American Indian Film Institute, Films of the American Indian Film Festival (1975-2000). 2001, b/w photos.

In 1975, when the American Indian Film Institute first began its annual festival, there were not any films to speak of that honestly portrayed a Native point of view, and few of them had Native actors. This reference work of 25 years of the American Indian Film Festival shows what a long way we’ve come. Containing a brief synopsis of the 626 films that the festival has screened—along with detailed information such as country, year, length, director, producer, distribution cost and contact—this volume and its companion CD-ROM are indispensable for anyone interested in the history of American Indian films.
pb 40.00

Champagne, Duane (Ojibwe), Native America: Portrait of the Peoples. 1994, b/w photos and illustrations, maps.

Beginning with a foreword by activist and American Indian Movement leader Dennis Banks and a comprehensive, well-written chapter on Indian activism in the U.S. and Canada, this volume contains social and political commentary and thought-provoking essays. First chapters are organized by major cultural-geographical areas, each beginning with an historical overview and continuing with biographies of historical and contemporary leaders. Subsequent chapters cover Native North American languages, health, religion, arts, literature, and media, and an afterword by activist Suzan Shown Harjo.
pb 30.00

Champagne, Duane (Ojibwe), ed., The Native North American Almanac: A Reference Work on Native North Americans in the United States and Canada, Second Edition. 2001, b/w photos, maps, charts.

This absolutely huge (1,472 pages) comprehensive volume provides historical and contemporary information about the Native peoples of North America. A broad range of topics—including but not limited to history and historical landmarks, health, law and legislation, activism, environment, urbanization, education, economy, languages, arts, literatures, media, gender relations—makes this highly readable book essential for librarians and teachers.
hc 175.00

Davis, Mary B., ed., Native America in the Twentieth Century: An Encyclopedia. 1996, b/w photos and illustrations, maps.

All classroom teachers who are teaching anything about “Native Americans” should have this single-volume encyclopedia available—and use it frequently. The emphasis is on Indian peoples today, and the involvement of a great many knowledgeable Indian people, very close to much of what they describe, contributes greatly to accuracy and coverage of usually ignored matters, and lends energy and interest to the clear and interesting writing.
pb 80.00

Keoke, Emory Dean (Lakota), and Kay Marie Porterfield, Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World: 15,000 Years of Inventions and Innovations. 2003, b/w photos, drawings, maps.

With entries ranging from anti-asthmatic medication to zoned biodiversity, this meticulously researched volume is a comprehensive resource to the numerous inventions and innovations made by the indigenous peoples of North, Meso-, and South America. Containing over 450 entries, alphabetically arranged and fully cross-referenced, this indispensable reference book is a must for every classroom and library.
hc 65.00, pb 25.00

Keoke, Emory Dean (Lakota), and Kay Marie Porterfield, American Indian Contributions to the World. 2005, b/w photos, drawings, maps, charts.

This excellent five-volume set of Keoke's and Porterfield's one-volume encyclopedia is accessible to students from fourth grade through high school. The subjects covered are “Buildings, Clothing, and Art,” “Food, Farming and Hunting,” “Medicine and Health,” Science and Technology,” and “Trade, Transportation and Warfare.”
hc 175.00

National Museum of the American Indian, Do All Indians Live in Tipis? Questions & Answers from the National Museum of the American Indian. 2007, b/w photos.

Do all Indians live in tipis? Is it true that Indians do not like to have their photographs taken because they believe the camera might steal their spirit? Is it true that Indians sold Manhattan for twenty-four dollars worth of beads and trinkets? Was Tonto a real Indian? Did Indians really use smoke signals? Do they today? Did Indians wear socks? Do Indians have funerals? Apparently, few questions about Indians are too ridiculous to ask; and for the staff at the George Gustav Heye Center—the New York branch of the National Museum of the American Indian—to answer. The answers to the frequently asked questions in this book are well-researched, thoughtful and informative, and grouped into the following categories: identity; origins and histories; popular myths; clothing, housing, food and health; ceremony and ritual; sovereignty; animals and land; language and education; love and marriage; and art, music, dance and sports. Anyone who wonders if all Indians live in tipis really needs this book. Written at a level that is accessible to upper elementary students, Do All Indians Live in Tipis? is an essential resource for just about all teachers and librarians.
pb 15.00

Nies, Judith, Native American History. 1996, b/w photos and illustrations.

What makes this chronology special is that it places American Indian history in the context of world events. So, for instance, one can read that events in 1649 included the execution of King Charles I in England, the massacre of Irish civilians in Drogheda, and the victory of the Mohawk and Seneca Nations over the Huron.
pb 16.00

Reid, Betty (Diné), and Ben Winton (Pascua Yaqui/Aztec/Crow), Keeping Promises: What Is Sovereignty and other Questions about Indian Country. 2004, b/w and color photos.

In highly readable language accompanied by beautiful contemporary photographs (no sepia-toned Curtis images here), Reid and Winton describe the complex relationship between Native nations and federal and state governments. From “Who is an Indian?” to “What is a tribe?” to “What is sovereignty?” to “What is the relationship between state governments and tribal governments?” to the ever-present “Why can reservations have gambling if the states they are in don’t allow it?,” the authors discuss Indian identity, the connection of language and story, the people and the land, the reservation system, tribal governments, treaties, reorganization and termination, political activism, and cultural survival. Keeping Promises is a must for all classrooms and libraries containing books about "Indian history" that begin with Columbus and end with Wounded Knee.
pb 9.00.

Waldman, Carl, Atlas of the North American Indian. (1985), 2000; b/w photos and illustrations, maps.

This Facts-On-File volume has just been revised. The text is informative, the numerous maps (few pages are without one) are excellent, and the appendix—with 20-page chronology, alphabetical list of nations, reservations and place names—is very good for a quick look-up.
pb 22.00