We are in the full swing of autumn and it’s time to get cozy with some great reads. We’ve also been celebrating Native American Heritage Month and have a few newer books that explore Indigenous culture and history.
Our Way: A Parallel History is a collection of essays by different Native scholars. The focus of these writings are people and places, rather than dates and events, so that readers glimpse into the human side of Native history, including the Native Alaskans and Hawaiians. Sources of these essays are expertly documented and include transcripts of oral stories, papal bulls, congressional treaties, and more.
For a delicious exploration, Sara Calvosa Olson brings us Indigenous Californian recipes for the modern kitchen in Chími Nu’am. Olson makes some unexpected ingredients and new culinary techniques approachable for any home and family. Some of the recipes included are acorn crepes, smoked salmon, and cooked nettles. While the recipes are wonderful, this title also covers the foodways (eating habits and practices) of the Native Californians then and now. The photos are a beautiful treat as well.
Indigenous Firsts is the kind of book that you can pick up, flip to any page, and read a short entry, and then come back to for another piece of knowledge later on. Yvonne Wakim Dennis has gathered over two thousand trailblazers and history makers stories in this collection. The chapters are divided into arts, sports, sciences, and more, so find surprises by flipping through it or take a more focused approach.
In the mood for some investigative journalism? Or how about a thrilling legal expose? Enjoy both in By the Fire We Carry by Rebecca Nagle. The author covers the battles that led to the 2020 Sharp v. Murphy Supreme Court case, which regranted the largest acreage of land back to an Indigenous group to date. This real-life courtroom drama also involved a gripping 1999 murder case that revealed that the Muscogee Nation’s reservation had never officially been dissolved, which meant the land had been taken from them in 1866. Filled with twists and turns, this is a great choice for book clubs.
Carrie Lowry Shuettpelz brings us The Indian Card: Who Gets to Be Native in America. We are taken on the journey of what is required when navigating blood quantum laws created by the federal government. Shuettpelz points out that the US Census shows far more people identifying as having Native heritage than the number of enrolled tribal members. There are also the issues of “pretendians” (people pretending to be Indian) and the difficulties presented by the shifting meaning of identity.
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