Bringing Indigenous Voices into Your Classroom

 Last summer at our Teacher Leaders in Montana History Conference, Teacher Leader Dylan Huisken (Bonner), pointed out two things: 

1. It's essential to provide students an access to sources created by Native peoples (rather than just sources about Native peoples), and

2. Many non-Native teachers who don't live near a reservation struggle with finding ways to integrate Native voices into their classrooms. 

That led us to work together to create this Google Sheet, "Indigenous Primary Sources." This is not the most polished document I've ever distributed, but I hope it's useful. I've sorted it by Federal Indian Policy Periods, but you can save your own copy to sort by Tribal Nation or date.

Most, but not everything, listed here is a primary source, including videos, documents, and images. We've included sources to use with younger grades (for example, picture books created as part of the Indian Reading Series) as well as sources for older students. Some of the sources will work well for U.S. history or government (see, for example, the letter from the Seneca chiefs to George Washington and the essay by Anishinabe environmentalist Winona LaDuke).

Others are specific to Montana, For example, you'll find links to an interview with Apsáalooke hip hop artist and fancy dancer Supaman and to an 1865 letter from Séliš Chief Victor.

I hope you'll check out these resources and then let me know what you think.

• Do you have a source you think should be added? Send me the information!
• Is there a way to share this information that would be more useful to you? Let me know that too. 

P.S. Don't forget to register for our next Monday Meet-up, November 13, 2023, from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. to learn from OPI IEFA specialist Mike Jetty as he shares Indian Education for All Resources.