This Native American History Textbooks Bring The Past And Present To Life

There are several distinct Native American traditions among the 574 federally recognized tribes, each with their own distinctive experiences and history. These unusual stories, however, may not always receive the recognition they deserve. Native American history has been recounted from a Eurocentric perspective that minimizes or denies the injustices that so many Native Americans are faced. Native Americans’ complete and complicated histories are routinely misunderstood or ignored entirely in larger discussion of American history.

Best Book On Native American History: Books On The History Of Race In The United States

Indigenous peoples’ rich histories, on the other hand, are not only essential to comprehending the U.s., from its beginnings to its evolution to its present state of affairs, but they are also intriguing in and of themselves.

The works listed below seek to communicate Native American history in an engaging and informative way. These publications offer a lot of information & insight through rephrasing events & giving voice to Indigenous peoples’ experiences. They debunk falsehoods, detail thriving communities, and share stories of active resistance. While the list follows is far from exhaustive, the works listed below span the Atlantic ocean to The pacific & span centuries.

Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee

Best book on native American history: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Dee Brown’s groundbreaking novel, brought the compelling, heartbreaking, and largely forgotten story of American West toward the front. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee retells the heritage of the frontiers from the viewpoint of Native Americans, detailing twisted treaties & violent battles between the US government & Native Americans. Brown provides an in-depth look at the. Native experience during the Reconstruction era & the end of century, culminating in the Battle of Wounded Knee, by detailing the history of the Navajo, Sioux, Cheyenne, and Apache, among others. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee tells the stories of leaders like Geronimo, Crazy Horse, & Sitting Bull who fought to safeguard their people, land, and culture.

Best Book On Native American History: David Treuer’s The Heartbeat Of Wounded Knee: Ancient America Since 1890 To The Present

In his book The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, David Treuer expands on Dee Brown’s legendary work. Treuer discusses Native American history from 1890s to the present day. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee tells the story of Native Americans who overcame adversity to retain their culture, navigate power, & pursue their own sovereignty.  David Treuer tells the very much still alive history of native peoples in a book that was a nominee for  2019 National Book Award, designated the best book of 2019 by the TIME, New York Times,  the Washington Post, NPR, & others, & even made it into President Obama’s favorite books of 2019.

Best Book On Native American History: The United States’ Indigenous Peoples’ History By Ortiz, Roxanne Dunbar

An Indigenous People’s History of  U.S, victor of the 2015 American Award Nomination, takes a complete look back at the events over the past 400 years. Dunbar-Ortiz traces the policies and practices that have guided the United States’ treatment of Indigenous peoples from the pre – colonial era to Andrew Jackson’s presidency and Westward Expansion. Dunbar-Ortiz reframes the story by exposing US atrocities and sharing Indigenous peoples’ stories of resistance.

Custer’s Death By James Welch

James Welch reveals the complexity and nuances of the 1876 battle dubbed “Custer’s Last Stand” by placing it in a fresh context. Welch, whose parents were part of the Blackfeet & A’aninin tribes, exposes the impact of the fight on the Plain Indians in a novel that is both historical and emotional. Welch delves into the history around this critical occasion, giving new life to a story riddled with myths and fallacies.

Best Book On Native American History: Ned Blackhawk’s Violence On The Land

Blackhawk chronicles the Great Basin’s dynamic and interwoven histories over the course of 200 years. Blackhawk speaks of the tremendous ramifications of Spanish affairs

Blackhawk speaks of the tremendous ramifications of Spanish affairs. The history of colonialism within the American West left  a harmful and lasting imprint on the region’s Indigenous peoples, marked by violence & a persistent need to adapt. Blackhawk chronicles the Great Basin’s history like never before in his award-winning book Blood over the Land.

Betrayed Aloha Silva, Noenoe K.

While Native Hawaiians are distinguished than Ancient Americans, they, too, get a particular history formed by their encounters with the US government. Aloha Betrayed provides Native Hawaiian history a voice. Best book on native American history, Noenoe K. Silva utilizes Hawaiian language texts & primary sources to shed new light on Hawaii’s unique heritage, revealing how Hawaiians are fought to preserve their culture & nation. Her book contains shocking facts, such as a document signed by over 95% of the domestic community opposing an American annexation plot in 1897.

Anton Treuer Warrior Nation

best book on native American history: Anton Treuer, a famous Ojibwe historian & linguist, delves into the history of Minnesota over 400 years. Truer illustrates how the Red Lake Nation has preserved its land tenure over the years by including oral histories from elders & tribe members, as well as information from tribal political strategists. Truer not only gives richness to the past of Native Americans in the U.S but also speaks to the Red Lake Ojibwe’s particular successes.

Best Book On Native American History: Mark Charles & Soong-Chan Rah’s Unsettling Truths

 

Unsettling Truths takes a fresh look at the history of settler-Native American relations, focusing on the manner in which church policy shaped the direction of American history. European religions’ early ideals contributed to the establishment of precedents and practices that have led to inequality throughout the Americas. Charles and Rah discuss the “Doctrine of Discovery,” which provides an in-depth insight into these ancient church policies. They demonstrate that the term is deceptive, and that the premise is essentially incorrect, as someone cannot discover the land that others already inhabit and investigate the myriad and long-lasting consequences that the initial edicts have had over generations.