant.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the 1:04 mark Huson asks "Have you ever heard of Native Americans? Do you know what a Native American is?" </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Deb's notes: the teacher is assuming there are not Native children in the audience for the video. If questions like that are asked in an actual classroom, how does it land with children who are Native? Huson is speaking as if we no longer exist. That's a common misconception. <b>In fact, we're still here, thriving as hundreds of tribal nations across the continent. Due to government programs, many of us were removed from our homelands. Today there aren't any Tribal Nations in Missouri, but if you're a fan of professional football, you may know that Native people attend mascot protests in Kansas City. We live all across the country. Do not assume that there aren't a Native children in your classrooms! You've been mis-educated to think we don't exist anymore, and that if we do, we have dark hair and dark skin -- but that's not true! </b></i></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the 1:14 mark, the teacher says "We're going to learn about Native Americans, who they were, and we're going to learn a lot about their culture." <br /><i>Deb's notes: Two errors in that sentence: first, she used the past tense verb "were" as if we aren't here, today, and she used "culture." As I continue to watch, I wonder if I'll hear her use present tense verbs? Will I hear her use the word nation? <b>A common mistake is to speak of us as cultures. </b>We are people with distinct languages, songs, histories, stories (those are parts of cultures) but we are first, and foremost, nations of people. Remember learning about treaties? We were nations with leaders who negotiated treaties with leaders of other nations. We were nations before the US was a nation. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the 1:53 mark, the teacher says "the settlers discovered the United States of America." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Deb's notes: There's a lot wrong with that phrase! For decades Native people have asked that people not use the word "discovered" to describe what happened. And, the land they arrived on--or invaded--was not called "the United States of America." That phrase (USA) did not come into existence until later. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>As I continue to watch I see very broad definitions for words like "culture" and "tribe" and verbs the teacher is using are past tense. I understand she is pitching this to children in second grade but they're being given information that is reductive and most definitely not educational. She's speaking as if we're all the same. An example is what she says about totem poles. She's speaking as if we all carve them. We don't. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Her explanation of a powwow is a bit of a mess. She says it is a festival where Native people gathered to celebrate something. She talks about kids going to parties to celebrate birthdays as being similar to a powwow. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Oh.... dear. Tribes had chiefs, she says, and they were "extravagant headdresses" and tells students if they encounter a tribe (based on all she's said so far, I think she means "encounter" in a book rather than in person) you can tell which one is the chief by the headdress. No, no, no! </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>I can't go on. Pausing here. I don't know if I'll be back. I'm going to get in touch with PBS in Missouri. This is deeply problematic content and should not be on any website. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-23523551628393580102023-09-21T07:47:00.001-05:002023-09-21T08:53:36.857-05:00A Remarkable Headline<p>Typically, AICL looks at books for young people. Today, I (Jean) am inspired to do something a little different: a close reading of a headline about a book for young people. Its origin is Alaska's News Source, (KTUU/KYUS in Anchorage) September 17, 2023. Here's a screen shot, and the whole story is <a href="https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2023/09/18/iupiaq-author-illustrators-book-eagle-drums-sells-out-book-signing/?fbclid=IwAR1IWM1LchMDmsLGglJPv8mVDu-o3KrTqq-d1FEvjLse5CKCD0BDS0tHAIE" target="_blank">here</a>. (To view the video, you have to wait a bit to skip an advertisement.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0wMdKxaLVT8cv1IkU7xIevd57DDoZ1TZeOEE9l6GMrxbYfOJJXmGRGN-1KfZslKbmH27wXomAe40N4OU5AWZgvwWrOocmuewOJBQJZJ6_z1wbQGkh5UJHrgsrC9ERBVG6xkOIptmhexF-fGgPftGqg_38WqPeaO82R6QEir9aNFogDCFeP2oHQ/s1240/Screen%20Shot%202023-09-18%20at%209.16.57%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="1240" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0wMdKxaLVT8cv1IkU7xIevd57DDoZ1TZeOEE9l6GMrxbYfOJJXmGRGN-1KfZslKbmH27wXomAe40N4OU5AWZgvwWrOocmuewOJBQJZJ6_z1wbQGkh5UJHrgsrC9ERBVG6xkOIptmhexF-fGgPftGqg_38WqPeaO82R6QEir9aNFogDCFeP2oHQ/w520-h330/Screen%20Shot%202023-09-18%20at%209.16.57%20AM.png" width="520" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Context: The woman holding the book in the photo is Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson. I met her when Debbie and I attended Loonsong Turtle Island in 2018. She's from the North Slope of what's currently known as Alaska. <p></p><p>It's a remarkable headline for several reasons. Let's go piece by piece. And you should know that I'm learning as I go, and I hope someone will tell me if I get something wrong! The headline reads, </p><blockquote><p><b>Iñupiaq author and illustrator's book "Eagle Drums" sells out at book signing</b></p></blockquote><p>1) <b>Iñupiaq...</b> That's not a word often seen in headlines where I am, in what's sometimes known as The Lower 48. Here's what the Alaska Native Language Center website says about it:</p><p><span face="Barlow, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><blockquote><span face="Barlow, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-size: 16px;">The name "Iñupiaq," meaning "real or genuine person" (</span><i style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Barlow, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">inuk</i><span face="Barlow, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face="Barlow, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-size: 16px;">'person' plus</span><span face="Barlow, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-size: 16px;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Barlow, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">-piaq</i><span face="Barlow, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face="Barlow, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-size: 16px;">'real, genuine'), is often spelled "Iñupiaq," particularly in the northern dialects. It can refer to a person of this group ("He is an Iñupiaq") and can also be used as an adjective ("She is an Iñupiaq woman"). The plural form of the noun is "Inupiat," referring to the people collectively ("the Inupiat of the North Slope").</span></blockquote><span face="Barlow, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-size: 16px;"></span><p></p><p>So, the person who's the focus of the photo, the headline, and the story is from the homelands of the Inupiat -- an Iñupiaq woman. It's significant that the headline-writer didn't use a generic term like "Alaska Native." <i>Eagle Drums </i>is a specifically Iñupiaq book<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-size: 16px;">.</span></p><p>2) <b>...author and illustrator's... </b> Not only did Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson get her story published -- she also made the art for it! That's not unheard-of in child lit circles, of course, but it's still a bit out of the ordinary. And the pool of Iñupiaq author-illustrators is small indeed. There's a chance she's the only one. </p><p>Check out her art and info about her other publications <a href="https://www.nasugraqhopson.com/" target="_blank">on her website</a>, which features the covers of two anthologies that include short stories she wrote.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4r3Uh4VYqhQ2pxIWwA5PAs-uXVSkDVPwivsLI03_7uKKvuImh4DpO78NeJMrB-B_PiOimYNlzM06RLJ1ufjfHNQF49xZMc8ZXVeoolrn8UdOywrZlUz51QNhEqkPAe4qGX2E51cD0Sk6hRW969etAygMk42cXEkiXi_siJfLZdnEg1PJse9eOA/s1780/Screen%20Shot%202023-09-18%20at%201.31.06%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="1780" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4r3Uh4VYqhQ2pxIWwA5PAs-uXVSkDVPwivsLI03_7uKKvuImh4DpO78NeJMrB-B_PiOimYNlzM06RLJ1ufjfHNQF49xZMc8ZXVeoolrn8UdOywrZlUz51QNhEqkPAe4qGX2E51cD0Sk6hRW969etAygMk42cXEkiXi_siJfLZdnEg1PJse9eOA/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-09-18%20at%201.31.06%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>3) ... book </b><b style="font-style: italic;">Eagle Drums ... </b>This middle grade novel came out just this month (September 2023) from Macmillan, which has also published Turtle Mountain Ojibwe author Carole Lindstrom's <i>We Are Water Protectors (</i>illus. by Caldecott Medal winner Michaela Goade, Tlingit/Haida). Here's what the publisher says about <i>Eagle Drums</i>:</p><blockquote><p><span face="neue-haas-grotesk-text, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A magical realistic middle grade debut about the origin story of the Iñupiaq Messenger Feast, a Native Alaskan tradition.</span><br style="box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: neue-haas-grotesk-text, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face="neue-haas-grotesk-text, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14px;">As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must travel up the mountain to collect obsidian for knapping—the same mountain where his two older brothers died. </span><span face="neue-haas-grotesk-text, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14px;">When he reaches the mountaintop, he is immediately confronted by a terrifying eagle god named Savik. Savik gives the boy a choice: follow me or die like your brothers. </span><span face="neue-haas-grotesk-text, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14px;">What comes next is a harrowing journey to the home of the eagle gods and unexpected lessons on the natural world, the past that shapes us, and the community that binds us.</span></p></blockquote><p>4) .<b>.. sells out at book signing</b>. Let's sit with that for a moment. When a book sells out at a signing event, it's because readers have shown up for it. That's evidence of a demand for the material. For far too long, we would hear that there just wasn't a market for Indigenous stories told by Indigenous people. Non-Indigenous writers were the ones who could tell --and sell -- stories about Native lives. But as the headline suggests, people were at this event, eager to buy a new book by an Indigenous (specifically <span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-size: 16px;">Iñupiaq) author,</span> and to have her sign it!</p><p>Much more could be said about the event, about <i>Eagle Drums</i>, and about Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson herself, but I came here to share a close look at that unusual headline. </p><p>Here's what the book cover looks like. Take a close look at the art -- it tells readers just enough about the story to invite them in. And I think it's gorgeous!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DdX9MJOqlRkstWPEKFQsh21XfJ44RpF0XkEBNx6YzVtp92IvLZCYCkhQLxdSaGv2e50wmCLUWE88GVzwCFOX6GlJXHDWj4j8mBnlVAspr0SeCVzkSbWI03QZvNVTEtgu3vq6FkWiFGW-RtbFvPCO_aVjSkDvQp20zFI7wWUcovYbPHgxRFmGwg/s1166/Screen%20Shot%202023-09-21%20at%207.36.13%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1166" data-original-width="804" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DdX9MJOqlRkstWPEKFQsh21XfJ44RpF0XkEBNx6YzVtp92IvLZCYCkhQLxdSaGv2e50wmCLUWE88GVzwCFOX6GlJXHDWj4j8mBnlVAspr0SeCVzkSbWI03QZvNVTEtgu3vq6FkWiFGW-RtbFvPCO_aVjSkDvQp20zFI7wWUcovYbPHgxRFmGwg/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-09-21%20at%207.36.13%20AM.png" width="221" /></a></div><p></p><p>We hope you'll get your own copy of <i>Eagle Drums</i>, read it, share it -- and if the book tour comes to your area, ask the author to sign it in person! </p>Jean Mendozahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01082939369068823250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-43476393311493782802023-09-17T07:21:00.004-05:002023-09-17T08:45:23.875-05:00Debbie--have you seen TREE IN THE TRAIL or PADDLE-TO-THE-SEA by Holling Clancy Holling?<div style="text-align: left;">Every once in awhile I get an email or comment asking if I've seen a book by Holling Clancy Holling. It might be <i>Tree in the Trail </i>(published in 1942) but more often, people ask about <i>Paddle-to-the-Sea. </i>It came out in 1941 and won a Caldecott Honor. <br /><br />Can a book with Native content, published 80+ years ago, be used in classrooms today?<br /><br />This post is intended to help teachers (or anyone who is considering a book's Native content) make a decision about the book they're considering. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzy4alyrBHiEWC-7sHaCpxrFvdvF-pL3vnbdZ9JQvpd74QoC-a1b2q5FAGtAYRDzL70-Qv-V_teUaOTBDBqi0KmtZSUfXr_xzYnHtyatLb0lKhg8-wGJotAnlIlP-8ifrlMj_iOC0jwI1sB8MzyV-EA8VXWRWASrH-3dvTAIviSUu04eGdpKYb/s862/Screenshot%202023-09-17%20at%209.44.03%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="568" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzy4alyrBHiEWC-7sHaCpxrFvdvF-pL3vnbdZ9JQvpd74QoC-a1b2q5FAGtAYRDzL70-Qv-V_teUaOTBDBqi0KmtZSUfXr_xzYnHtyatLb0lKhg8-wGJotAnlIlP-8ifrlMj_iOC0jwI1sB8MzyV-EA8VXWRWASrH-3dvTAIviSUu04eGdpKYb/w132-h200/Screenshot%202023-09-17%20at%209.44.03%20AM.png" width="132" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">First, what is your goal? I'm going to assume that you're trying to provide children with stories that accurately depict Native peoples. That means providing the name of a specific nation. That means a story that is tribally specific. If it is about an "Indian" or "American Indian" or "Native American" or "Indigenous" character, that story is not tribally specific and there's likely to be a hodgepodge of content that is not educational. An example of a hodgepodge is a story about an Indian who lives in a tipi and next to it, a totem pole. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Second, who is the author? If you're trying to give students an authentic story, it is important to know if the author is of the particular Native Nation or community the story is about. If they are not and if they did not live there, what are their sources for creating the story? Sometimes you'll find that information in an author's note, but older books generally do not include that information. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Let's use <i>Paddle-to-the-Sea </i>to answer these questions. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Holling Clancy Holling wrote and illustrated <i>Paddle-to-the-Sea. </i>He is not Native. Now let's look at his book. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Chapter 1 is "How Paddle-to-the-Sea Came To Be." The first sentence is "The Canadian wilderness was white with snow." The second paragraph begins with sounds. Here's the rest of that paragraph: </div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">'Geese! cried the Indian boy standing in the door of the cabin. 'They come back too soon. I must hurry to finish my Paddle Person!'</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">"the Indian" is all we're told about him. We are not told the name of his Tribal Nation or community. We do learn that the "Paddle Person" he is making is an Indian he's named Paddle-to-the-Sea. The carved Indian is placed in a foot-long birchbark canoe the Indian boy has made. It is then placed on a snow bank. When "Sun Spirit" shines on it, it will melt and be carried to a river, and then to the Great Lakes, on adventures the boy wold like to have. The rest of the book is about its travels. <br /><br />We're given a name for the sun: "Sun Spirit." With the word "Spirit" in there, it takes on something that <b>sounds </b>like it is part of a Native peoples' spiritual teachings, but is it? <br /><br />I see that there are curricular materials available. The book has appeal because of the Great Lakes. It provides teachers with a way to teach science. <br /><br />But should it be used that way when we know the Native content is not tribally specific? My answer to that question is no. What do you think? <br /></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-79487937766279128932023-09-01T07:44:00.002-05:002023-09-01T07:44:41.039-05:00A Storywalk Featuring Nancy Cooper's BIINDIGEN! AMIK SAYS WELCOME <div style="text-align: left;">In the past few months, I've done several blog posts about Native people or their books or art being part of what the public sees when they're out and about. I'm delighted to do another of those posts today. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As I scrolled through social media yesterday I saw this photo and did one of those "WAIT!" exclamations in my head. I recognized the book on the storywalk sign immediately. I wanted more information!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWgOm0f_RoPbNeoGcUuHI4OK0z--X9C9bvUzql4MRfu-B8GCy_IMLv_tSjS_swVo86HMPs2nM8eKdVjFm_LZwAew4N1gL6YcsWmHSyT8Wkd3D9G6550fm4_Gn61dMdVw3X_Edvlg9W00fxS_Kr2Ih2-Ek_mrM7LEudJHMpu1DsuBxYHM_x4Df/s1874/NancyCooperStorywalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="1874" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWgOm0f_RoPbNeoGcUuHI4OK0z--X9C9bvUzql4MRfu-B8GCy_IMLv_tSjS_swVo86HMPs2nM8eKdVjFm_LZwAew4N1gL6YcsWmHSyT8Wkd3D9G6550fm4_Gn61dMdVw3X_Edvlg9W00fxS_Kr2Ih2-Ek_mrM7LEudJHMpu1DsuBxYHM_x4Df/w400-h223/NancyCooperStorywalk.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The book on the sign is <i>Biindigen! Amik Says Welcome. </i>Written by Nancy Cooper (member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation) and illustrat<span style="font-family: inherit;">ed by <span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (Ojibwe, member </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">of Wasauksing First Nation)</span> <span style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); color: #0f1419; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span>here's the cover of th</span>e book on that sign:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYf_pEFp5017xF0mK65D4AqH-JVO8Eh_a5G60i2z6OaUbzwgkUwCseFOPLNoTX1H7NWWSwvSBnwRIxUlduCxaVdEK2T5LHQ7hZ2qCkJwPn_uQqvfYqn6p_nLG-CzZdjzlKAhYGYex-F44kFk19uigBgdensg6hDB1UTQOEWEZzvImH6peQ4is/s998/NancyBookCover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="998" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYf_pEFp5017xF0mK65D4AqH-JVO8Eh_a5G60i2z6OaUbzwgkUwCseFOPLNoTX1H7NWWSwvSBnwRIxUlduCxaVdEK2T5LHQ7hZ2qCkJwPn_uQqvfYqn6p_nLG-CzZdjzlKAhYGYex-F44kFk19uigBgdensg6hDB1UTQOEWEZzvImH6peQ4is/w400-h346/NancyBookCover.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Storywalks are one way of bringing visibility to books. This particular storywalk is in the City of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada at Sugarbush Heritage Park. The Vaughan Public Library has a blog post about the storywalks, and says this about <i>Biindigen!</i>:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4c4c4a; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px;"></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This educational picture book follows Amik the beaver and her little sister Nishiime as they prepare to meet their cousins, while teaching young readers about beavers and their role in the Canadian environment.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">I'd add that anyone who reads this book has the chance to learn some Native words. Regular readers of <i>American Indians in Children's Literature </i>know that I especially love seeing the word 'nation' in books for children. That's here, too, in the final pages. <br /><br />Visibility! It matters. If you do storywalks for your community, please add books by Native writers. If you need suggestions <a href="https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/p/contact-aicl_18.html" target="_blank">let me know</a>! I'm glad to help.</div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-39190795223295873342023-08-30T09:24:00.004-05:002023-08-30T15:29:56.995-05:00A Request Regarding Records of Native Students at Boarding Schools<div style="text-align: left;">Those of you who follow Native news know that Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, launched an investigation into boarding schools for Native children. It included finding out how many schools there were, what kind (some were mission schools run by churches), burial sites at the schools, and identification of children went to them. The first report came out in May of 2022. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It is crucial that these investigations be done. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It is also crucial that writers and educators be respectful regarding the findings of those investigations. More and more records are being released. Today, news media indicates that databases will be made available. <i>The Washington Post </i>says the digital archives will give "easier access to historians and families still searching for information about their loved ones." <br /><br />In the 1990s, I read a book by Ann Rinaldi. It was part of the Dear America series. Set at one of the schools, the ways she used actual names and stories she found in historical archives, was horrific. Utterly disgusting. It was painful to read. <br /><br />As more records are becoming available, I am making this request that non-Native writers refrain from mining the archives to create characters and stories. I understand that you may view yourself as an ally but you may inadvertently tread into areas that are far from healed. You may inflict further harm onto Native communities. Leave our stories alone. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJRqBn7H12zTQngvEfKFdPNbD9AstRIAOsd_OAWBr8zeWx4YGJzUvHKRy6E24BlG6keJHjABWonBbY2fKbWqt1Z15NpxNUmOre0VQENdNnhU1w5qVAP3Dwf5nbpVDhHBxYPJf8gf8cO6fYa9CNW5UNaL6FbJUsxIv9WbAgJ-NIsNSqYl1Idvn/s2104/Screenshot%202023-08-30%20at%204.26.05%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="2104" height="76" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJRqBn7H12zTQngvEfKFdPNbD9AstRIAOsd_OAWBr8zeWx4YGJzUvHKRy6E24BlG6keJHjABWonBbY2fKbWqt1Z15NpxNUmOre0VQENdNnhU1w5qVAP3Dwf5nbpVDhHBxYPJf8gf8cO6fYa9CNW5UNaL6FbJUsxIv9WbAgJ-NIsNSqYl1Idvn/w400-h76/Screenshot%202023-08-30%20at%204.26.05%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />My grandmother (my dad's mother) went to one of the schools in the early 1900s. She told me some things when I was a kid but she didn't talk much about her time there. Did she keep painful things back? Do the records have details in them that she did not share with me? I don't know. My mother's father was Hopi. He also went to one of the schools and met the woman he'd eventually marry. I don't have any stories from them at all. He never talked about it and she died when my mother was a little girl. I do not want an Ann Rinaldi to dig into their records and use their names and information in the records to create a story. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And so I make my request. Leave our stories alone.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I know--some of you are going to be thinking about First Amendment and freedom of speech and all those things that you think mean you can do anything you want. In fact, you can and many of you have already done such things. You may mock my request as naive. If that's you, not much anyone could say would help you be sensitive. But if you're one who wants to be respectful, I hope my request is helpful. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not speaking for every Native person. For certain I am asking you to leave stories about my own ancestors alone. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-15030386884655863952023-08-29T16:44:00.001-05:002023-08-29T16:44:14.486-05:00It's Marcie Rendon!<div style="text-align: left;">Some time back I did a series of posts about Native illustrators whose work was being used in unusual ways -- like the city bus that features the work of Marlena Myles. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Today on social media, I saw a photograph of a billboard. I paused and exclaimed "That's Marcie!" Here's what I saw: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sZl2McLZaMKAVGJ6sIsc3uJPL1xDUyD80CcDqxuBphm3V5z5k3QgpDOH8SKcrVx4118bHvYKqKwye8unWghd7gBy4OUPe3fYe2rQz1pgcmQ0wX7Fc102OvNlod3v0IuIWUmHjelIJEqWuBTDGAfEOTpE0IA3zfmo-ko4QxU-e8NtmyKlytOe/s2048/Marcie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sZl2McLZaMKAVGJ6sIsc3uJPL1xDUyD80CcDqxuBphm3V5z5k3QgpDOH8SKcrVx4118bHvYKqKwye8unWghd7gBy4OUPe3fYe2rQz1pgcmQ0wX7Fc102OvNlod3v0IuIWUmHjelIJEqWuBTDGAfEOTpE0IA3zfmo-ko4QxU-e8NtmyKlytOe/w400-h213/Marcie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: American Indian Community Housing Organization</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Marcie is holding a copy of <i>Sinister Graves </i>which is the third book in her mystery series that feature a young woman named Cash Blackbear. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The photo was shared on social media by the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) in Duluth Minnesota. They organization's post said:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505;">"We can sing our hearts out, tell our stories, paint our visions." Quote by Marcie Rendon, White Earth Band of Ojibwe Nation tribal member and award winning author, poet, and screenplay writer. This billboard is now up on display next to AICHO's building in Duluth on 2nd Street for four weeks.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505;">Miigwech, Marcie Rendon, for sharing your Indigenous stories that remind us who we are as a people, for advocating for women and issues that impact Indigenous peoples, and for all that you write!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505;">To find more out about Marcie Rendon: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marcierendon.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2gLsCFzLBbCEfP2uRaWMpSegyqajhUcluaN3hQnLWeN3zKSAgxjG0BOC0&h=AT2U--_6MtE9QOrEGhzDVJdB8G9IV7FXh3gWebm56BLAhEhLiLk35Vs2lfeua6SbkfR3WiNahZpqRhN-VVcwvtbHA2Yb3_do_pfqpzLVv8mORV9TMNKsQbtza6QuD1zxLtc7cw&__tn__=-UK*F" rel="nofollow noreferrer" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">www.marcierendon.com</a></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505;">Miigwech to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv xzsf02u x1s688f" href="https://www.facebook.com/McKnightFdn?__tn__=-]K*F" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-weight: 600; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="display: inline;">McKnight Foundation</span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505;"> for funding this and AICHO's Cultural Arts themed billboards and helping AICHO to promote, uplift and showcase Indigenous authors and artists.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I met Marcie at least ten years ago and have been reading what she writes since then. Below I'll share covers of some of her books. Go to her site and you'll find more she's written. When I read what she writes, I feel the stories. What I mean is that I know Native people like the ones she has in her books. Their good moments and the not-good ones, too. There's an intangible quality in her stories that may be possible because of her good heart. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Let's start here. Listen to Marcie in this video:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1bneb0_aOj0" width="320" youtube-src-id="1bneb0_aOj0"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, some of her books! This is her non-fiction picture book, <i>Powwow Summer </i>with photographs by Cheryl Walsh Bellville. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9_qBl3vIc1UIB-MRSgjnkvg7p6PTrGGqgdaeuOaqBFV-OtboDbescMTtPS0rzzLPd2x6htCJkLg3XD1mz0oEp19ZVLCzO1XTi1SrGVtUx48CSZLee7AOnHkhgm8nQ4hxIvhpTJlWSqUPla6nT79EWI2MIl0XbqX5QE3Ipt-sOjp-M7RLD385F" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9_qBl3vIc1UIB-MRSgjnkvg7p6PTrGGqgdaeuOaqBFV-OtboDbescMTtPS0rzzLPd2x6htCJkLg3XD1mz0oEp19ZVLCzO1XTi1SrGVtUx48CSZLee7AOnHkhgm8nQ4hxIvhpTJlWSqUPla6nT79EWI2MIl0XbqX5QE3Ipt-sOjp-M7RLD385F" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Read her short story, "Wonder and Worry," in this middle-grade anthology:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJG8L24YOtUHy408II8ICUhFmtTtDAgkUXkFUJmZe5gpWHYLIyLbIhadqQztW3eirRuzJEtxR-Fc7AN0ms2-p-pRyhT0sktRTn8VXeFVOcc_sXjxA3MhTzAFabRClbQgH45BN30JDj0f8Dp4cqKltdveR9-g7j6Y6JZG--rAPISz4b6zXSQTBQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="409" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJG8L24YOtUHy408II8ICUhFmtTtDAgkUXkFUJmZe5gpWHYLIyLbIhadqQztW3eirRuzJEtxR-Fc7AN0ms2-p-pRyhT0sktRTn8VXeFVOcc_sXjxA3MhTzAFabRClbQgH45BN30JDj0f8Dp4cqKltdveR9-g7j6Y6JZG--rAPISz4b6zXSQTBQ=w293-h400" width="293" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I adore her story "What's an Indian Woman to Do?" in <i>When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through </i>-- an anthology edited by Joy Harjo that should be in every English lit course in high schools across the country.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjq2a7vPhdK6sdSVhnd07nCpYidnq0pAgW6oIQZkG7BoPv0NVfrSE0nm24tGxjM0-9K8EL65PVqam0iYpeq6ZoFScKS4zQmlMRuEdK0qvn7h4z446CkSz4CWTxF83_DTLp3TJh2AX6FId9-sQdPWPmax26LMd4JUm6aPPGZ6eyvzm45LTpZKVJE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="895" data-original-width="623" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjq2a7vPhdK6sdSVhnd07nCpYidnq0pAgW6oIQZkG7BoPv0NVfrSE0nm24tGxjM0-9K8EL65PVqam0iYpeq6ZoFScKS4zQmlMRuEdK0qvn7h4z446CkSz4CWTxF83_DTLp3TJh2AX6FId9-sQdPWPmax26LMd4JUm6aPPGZ6eyvzm45LTpZKVJE=w278-h400" width="278" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>And here's the Cash Blackbear series. They're for adult readers but I wouldn't hesitate to share them with older teens. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjo5aUb6pRQKZSfU7ok72u4z1OgXBXy1rGvDG2C5cRV4jV6IkbiQaa5SjSaL56Nm84e0LD__6ZIF6mmXslGKn9w8Vp5KTJ8HXt5qU9Tjnc4J8cjFL6WhX-TSrxzsJCh5rBk5jzRpqLcknzLV3eOqLVec13YCFSeQSlA1-9Az6zQ58wNN7uvauvv" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjo5aUb6pRQKZSfU7ok72u4z1OgXBXy1rGvDG2C5cRV4jV6IkbiQaa5SjSaL56Nm84e0LD__6ZIF6mmXslGKn9w8Vp5KTJ8HXt5qU9Tjnc4J8cjFL6WhX-TSrxzsJCh5rBk5jzRpqLcknzLV3eOqLVec13YCFSeQSlA1-9Az6zQ58wNN7uvauvv=w277-h400" width="277" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3MK4VVWPK7wHdoP7OYy3-X4S99SPDu8M5D-6jWXCOXaTlXjK7lD_J3ni3st7aXUa9qXbqgS4eATvINO8QJlLmhEsNG1e248bByzVlpuDR40FQSfGun1dyNdtM9NcfZE-4a6JhMmm4SIyeuybr4xGDsGZLzWLngO7xlwk61RlksnLethjXSiew" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1955" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3MK4VVWPK7wHdoP7OYy3-X4S99SPDu8M5D-6jWXCOXaTlXjK7lD_J3ni3st7aXUa9qXbqgS4eATvINO8QJlLmhEsNG1e248bByzVlpuDR40FQSfGun1dyNdtM9NcfZE-4a6JhMmm4SIyeuybr4xGDsGZLzWLngO7xlwk61RlksnLethjXSiew=w262-h400" width="262" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJVo0WWqZ9bWyq8BMfaLvUo22Tk5P552t_66auDPlfHI1uvYNfnKrsi__7mY1PIrIzW-JrwsRj1Btb18YwJlo3fUSCmePO2yHOLbiwEK3JrLKKcya4C_kECdxvR08Mq2-b52qxfK3SSRp6zkzqiGyv64TkbTyDr77c35WNotAQhiqchZkMF8Jf" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1176" data-original-width="843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJVo0WWqZ9bWyq8BMfaLvUo22Tk5P552t_66auDPlfHI1uvYNfnKrsi__7mY1PIrIzW-JrwsRj1Btb18YwJlo3fUSCmePO2yHOLbiwEK3JrLKKcya4C_kECdxvR08Mq2-b52qxfK3SSRp6zkzqiGyv64TkbTyDr77c35WNotAQhiqchZkMF8Jf=w287-h400" width="287" /></a></div><br /><br />Look for and read her books. And if you're in Duluth, snap a photo of the billboard and share it on your social media accounts. And tag me if you can (I'm debreese on Twitter). </div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-3606410912143541882023-08-27T15:54:00.000-05:002023-08-27T15:54:02.217-05:00Highly Recommended: ROCK YOUR MOCS, written by Laurel Goodluck, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux_tOgo0vT6ePpGEZypZsHElWWcWjgNml7P0401-3s5VIrXVQfYCBffLnl72nX8bP9V5mBRPU5gxRqA19nv2ecUr1GJYM1Q9Dgi-1kiPoaXhtvLjg_Tgki_xsWebrO9GzJlswErZitqKZJ_y4ldwHvo_ZycPZZptSW9k39N27ColQMwrCDVJM/s1326/Screenshot%202023-08-27%20at%202.25.57%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="1326" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux_tOgo0vT6ePpGEZypZsHElWWcWjgNml7P0401-3s5VIrXVQfYCBffLnl72nX8bP9V5mBRPU5gxRqA19nv2ecUr1GJYM1Q9Dgi-1kiPoaXhtvLjg_Tgki_xsWebrO9GzJlswErZitqKZJ_y4ldwHvo_ZycPZZptSW9k39N27ColQMwrCDVJM/w400-h359/Screenshot%202023-08-27%20at%202.25.57%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Rock Your Mocs</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Written by Laurel Goodluck</div><div style="text-align: center;">Illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight</div><div style="text-align: center;">Published by Heartdrum</div><div style="text-align: center;">Published in 2023</div><div style="text-align: center;">Reviewer: Debbie Reese</div><div style="text-align: center;">Review Status: Highly Recommended</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Several years ago on Native social media, I saw people talking about plans to wear their moccasins for "Rock Your Mocs" day. On that day, we took photos of our mocs and shared them joyously in a way that radiated an <span style="color: #990000;">Indigenous solidarity vibe</span> (I'm borrowing that phrase from page 12 of Cynthia Leitich Smith's new book, <i>Harvest House.</i>) I felt a tremendous lift, scrolling through my timelines and looking at the many different kinds of moccasins people were wearing. If you want to see what I mean, search #RockYourMocs on social media. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />A couple of years ago when I saw that Laurel Goodluck and Madelyn Goodnight were doing a picture book about Rock Your Mocs day, I was absolutely delighted! Turning that day into a picture book is brilliant! It is one way to show readers that Native peoples are people of tribal nations located across the continent, and that our names, languages, histories, stories, songs homes--and clothing--are unique.<br /><br />Just look at that cover and you'll see another huge plus. Those are Native kids of the present day. The art is gorgeous, the idea is brilliant and the opportunity to know us for who we are: outstanding! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When you start reading you'll come across the names of twelve different tribal nations, which means that children of those nations have mirrors that reflect who they are. Books as mirrors is a metaphor put forth by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop in 1991 (<a href="https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf" target="_blank">read her article</a> and you'll understand the metaphor). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Those twelve? Colville, Hidatsa, Hopi-Tewa, Inupiaq, Little Shell Chippewa, Menominee, Navajo, Ojibwe, Osage, Seminole, Tuscarora, and Yurok. <br /><br />Goodluck's text is ebullient. Here's a look at the left-side of one page. "Indigenous Nations." "...in cities and towns..." and "We're stylin' today as we Rock Our Mocs!" All of that is terrific. And the decision to put "Rock Our Mocs" in a larger font size than the rest of the text works so well!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeUdkdEVunvdzMej7Jrm2KwXft0lcy63Y3FS0Nb7q44xbqqtUdr8GqSKJs2BeebddBqKlHZ0HvLpLtlFCwPTfaMvJIcVKTs3KkavABYMfKAATcqhwlHgB9ycSWNkoaS_phCJKHdrZ_wJvwpwTcnmN27s9JMHbcLTVMLMC-C_fqDo6Ry_njCmR/s962/Screenshot%202023-08-27%20at%203.37.22%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="842" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeUdkdEVunvdzMej7Jrm2KwXft0lcy63Y3FS0Nb7q44xbqqtUdr8GqSKJs2BeebddBqKlHZ0HvLpLtlFCwPTfaMvJIcVKTs3KkavABYMfKAATcqhwlHgB9ycSWNkoaS_phCJKHdrZ_wJvwpwTcnmN27s9JMHbcLTVMLMC-C_fqDo6Ry_njCmR/w350-h400/Screenshot%202023-08-27%20at%203.37.22%20PM.png" width="350" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here and there you'll see Native words. On one page, Ajuawak (he's the Ojibwe child) is standing at a chalkboard on which someone has written Ojibwe words for numbers from 1 to 10. I can see a teacher doing that for other Native languages. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the final pages -- which I strongly encourage you to read -- you'll find three helpful sections of background. First is a brief history of Rock Your Mocs Day and that it began in 2011 when Jessica "Jaylyn" Atsye of Laguna Pueblo suggested wearing mocs beyond days when we wear them for ceremonies or powwows. Second is information about moccasins, and third is a section titled Indigenous Children. There, you'll learn that Native children may be intertribal, or bi- or tri-cultural. I can use myself as an example. My mom is from Ohkay Owingeh. Her mother was from there and her father was Hopi. My dad is from Nambé Owingeh. His mother was from there and his father was white. In terms of tribal identity, I'm enrolled at Nambé, but I also have Ohkay Owingeh and Hopi relatives. Raised and enrolled at Nambé, my traditional moccasins and clothing are the kind worn at Nambé. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I adore what I see in <i>Rock Your Mocs </i>and recommend you get copies for your classroom and school library and that you consider getting one for your home library, too. And gift copies to friends! <br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27760240.post-31749618444623401722023-08-27T11:51:00.001-05:002023-08-27T11:51:06.914-05:00HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: REZ BALL BY BYRON GRAVES<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBOPSn8t4V5Ch3dQLY4JOIlaSQB6TFCMwUccD0PQA_YYG3txcx9RF2_tvXUTp7Rd2sMTejrdL4TpbuH-eG0gwby15ltGjI97Lk9OPM-FFruFHxagxVFOcv9ANTTayZUJW-zZMRLR7jHSYfgYNkIKJbZ2MRAsZL9Y2_MqeUV4gwGKjm4iQPE2B/s1314/Screenshot%202023-08-27%20at%2012.33.21%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1314" data-original-width="888" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBOPSn8t4V5Ch3dQLY4JOIlaSQB6TFCMwUccD0PQA_YYG3txcx9RF2_tvXUTp7Rd2sMTejrdL4TpbuH-eG0gwby15ltGjI97Lk9OPM-FFruFHxagxVFOcv9ANTTayZUJW-zZMRLR7jHSYfgYNkIKJbZ2MRAsZL9Y2_MqeUV4gwGKjm4iQPE2B/w270-h400/Screenshot%202023-08-27%20at%2012.33.21%20PM.png" width="270" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Rez Ball </i></div></i><div style="text-align: center;">Written by Byron Graves (Ojibwe)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cover by Natasha Donovan (Métis)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Published by Heartdrum</div><div style="text-align: center;">Published in 2023</div><div style="text-align: center;">Reviewer: Debbie Reese</div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Review Status: Highly Recommended</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Earlier this month I was in San Diego at the California Indian Ed for All 2023 Summit. I was invited to give a presentation about children's books. During that trip I was reading an advance copy of <i>Rez Ball </i>by Byron Graves. At the gathering during breaks or meals, I'd tell people 'Hey! I'm reading this new book, <i>Rez Ball....' </i>and I'd tell them a bit about what I'd been reading. Their faces lit up and I was glad to see them jotting down the title. For me, and them, and so many Native kids, basketball is the game!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The morning of my departure, I was so caught up by the book that I nearly missed my plane! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm one of the Native kids who grew up on a reservation where playing basketball was the thing. In high school some of my cousins from Nambé played on the basketball team. Years later, I taught at a school for Native kids and can't tell you have many times I got hoarse, cheering for our teams (especially when we were making it to state championship games). Then came a years-long span of time when I wasn't watching games. But then last year we moved to California and I started following the NBA. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When I was reading <i>Rez Ball </i>and came across references to Steph Curry, and LeBron, and Kevin Durant, I texted friends to tell them! I gotta say, there were many exclamation points in my texts. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">****</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">You can tell: I really like this book! Here's the synopsis:</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team—even though he can’t help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident.</span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Jaxon's former teammates on the varsity team offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe rez all the way to their first state championship. This is the first step toward his dream of playing in the NBA, no matter how much the odds are stacked against him.</span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But stepping into his brother’s shoes as a star player means that Tre can’t mess up. Not on the court, not at school, and not with his new friend, gamer Khiana, who he is definitely <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">not</em> falling in love with.</span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After decades of rez teams <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">almost</em> making it, Tre needs to take his team to state. Because if he can live up to Jaxon's dreams, their story isn’t over yet. </span></p></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Set on the Red Lake Reservation, <i>Rez Ball </i>is by a Native writer, and it is tribally specific through and through. Those are the two main things I look for as I read a book. In <i>Rez Ball</i>, there's families and cousins, and hanging out with them. Homes have Native art on the walls. Families serve Kool-Aid. Ojibwe words and rez-slang are mixed into their everyday speech. Kids read books by Native writers... It is way cool to see one reading Dawn Quigley's <i>Apple in the Middle</i>! And that passage about the Indigenous Baby Yoda shirt? Well, that was perfection! Across the country, Native people wrap baby Yoda with a warm embrace. Native people went all-out on social media, sharing memes and items they made.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In <i>Rez Ball, </i>there's teen parties where kids are drinking. And there's harsh realities, too. Native kids are profiled by security officers at shopping centers off-rez, and by police. And they deal with rivals who taunt them with anti-Indigenous slurs. <br /><br />Life of Native kids on reservations -- Byron Graves gives it to us straight. The joys and the tears... it is all here. As noted above, I highly recommend <i>Rez Ball </i>and I look forward to seeing what Byron Graves writes next! </div></div>Debbie Reesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972409006633565859noreply@blogger.com0