Memories and stories are connected to our land, as described by B. Toastie, in the article, "How place names impact the way we see landscape", as place identity. Place identity is described as "our conscious and unconscious feelings and perspectives on the land." Many stories are tied to the land through our memories and by passing down those stories through generations. Through these stories we also connect with the land itself.

Joe Suina, shares the memories of his childhood and the experiences he faced when attending the boarding schools. He describes his life on his pueblo by expressing how at home he feels and how connected he is with his traditional values. Starting his education at a boarding school changed his way of life as well as his perspective. He struggled to adapt to a new way of life and was often punished for speaking and participating in his traditional ways. This led him to feeling ashamed of his identity and made him question his own beliefs. After reconnecting to his pueblo, he realized how fast his own world was changing and how many people like him have to adapt to this new way of life and learn how to balance two worlds.

The four selves of the Okanagan people are defined as our physical, emotional, thinking intellectual and spiritual self. Based on the beliefs of the Okanagan people, “our physical self makes up our entire being, which helps us in experiencing things”. The emotional self is the most important because it connects us with the land and other people. Our thinking intellectual self is our memories and our analytical thought process. The spiritual self is described as “bringing new knowledge into existence”. All of these selves are what connects us to our lands and what allow us to be vulnerable and more compassionate to the living things around us.

John Rollin Ridge was born on March 19, 1827 in Georgia. He was a member of the Cherokee tribe and was recognized as the first native author. He worked for many news article publishers in his attempt to seek justice for Native people and for advocating for workers rights. He was known as the first Native American to publish a book, and that book is titled “The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta”. His story was based on the life of Joaquin Murrieta, a Mexican American who was mistreated while working in the mines. He continued his writing career until his death in 1850.

Carlisle Indian Industrial School opened in 1879, and was the first and well known boarding school. Another school, Riverside, which was organized in 1879, was the nation's oldest federally run American Indian boarding school. These schools, as well as many others, sought to strip Native identity. Many victims, including Joe and Ethil Wheeler, experienced many struggles with trauma while attending these schools.

Sarah Winnemucca was born in Nevada in 1844. She lived out her life in advocating for the rights of her own tribe. She served as an interpreter, as well as a scout and guide during the Bannock War in 1878. She also taught in a classroom during the time of the boarding school era, where she taught her students their native languages and history. She wrote her book "Life Among the Paiutes" in 1883, in hopes to gain more people to sign a petition to Congress for the injustices done to her tribe. She became a symbol of the plight of all Indians in the fight for Native rights and freedom.

Scholastic has long since provided books to many schools in the U.S. However, Scholastic has received much backlash for taking books off the shelf that contain anything in regards to the LGBTQ community, or about any non-white communities. They provide schools with a "bigotry button" that excludes these books from being sold. Recently Scholastic has replied with an apology and explained their attempts in trying to avoid violating any laws that may exist in the state and local districts. However, it seems that Scholastic will not remove this option as it avoids any backlash from conservatives. 

Out in the Choctaw nation of Oklahoma, the cultural center has been constructing a biography series  called "Choctaw Culture Keepers", in which they write about individuals who significantly gave back to their own community. They are currently writing about a woman named Dr. Clara Sue Kidwell, an elder who dedicated her life towards writing and teaching. She is also an author who published books about the choctaw people. In 2022, the cultural center also published stories by choctaw women, which consisted of many poems and nonfiction pieces.  They hope to continue putting in their efforts in preserving their choctaw culture by the usage of storytelling. 

Storytelling has long existed in many tribes and pueblos. We use it as a way to communicate and connect to the people around us. In today's world, we use storytelling in everything we do, from creating pottery, to weaving a blanket. Stories like these help to keep our tradition alive and to give meaning to the things that we do and partake in. Although there has been a recent decrease in the amount of storytelling that is being told at home. There are many programs being set in different tribes in hopes to sustain and preserve these traditions.

The Alaskan Native tribe Yupik, many stories are shared in the form of "Story Knifing", which consists of many women gathering around in a circle to share stories. While using knives made of ivory, wood or bone, they draw many intricate illustrations and designs in the mud while they tell their stories. This tradition has existed for over 300 years. However, it has decreased over the years, as technology is the newer form of entertainment. 

Ireland is considered to have one of the richest folklore traditions in the world. They share specific types of stories in different cycles throughout the year. These cycles are the Ferian Cycle, Ulster Cycle, Cycle of Kings and the Mythological Cycle. Another way that they were able to preserve their stories is by the Seanachai. These were individuals who would travel around to tell stories in exchange for food and shelter. They were considered as the "Google of ancient times", as they knew much information of their culture's past, memories, and tradition. 

In the native tribes of Hawaii, they rely on storytelling as it is a big part of their culture. They use their dances and songs that tell stories about their history, myths, and legends. Their traditional Hula dances consist of songs that tell the tales of their gods and goddesses. They also use stories within their rituals or ceremonies. Storytelling is a big part of their tradition, as it is not written and is only present to those who want to learn.