Collection: Shop Indigenous

With a new afterword by the authors

A powerful, intimate collection of conversations with Indigenous Americans on the climate crisis and the Earth's future

Although for a great many people, the human impact on the Earth--countless species becoming extinct, pandemics claiming millions of lives, and climate crisis causing worldwide social and environmental upheaval--was not apparent until recently, this is not the case for all people or cultures. For the Indigenous people of the world, radical alteration of the planet, and of life itself, is a story that is many generations long. They have had to adapt, to persevere, and to be courageous and resourceful in the face of genocide and destruction--and their experience has given them a unique understanding of civilizational devastation.

An American Library Association Notable Book, We Are the Middle of Forever places Indigenous voices at the center of conversations about today's environmental crisis. The book draws on interviews with people from different North American Indigenous cultures and communities, generations, and geographic regions, who share their knowledge and experience, their questions, their observations, and their dreams of maintaining the best relationship possible to all of life. A welcome antidote to the despair arising from the climate crisis, We Are the Middle of Forever will be an indispensable aid to those looking for new and different ideas and responses to the challenges we face.

A Lambda "Most Anticipated LGBTQ Book of August 2021"

Following his award-winning debut memoir, Mamaskatch, which masterfully portrayed a Cree coming-of-age in rural Canada, Darrel J. McLeod continues the poignant story of his adulthood.

In Mamaskatch, McLeod captured an early childhood full of the stories, scents, and sensations of his great-grandfather's cabin, as well as the devastating separation from family, ensuing abuse, and eventual loss of his mother that permeated his adolescence. In the equally potent Peyakow, McLeod follows a young man through many seasons of his life, navigating an ever-turbulent personal and political landscape filled with loss, love, addiction, and perseverance.

Guided internally by his deep connection to his late grandfather, in a constant quest for happiness, McLeod strives to improve his own life as well as the lives of Indigenous peoples in Canada and beyond. This leads him to a multifaceted career and life as a school principal, chief treaty negotiator, executive director of education and international affairs, representative of an Indigenous delegation to the United Nations in Geneva, jazz musician, and, today, celebrated author.

Weaving together the past and the present through powerful, linked chapters, McLeod confronts how both the personal traumas of his youth and the historical traumas of his ancestral line impact the trajectory of his life. With unwavering and heart-wrenching honesty, Peyakow--Cree for "one who walks alone"--recounts how one man carries the spirit of his family through the lifelong process of healing.

The Cherokee Syllabary: An Illustrated Key to the Cherokee Language is a tool for parents and educators to introduce Cherokee children to the syllabary of their native language. Adults as well can appreciate the simplicity of the format to help become familiar with their Native speech.

On each page spread, there is a beautiful illustration of a syllabary character, a Cherokee word that contains the character, how to pronounce the word in Cherokee, and the word in English. Along the bottom of a page is a row of syllabary characters and their pronunciation.

The concept for the illustrations was influenced by medieval illuminated manuscripts. The intent is to allow people of all ages to learn, appreciate and celebrate the historic Cherokee language that was created in written form by Sequoyah in 1891. This book is a valuable resource for schools and libraries by adding multicultural diversity to their classrooms and collections.

We are divided over the history of the United States, and one of the central dividing lines is the frontier. Was it a site of heroism? Or was it where the full force of an all-powerful empire was brought to bear on Native peoples? In this startingly original work, historian Robert Parkinson presents a new account of ever-shifting encounters between white colonists and Native Americans. Drawing skillfully on Joseph Conrad's famous novella, Heart of Darkness, he demonstrates that imperialism in North America was neither heroic nor a perfectly planned conquest. It was, rather, as bewildering, violent, and haphazard as the European colonization of Africa, which Conrad knew firsthand and fictionalized in his masterwork.

At the center of Parkinson's story are two families whose entwined histories ended in tragedy. The family of Shickellamy, one of the most renowned Indigenous leaders of the eighteenth century, were Iroquois diplomats laboring to create a world where settlers and Native people could coexist. The Cresaps were frontiersmen who became famous throughout the colonies for their bravado, scheming, and land greed. Together, the families helped determine the fate of the British and French empires, which were battling for control of the Ohio River Valley. From the Seven Years' War to the protests over the Stamp Act to the start of the Revolutionary War, Parkinson recounts the major turning points of the era from a vantage that allows us to see them anew, and to perceive how bewildering they were to people at the time.

For the Shickellamy family, it all came to an end on April 30, 1774, when most of the clan were brutally murdered by white settlers associated with the Cresaps at a place called Yellow Creek. That horrific event became news all over the continent, and it led to war in the interior, at the very moment the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Michael Cresap, at first blamed for the massacre at Yellow Creek, would be transformed by the Revolution into a hero alongside George Washington. In death, he helped cement the pioneer myth at the heart of the new republic.

Parkinson argues that American history is, in fact, tied to the frontier, just not in the ways we are often told. Altering our understanding of the past, he also shows what this new understanding should mean for us today.

In this moving graphic novel, thirteen-year-old Reanna grieves the loss of her older sister. Can she find comfort through her family's Ojibwe traditions?

It's been a year since Reanna's sister, Chelsea, went missing on her way home from school. Without any idea of what happened, Reanna and her family struggle to find closure.

Driven from their home by memories, Reanna's mom moves to the big city. Left behind on the reserve, Reanna and her little brother go to live with their dad.

Reanna is hurt and angry that her mom has run away. She feels lonely, abandoned... but she is not alone. Lights turn on in empty rooms, and objects move without being touched.

There are little moons everywhere.

Indigenous artist and storyteller Andrea Fritz tells the tale of a wood duck and a crow who turn a mistake into an opportunity for friendship and growth.

Qwiwilh the wood duck is preparing to nest in his favorite tree when Q'uleeq'e' the crow invites him to play in the tall branches. They jump higher and higher up the tree until they accidentally break the branches and come crashing down into the stream below. After a daring rescue, Qwiwilh sadly realizes his nesting spot is gone, and Q'uleeq'e' decides to make things right for her new friend.

In this original story set in Coast Salish Traditional Territory, author and artist Andrea Fritz uses Indigenous storytelling techniques and art to share the culture and language of the Hul'q'umi'num'-speaking Peoples. This is the second book in the Coast Salish Tales, following Otter Doesn't Know.

The only book on award-winning Indigenous basket maker Jeremy Frey, accompanying his first major traveling exhibition.

Frey (Passamaquoddy) is one of the most respected Indigenous basket makers working today. Descended from a long line of basket makers, his work is known for its intricate design and exquisite artistry, which reflect both traditional techniques and his own creative vision.

This catalogue considers his work from a variety of perspectives. Secord, whom Frey credits for guiding his career as the founder of Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, contributes a detailed biographical essay. DeSimone situates Frey's work in the broader field of contemporary art, with a specific focus on the new video work he is making for the exhibition. Hoska focuses on Frey's art in the broader context of Native basket and fiber arts. And Mize considers the ways in which his expanding practice registers ecological knowledge, time, and the impact of climate change.

Thomas King is a writer of lyrical, comic poignancy, and a best-selling author in Canada. Of his latest novel, Newsday wrote, "Thomas King has quietly and gorgeously done it again." Truth and Bright Water tells of a summer in the life of Tecumseh and Lum, young Native-American cousins coming of age in the Montana town of Truth, and the Bright Water Reserve across the river in Alberta. It opens with a mysterious woman with a suitcase, throwing things into the river -- then jumping in herself. Tecumseh and Lum go to help, but she and her truck have disappeared. Other mysteries puzzle Tecumseh: whether his mom will take his dad back; if his rolling-stone aunt is home to stay; why no one protects Lum from his father's rages. Then Tecumseh gets a job helping an artist -- Bright Water's most famous son -- with the project of a lifetime. As Truth and Bright Water prepare for the Indian Days festival, their secrets come together in a climax of tragedy, reconciliation, and love.

Ezra Cloud hates living in Northeast Minneapolis. His father is a professor of their language, Ojibwe, at a local college, so they have to be there. But Ezra hates the dirty, polluted snow around them. He hates being away from the rez at Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation. And he hates the local bully in his neighborhood, Matt Schroeder, who terrorizes Ezra and his friend Nora George.

Ezra gets into a terrible fight with Matt at school defending Nora, and that same night, Matt's house burns down. Instantly, Ezra becomes a prime suspect. Knowing he won't get a fair deal, and knowing his innocence, Ezra's family sends him away to run traplines with his grandfather in a remote part of Canada, while the investigation is ongoing. But the Schroeders are looking for him...

From acclaimed author Anton Treuer comes a novel that's both taut thriller and a raw, tender coming-of-age story, about one Ojibwe boy learning to love himself through the love of his family around him.

Anikwa and James, twelve years old in 1812, spend their days fishing, trapping, and exploring together in the forests of the Indiana Territory. To Anikwa and his family, members of the Miami tribe, this land has been home for centuries. As traders, James's family has ties to the Miami community as well as to the American soldiers in the fort.

Now tensions are rising--the British and American armies prepare to meet at Fort Wayne for a crucial battle, and Native Americans from surrounding tribes gather in Kekionga to protect their homeland. After trading stops and precious commodities, like salt, are withheld, the fort comes under siege, and war ravages the land. James and Anikwa, like everyone around them, must decide where their deepest loyalties lie. Can their families--and their friendship--survive?

In Salt, Printz Honor author Helen Frost offers a compelling look at a difficult time in history.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2013

A Frances Foster Book

Introduce your child to the world of Navajo Culture and Diné Bizaad. My Navajo Book of Animals gives little ones an introduction to Navajo words for over 30 Animals!

A Native American boy's cat surprises him at his first powwow--making for a very special dance indeed!

Loaf the cat loves to play with her boy, and when she's particularly happy, she'll make the purr sound for him. She also likes to keep tabs on him, so when he disappears one day, she decides to find him. She follows his smell to a place where there are drums and colors and lots of people--and then she's excited to see her boy dancing fast, making the ribbons on his regalia twirl beautifully! When he takes a break, Loaf goes to greet him in her special way, making the powwow one her boy will never forget, and worthy of many purrs!

First published in 1970 and long out of print, The Indians Won is a stunning work of speculative fiction that imagines that, following the defeat of Custer and Benteen at the Little Bighorn in 1876, the many Indigenous tribes of America formed an alliance to sweep the whites out of the center of the country and form a new nation, bounded on both coasts by the United States. One hundred years later the two nations, having taken very different paths toward stewardship of the land and resources, are on the brink of war again, as the five hundred million wasichu of the United States eye the vast, open center of the continent, just as they had prior to their explusion in the nineteenth century. The difference is, now they are both nuclear powers.

Imaginative, enthralling, rich in historical detail, and written from the perspective of a Native American writer, The Indians Won is an emotionally charged novel that asks the question: What if the Indians had won?

PREMIO MAURICIO ACHAR - LITERATURA RANDOM HOUSE 2021

«Es una novela que golpea y remueve consciencias. Que ostenta un excelente uso de los registros documentales y dirige la atención sobre una situación urgente. --Cristina Rivera Garza

«La complejidad del punto de vista, la profunda investigación documental y la construcción de una intensa oralidad están aquí entramadas con la tradición literaria --latinoamericana. --Julián Herbert

Una novela con una oralidad poética deslumbrante. Una obra que te remueve todo adentro, con personajes que te acompañan y no te sueltan. --Alaíde Ventura

Dos kaibiles son enviados a un entrenamiento militar élite en Texas. Los adiestran para abatir el comunismo, la guerrilla y los pueblos originarios de Guatemala. Sus vidas no pertenecen a ellos mismos, sino a la patria; y si acaso al comandante kaibil Francisco Chinchilla, del servicio secreto guatemalteco, que está a cargo de su tortura, aquella que los dejará ciegos ante las atrocidades que presencian y perpetran durante la dictadura del militar Efraín Ríos Montt. A veces despierto temblando es una poderosa novela coral, escrita con una prosa tan poética como demoledora.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

MAURICIO ACHAR-LITERATURA RANDOM HOUSE AWARD, 2021.

"It is a novel that strikes and shakes your conscience. It boasts an excellent use of documentary records and draws attention to an urgent matter." --Cristina Rivera Garza

"The complexity of her perspective, the broad documentary research, and her construct of an intense orality form a lattice with Latin-American literary tradition." --Julián Herbert

"A novel with a dazzling poetic orality. A work that stirs everything within you, with characters that walk alongside you and never let go." --Alaíde Ventura

Two Kaibil soldiers are sent to an elite military training facility in Texas. They are both trained to bring down communism, guerillas, and Guatemala's indigenous peoples. Their lives no longer belong to them, but to their country, and perhaps to Kaibil commander Francisco Chinchilla, from the Guatemalan Secret Service, in charge of their torture, a torment that will blind them to the atrocities they witness and help perpetuate during Efraín Ríos Montt's military dictatorship. Sometimes I Wake Up Shaking is a powerful ensemble novel, written with the kind of prose that is as poetic as it is devastating.

A gripping YA fantasy with a deadly contest to win a crown, a fierce heroine determined to right the wrongs done to her people, and a smoldering love story that could change everything...

I didn't want to rule the Risen. Wreak a little havoc upon them, though? That was something else entirely.

Bell Silverleaf is a liar.

It's how she's survived. It's how all Treesingers have survived, after they were invaded by the Risen and their gods. But now--thanks to some political maneuvering--Bell is in the Queen's Test. She's one of seven girls competing in deadly challenges to determine who rules for the next twenty-five years. If Bell wins, she'll use the power to help her people and get her revenge on the Risen.

But Bell doesn't know how much she's been lied to. She's part of a conspiracy stretching back generations, and she's facing much bigger dangers than the Queen's Test. She's up against the gods themselves.

Getting hold of that crown might just be the least of her problems.

Aboriginal writer Ambelin Kwaymullina has created a fast-paced, twisty narrative and an unforgettable heroine inspired by the strength and power of Aboriginal women.

Everyone gets sad, angry, frustrated and disappointed. Difficult emotions are a natural part of life. In this book, Trudy's Healing Stone, Trudy Spiller shares a special teaching about a practice that anyone can use to help them process their feelings with the help of Mother Earth.

Medicine Wheel Publishing is committed to sharing diverse voices and perspectives, creating a platform for stories that celebrate Indigenous cultures and inspire understanding and respect among readers of all ages.