Resources to Explore Native American Cultures, Languages, and Literature
The potter, Hopi.(1906)
Photo: Edward S. Curtis. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 433169
The many Indigenous communities of the Americas have diverse and enriching cultures. In order to get to know them better and to broaden readers' horizons, a list of selected online resources and booklists for all ages is provided below. These resources are available in English, Spanish, French, and Indigenous languages. Happy reading!
RESOURCES TO EXPLORE @ NYPL
BOOKLISTS
9 Books for Native American Heritage Month
Nine books for all ages from several sources.
Découvrez les cultures des Premières Nations d'Amérique à travers la littérature [French]
A selection of titles in French for children and adults.
Descubra las culturas de las Primeras Naciones de América a través de la literatura [Spanish]
A selection of titles in Spanish for children, teens, and adults.
Honoring Indigenous Peoples: 20 Recommended Reads
20 books, selected by NYPL staff, that might serve as an introduction to a rich and diverse heritage of fiction, nonfiction, history, poetry, memoir, and more by and about Indigenous peoples in the United States.
Native Voices in November: A Booklist for Students, Parents & Educators
These titles highlight Native voices and stories that will evoke curiosity in young readers to explore and develop a better knowledge and understanding of Native peoples and communities.
DATABASES
American Indian Experience
Full-text digital resource exploring the history and culture of American Indians. An ideal resource for middle school, high school, and undergraduate research on American Indian history. Fully searchable, or browsable by era, tribe, state, and region.
Digital Collections – “Indians of North America”
Explore 904,765 items digitized from The New York Public Library's collections. This site is a living database with new materials added every day, featuring prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.
Ethnic NewsWatch (1959-present)
A collection of ethnic, minority, and Indigenous newspapers, magazines, and journals published in America. Includes the full text of over 50 newspapers and magazines, including Akwesasne Notes, American Indian Quarterly, and many more.
Indigenous Peoples: North America
Over 50 archival collections documenting the Native American experience from institutions such as the Library of Congress, the Association on American Indian Archives, and the U.S. National Archives. These digitized primary sources include manuscripts, monographs, newspapers, and photographs.
Latin American Experience
Database in English that covers the history and culture of all countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Iberian Peninsula, including content from today's Latin American countries, history of the Hispanic diaspora, and Indigenous peoples. Includes peer-reviewed essays, reference sources, leading documents, media, newspapers, and magazines. For teens and adults.
Press Reader
Provides access to current newspapers from around the world in full-color, full-page format. Includes over 2,000 U.S. and international titles. Formerly called PressDisplay. Registering as a user with the site is optional and allows for personalized, saved settings. Search for Native American Art.
NYPL RESEARCH COLLECTION
Native North America
A guide to the broad, outstanding collection of published books, serials, and related materials on Native American culture and history at the General Research Division of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
According to the Indigenous Language Institute, of the more than 300 indigenous languages spoken in the United States, only 175 remain. Without restoration efforts, this nonprofit group estimates that no more than 20 will still be spoken in 2050.
Navajo, Yupik, Dakota, Apache, Keres, Cherokee, Ojibwa, Choctaw, Zuni, and Pima are the ten of the Largest Native North American Languages by Number of Speakers Age 5 and Older (Source: 2009-2013 American Community Survey.)
Below are the links to NYPL’s collections that cover information about some of these languages and Indigenous communities.
Navajo
Yupik
Spoken Word
Dakota
Apache
Keres
Music & Video
Digital
Spoken Word
Cherokee
Ojibwe
Spoken Word
Choctaw
Zuni
Pima
Spoken Word
Arapaho
Spoken Word
Aymara
Spoken Word
Comanche
Spoken Word
Cree
Garífuna
Spoken Word
Guaraní
Huave
Music & Video
Digital
Spoken Word
Inuktitut
Spoken Word
Kumeyaay
Music & Video
Digital
Spoken Word
Kʼicheʼ
Spoken Word
Lenape
Music & Video
Mapuche
Spoken Word
Miskito
Spoken Word
Mopan
Music & Video
Spoken Word
Nahuatl
Quechua
Spoken Word
Qʼeqchiʼ
Music & Video
Spoken Word
Sioux
Yaqui
Music & Video
Digital
Spoken Word
OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES
BOOKLISTS IN ENGLISH
American Indians in Childrens’ Literature
AICL provides a critical analysis of Indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books. Click here for the 2020 list.
Anti Defamation League’s Books Matter
ADL’s collection includes picture, chapter, and young adult books on Native American and Indigenous Peoples literature.
Canadian Children’s Book Centre
A compiled list of books about First Nations, Inuit, and Métis to be used in classrooms and libraries for the National Indigenous History Month.
Cooperative Childrens’ Book Center
First/Native Nations titles recommended by the Cooperative Childrens’ Book Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison.
First Nations Development Institute
A compiled list of what the staff members of First Nations Development Institute consider essential reading for anyone interested in the Native American experience. Click on View List for a separate Recommended Reading List for Children and Young People.
Government of Canada #IndigenousReads Reading List
Lists of children, young adults, poetry, and adult books.
Must-Read Books About Indigenous People
This list of books about Indigenous people from around the world features Native voices writing about their own experiences and cultures in both fiction and nonfiction, as well as journalists and writers from the outside who are highlighting the plights they face.
Seattle Public Library’s #Ownvoices: Kids Books by Indigenous Authors and Illustrators
Books for children by Native American and First Nations authors and illustrators.
Social Justice Book’s American Indians / Indigenous Peoples / Native Nations
This list was compiled by Debbie Reese of AICL and includes material for toddlers through high school students.
Worlds of Words: Center of Global Literacies and Literatures (University of Arizona)
Multiple Booklists divided into three categories: thematic lists, award lists, and bibliographies from Language and Culture Kits. It includes the Hopi & Navajo/American Indians of the Southwest Language and Culture Kit.
LISTES DE LIVRES EN FRANÇAIS
Découvrez la littérature des Premières Nations
Recommended titles for children, young adults, and adults.
IBBY Canada’s Celebrating Indigenous Picture Books list
This collection is a selection of 100 of the best books by Indigenous authors, many illustrated by Indigenous artists, published in Canada, and currently in print.
Liste des #Lectures Autochtones Gouvernement du Canada
Lists of children, young adults, poetry, and adult books.
Littérature jeunesse autochtone – Communication Jeunesse
List of books written and illustrated by Indigenous authors to better understand the diverse and sometimes complex realities of First Nations and Inuit in Quebec and Canada.
LISTAS DE LIBROS EN ESPAÑOL
12 libros infantiles en lenguas indígenas de México
Bilingual children's books in Spanish and some Indigenous languages to teach children that languages have the same rank and deserve the same recognition.
Biblioteca Básica de los Pueblos Indígenas de Colombia
This collection, published in 2010, brings together two anthologies of stories and poetry belonging to Indigenous peoples throughout the length and breadth of Colombia, an anthology of Uitoto myths, texts, and manifestos of the Indigenous movement of the last century, and the bilingual work of three poets young people who write respectively in Wayuu, Camëntsá, Quechua, and Spanish. It is literature that aims to listen more than talk.
Colección bilingüe Cuentos indígenas
A bilingual collection by Scholastic that explores Indigenous culture, folklore, art, and history in Latin American, the United States, and Canada.
Cuentos para niños en lenguas originarias
A list of children’s books compiled by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture Virtual library.
Lenguas legendarias
An interactive website where four free ebooks in PDF format are available featuring Yine and Matsigenk languages of Peru.
Libros y cuentos en lenguas nativas para niños
A collection of five free downloadable books in native languages from Colombia and in Spanish.
Puerto Rican Children’s Literature for Social Justice
Puerto Rican Children’s Literature for Social Justice: A Bibliography for Educators.
Quince libros para escuchar la voz de los pueblos indígenas
Listen to the voices, anger, and yearnings of Indigenous peoples in these 15 recommended books.
LITERARY AWARDS
American Indian Youth Literature Award [English]
Awarded biennially, the AIYLA identifies and honors the very best writing and illustrations by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America.
CODE Burt Award for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Young Adult Literature [English]
Celebrating Indigenous authorship benefiting First Nations, Metis, and Inuit youth. A Canadian literary award and readership initiative that recognizes excellence in Indigenous-authored literature for young adults (ages 12-18).
The Indigenous History Book Prize [English]
The prize is awarded to peer-reviewed scholarly books in the area of Canadian Aboriginal History.
The Indigenous Voices Awards (IVAs) | Prix Voix autochtones [English, French]
The IVAs were established in 2017 to support and nurture the work of Indigenous writers in lands claimed by Canada. Explore the published work of IVAs winners and nominees 2018-2020 available in English, French and Indigenous languages.
First Nations Communities Read [English]
An annual reading program launched in 2003 by the First Nations public library community in Ontario, Canada.
Manitoba Book Awards | Manitowapow Award [English]
Presented every two years to two Indigenous writers or oral performers who demonstrate excellence in writing, storytelling, or spoken word and who also actively support Indigenous verbal arts in Manitoba.
Premio Bellas Artes de Literatura en Lenguas Indígenas [Spanish]
The award consists of promoting the indigenous languages of Mexico, but also being a space to give them a presence, encourage non-speakers to want to learn them, as well as spread among speakers a way to enjoy their language, as it is part of their identity.
Premio de Literaturas Indígenas de América [Spanish]
This award was established by the University of Guadalajara with the purpose of recognizing the outstanding trajectory of writers of literature in Indigenous languages of the continent of America.
Premio Nacional de Literatura del Perú - Literatura en Lenguas Originarias [Spanish]
This recognition was created by the Ministry of Culture of Peru granting to the best recently published literary works, thereby stimulating literary creation and editorial production.
Premio Nezahualcóyotl de Literatura en Lenguas Mexicanas [Spanish]
This award was established in 1993 with the purpose of stimulating the literary creativity of the Indigenous writers of Mexico, as well as their contribution to the national literature, through the recognition of the creators who have incorporated the expressive richness of indigenous languages and cultures into genres. of contemporary literature
MULTILINGUAL DIGITAL RESOURCES
68 Voces
An animated series of Mexican Indigenous stories told in their native language.
Allo Prof [French]
Free online resources for Students, Parents, and Teachers. It includes different school topics. Explore different sections in Communautés autochtones and les populations autochtones d'Amérique.
Endangered Language Alliance
The Endangered Language Alliance (ELA) is a non-profit dedicated to documenting and supporting linguistic diversity and endangered languages in New York City and beyond.
Get Epic!
First Nations titles in fiction and nonfiction. Create a free account to access the materials.
This nonprofit organization provides vital language-related services to Native communities so that their individual identities, traditional wisdom, and values are passed on to future generations in their original languages.
Indigenous languages of the Americas
Information compiled in Wikipedia on the indigenous languages spoken in the Americas.
Indigenous Story Books
A resource designed specifically for children, families, community members, and educators. Inspired by the open-licensed stories from Little Cree Books. This project aims to make the text, images, and audio of stories available in indigenous languages as well as English and French.
Dedicated to the promotion of indigenous languages, primarily those of North America, Languagegeek provides free fonts and free keyboard layouts that try to cover all of the characters (alphabetical letters/Syllabics) necessary for writing Native languages.
Lenape Talking Dictionary
Online free lessons to learn the Lenape language.
National Museum of the American Indian
Online exhibitions highlighting the Native American cultures.
Native Languages of the Americas: Preserving and Promoting American Indian Languages
Native Languages of the Americas is a Minnesota non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation and promotion of endangered American Indian languages. [English, French]
Native Words, Native Warriors
Meet the Code Talkers of World Wars I and II. Learn about their lives and military achievements. Explore classroom materials for educators and students.
Navajo Language Academy
The Navajo Language Academy, Inc. is a non-profit educational organization devoted to the scientific study and promotion of the Navajo language. The NLA is a joint effort by professional language teachers and linguists.
Omniglot
An encyclopedia of writing systems and languages. You can use it to learn about languages, to learn alphabets and other writing systems, and to learn phrases, numbers, and other things in many languages. There is also advice on how to learn languages.
Reference:
Cohen, Patricia. (2010, April 5). Indian Tribes Go in Search of Their Lost Languages
Retrieved from https://nyti.ms/3gGMWP4
Koyman, Steph. (2017, October 4). What Was, And What Is: Native American Languages In The US. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2QkFkal