Native Americans

In 1833 German prince Maximilian and Swiss artist Karl Bodmer traveled through the Missouri River Valley to study Native Americans. Their detailed journals and artwork are the basis for this account of their travels. Freedman describes the customs, social structure, and artifacts the two men encountered as well as their friendship with the Mandan and Hidatsa peoples. Bodmer’s detailed paintings and sketches appear on almost every page.

This episodic story, set in 1764, explores the tragedies and triumphs that befall Kaya, a Nez Perce girl. Kaya’s hero is a brave and strong woman named Swan Circling. When Swan Circling dies suddenly while performing a selfless act, her people give away her belongings to guide her spirit to rest. Before this, Swan Circling had requested that if she died, Kaya was to be granted her Native American name — the greatest gift one could receive. Kaya realizes that this sacred gift is a sign of honor and trust and that she must earn the right to use it.

In alternating chapters, warm, carefully chosen words show the reader how it feels to be Morning Girl, a 12-year-old Taino, and her younger brother, Star Boy. The powerful ending packs a wallop and will leave the reader thinking long after the last page has been turned.

Told from the perspectives of both Sacajawea and Clark, this novel brings to life the famous story of Sacajawea, a Shoshone woman, who embarked on a long journey with the explorers Lewis and Clark. This intimate glimpse of Sacajawea as translator, peacemaker, caretaker, and guide makes readers understand the important role she played in making the explorers’ journey possible. Excerpts from these explorers’ journals as well as traditional tales of the Shoshone introduce chapters and add depth and a touch of humor to the story.

The spider, a character in many Native American stories, is numerous things — sometimes a teacher, other times an ally, but also a trickster. This collection of Native American legends is beautifully illustrated by five different Native American artists and endorsed by tribal authorities. Legends from several culture areas — including the Southwest, Southeast, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and California — are represented. These legends are great to read aloud to younger students, and older students will enjoy reading them on their own.

Although the story of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving has been a staple in schools for decades, the Native American version of this event is far less familiar. Told in the first person from Squanto’s point of view, Bruchac’s book begins with the brutal hardships Squanto endured at the hands of the English. After being kidnapped and enslaved in Spain, he works desperately hard to sail back to New England, only to find that his family and many other Patuxet people have died from disease brought by the white man. In spite of all this, Squanto is unaltered in his belief that “these men can share our land as friends.” He acts with dignity as an ambassador between the Native Americans and the English and helps the Pilgrims survive in their new world. Shed’s full-page, earth-tone illustrations add warmth and historical detail to this Thanksgiving story.

This Cherokee creation tale tells the story of a quarrel between the first man and woman. When the woman walks away from her husband’s harsh words, he follows, but is not able to catch up. The Sun sees how sorry the man is and tries to help by causing various berries to grow in her path. Only the sweetness of strawberries, however, has the power to stop her and allow her husband a chance to ask for forgiveness. This is how strawberries came to be, and now whenever Cherokee people eat strawberries they are reminded to be kind to one another.

In this retold Ojibwe tale, a little girl’s courage and determination save her village from a terrible disease and bring the delicate lady slipper flower to the forests of the Great Lakes. By listening closely to nature, the hissing snow, rumbling ice, and dancing northern lights, the little girl is able to bring healing herbs back from a neighboring village. The next spring she goes back to look for a pair of beaded ma-ki-sins she lost during her harrowing journey to retrieve the medicine. Instead, all along her route, wherever she had stepped, she finds beautiful lady slipper flowers shaped like tiny mocassins.