Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day!

In celebration and in honor of the Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe and Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee and of indigenous peoples across the world we wish you a joyful Indigenous Peoples’ Day! 

Celebrate with your kiddo by checking out some incredible books by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples. Every year the American Indian Library Association honors the very best writing and illustrations by Indigenous peoples of North America with their American Indian Youth Literature Award. These books “present Indigenous North American peoples in the fullness of their humanity” and are accompanied by beautiful illustrations and artwork.

You can also celebrate Indigenous People’s Day by watching “When We Were Alone” by David Robertson together. The story is beautifully illustrated by Julie Flett.

In “When We Were Alone” a young girl notices things about her grandmother that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully colored clothing? Why does she speak Cree and spend so much time with her family? As she asks questions, her grandmother shares her experiences in a residential school, when all of these things were taken away. The book is an empowering story of resistance that gently introduces children to the history of residential schools in Canada.

The book also lovingly incorporates the Cree language. While speaking to students, Robertson shared why including the language in the story was so important to him.

To learn about the first peoples of the land we live on spend some time with this interactive map! Type in any address in North America and learn about the people and languages indigenous to the place.