Native American Nonfiction
National Native American Heritage Month, observed in November, honors the histories, cultures, and contributions – historical and ongoing – of American Indians and Alaska Natives. This list was created by a librarian at The Seattle Public Library; annotations by staff, or as cited. (Created October 2024)
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Knowledge Within
Seventeen institutions in the Pacific Northwest with significant collections of Indigenous materials and art write profiles of their organizations and the work they do.
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Becoming Kin
"The fierce debut by Medicine for the Resistance podcaster Krawec critiques the harmful impact of European Christian settler colonialism on Indigenous Americans. The author, who is of Anishinaabe and Ukrainian heritage, details Indigenous American history from the first humans to populate the Americas through the present and outlines ways in which descendants of European colonizers and Indigenous people can become "good relatives."" (Publishers Weekly)
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Thunder Song
"In this affecting collection, Coast Salish poet LaPointe (Red Paint) explores how she has navigated colonized spaces as a light-skinned Indigenous woman, and the strength she draws from ancestral knowledge. The result is a beautifully rendered snapshot of contemporary American Indigenous life." (Publishers Weekly)
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Becoming Little Shell
"Montana poet laureate La Tray [Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians] combines personal reflection and cultural history in his gripping debut memoir. La Tray’s crystalline prose and palpable passion for spreading Indigenous history bolster his account. Readers will be fascinated." (Library Journal)
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Removal Acts
"Drawing its title from the 1863 Federal Act that banished the Dakota people from their homelands, this remarkable debut collection reckons with the present-day repercussions of historical violence. Through an array of brief lyrics, visual forms, chronologies, and sequences, these virtuosic poems trace a path through the labyrinth of distances and absences haunting the American colonial experiment." (Publisher description). Lynch is Ihanktonwan Dakota and a direct descendant of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
Format: Book
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Dream Drawings
In 100 prose poems Momaday (Kiowa) draws inspiration from dreams, memories, and spirituality in work that he connects back to a larger, universal story.
Format: Book
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A Muckleshoot Poetry Anthology
"Fifty-four poets - most from the Muckleshoot Tribal School - created works for this collection. Their writing highlights Muckleshoot history and culture while also spotlighting individual histories, lessons, and beliefs." (Publisher description)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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My Life
"A collection of twenty essays, poems, and other works that capture and celebrate modern Native American experiences, highlighting the depth and complexity of Native American identity, resiliency, and joy." (Publisher description)
Format: Book
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Thinning Blood
As the last person in her family who qualifies as a member of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, Myers weaves the stories of four generations of women in her family with folklore and history.
Format: Book
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By the Fire We Carry
"A Cherokee journalist unpacks the landmark 2020 Supreme Court case that recognized the eastern half of the state of Oklahoma as Indian country. Gripping, infuriating, and illuminating - a valuable corrective to our national ignorance." (Kirkus)
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