November is Indigenous Peoples’ Month. It’s a time to celebrate and honor the contributions, stories, voices, and histories of Indigenous people.
Our particular area, Broome County, is on Conestoga-Susquehannock, Onondaga, & Haudenosaunee land. The Conestoga-Susquehannock tribe resided along the bottom watershed of the Susquehanna River, and their territory stretched from upper Pennsylvania into New York. It overlapped with other tribes at times. The Onondaga were one of five tribes that made up the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. This Confederacy stretched across New York, and it is one of the oldest democracies in the world. These tribes all have their own histories, as well as rich cultures.
This month highlights not only local Indigenous people but Indigenous people worldwide. These histories and stories are valuable and deserve to be known and celebrated.
One of the best ways to learn about these tribes and their cultures and stories is from Indigenous people themselves. And one of the best ways to do that is to read books by Indigenous authors!
Below we’ve put together a variety of books you can check out, all by Indigenous authors. These include fiction and non-fiction.
Are you looking for more recommendations? Come in and check out our displays or ask us!
All of the books below can be found in our catalog.
Fiction
- Swim Home to the Vanished by Brendan Shay Basham
- Màgòdiz by Gabe Calderón
- The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
- Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford
- Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq
- Buffalo is the New Buffalo by Chelsea Vowel
Nonfiction
- White Magic by Elissa Washuta
- A History of My Brief Body by Billy-Ray Belcourt
- Our History Is the Future by Nick Estes
- A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliot
- The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Poetry
- it was never going to be okay by Jaye Simpson
- Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz
- When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through edited by Joy Harjo