myfatherslily Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 My 5 yo DD has recently discovered the American Girl books about Kaya and fallen in looovve:) We're reading through the series but I'd like to use the opportunity to teach her some good Native American history through movies (fiction, educational, whatever), books, websites, whatever is out there that's nice. "Nice" being "not Disney Pocahontas". :D What are your suggestions??? Can't spend any $$ right now, but we do have an awesome, huge library system, and the internet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4mkfam Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 Joseph Bruchac (he has a website --josephbruchac.com) has some good kids' books --young reader level, according to my husband who has discovered them. I've scanned a couple, but haven't read them. He retells some Native folk tales for children. There's one called "Squanto's Journey" that looks like one I'll need to find before November is over. Anyway, they should be good, authentic (not Disney *cringe*). There was a great mini-series on PBS last spring called "We Shall Remain" that was very well done. From what I recall, that would be appropriate (and interesting) to someone around upper elementary age. Your library might have access to that series. "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" is another great one, but probably more upper-middle school or high school level. Learning the history of where you live might also be a great place to start. Do some research and find out what Native peoples lived where you are. You might unearth some neat museums or stories just doing that. We spent this past summer in B.C., Canada living with and learning from Native peoples there --a recurring theme there is the pain caused (even to this day, long after the residential school system has been largely abandoned) by separating families and sending them to residential schools. If you decide to do research on this, I'd recommend doing it together and previewing what you find --some things could be sensitive re: stories of abuse, but it would really give her a different perspective on Native history than most kids get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 If you can find it, The Indian Book (OOP) has good basic information on different tribes across the US. I also like to use a lot of the picture books from the library, which has a fairytale/folktale section. They have pretty uniformly been hits at our house. You could also look here or here for some titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicoleA Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 Check out oyate.org, which is an excellent resource. Also, Debbie Reese's blog (http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/) takes a critical approach to many works in children's literature and I use that blog as a resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 We just finished 8 weeks of Native American studies and the hands-down favorite of all the kids was reading legends. We used these books. In a Circle Long Ago The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales Hold Up the Sky (specific to TX and OK) Another big hit was Native American Sign Language. To study the different types of tribes, we used the If You Lived With... books. It's really cool to see the similarities and differences when you read a variety of those. I agree with the recommendation of Joseph Bruchac. We have a few and checked out a few. The picture books were the biggest hits. Also, look to see if your library has anything by Ken Hunt, even in the adult section. He's got some great books. We have The Complete Book of Indian Crafts and Lore and it's great, although mostly from the Plains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 I'm also studying Native Americans with my 1st grader for her American History. We're also using In a Circle Long Ago. I have collected picture books over the last year or two and will be reading these too. Here are some we will be reading: Turquoise Boy A Navajo Legend by Terri Cohlene Buffalo Hunt by Russell Freedman The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomie dePaola The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble The Legend of Bluebonnet by Tomie dePaola Her Seven Brothers by Paul Goble The Hopi (A New True Book series) Celebrating the Powwow by Bobbie Kalman The Goat in the Rug by Geraldine Pueblo Storyteller by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith You could probably find most of these at your library and maybe a few more. I'm also going to have my dd read Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQmom Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 My younger children have enjoyed the "If You Lived with the _______" series of books. There are several titles relating to Native Americans. "If You Lived with the Sioux, Cherokee, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 My 10 year old enjoyed We Shall Remain when it was on PBS. There were some Schlessinger Media videos we got from the library when he was younger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted November 13, 2009 Author Share Posted November 13, 2009 Thanks for the great suggestions!!! I'll be looking these up!! It looks like you can watch We Shall Remain online http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/ I'll watch some of it and see if it would be good for DD. Thanks so much!! I'm hoping, too, to make outfits for her and her doll for Christmas, so I need to check these all out for design ideas too... shhh, don't tell...;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 (edited) My 10 year old enjoyed We Shall Remain when it was on PBS. There were some Schlessinger Media videos we got from the library when he was younger. Yes! I also agree with Niclole. www.Oyate.com is a very helpful site. I also like some of these books and resources: http://www.plimoth.com/books-media?limit=all Edited November 13, 2009 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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