Resources

 Recommended Resources:

Books:

• ​Neither Wolf Nor Dog​, by Kent Nerburn. ​In this 1996 Minnesota Book Award winner, Kent Nerburn draws the reader deep into the world of an Indian elder known only as Dan. It’s a world of Indian towns, white roadside cafes, and abandoned roads that swirl with the memories of the Ghost Dance and Sitting Bull. Readers meet vivid characters like Jumbo, a 400 ­pound mechanic, and Annie, an 80­ year ­old Lakota woman living in a log cabin. Threading through the book is the story of two men struggling to find a common voice. Neither Wolf nor Dog takes readers to the heart of the Native American experience. As the story unfolds, Dan speaks eloquently on the difference between land and property, the power of silence, and the selling of sacred ceremonies. This edition features a new introduction by the author. “This is a sobering, humbling, cleansing, loving book, one that every American should read.” — Yoga Journal​ ​(There are two other books in this series: ​The Wolf at Twilight​, and ​The Girl Who Sang To The Buffalo.​ They are well worth reading.)

• ​Moon of the Popping Trees​, ​by Rex Alan Smith. This book is more academic than ​Neither Wolf Nor Dog​. ​The last significant clash of arms in the American Indian Wars took place on December 29, 1890, on the banks of Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. Of the 350 Teton Sioux Indians there, two­-thirds were women and children. When the smoke cleared, 84 men and 62 women and children lay dead, their bodies scattered along a stretch of more than a mile where they had been trying to flee. Of some 500 soldiers and scouts, about 30 were dead—some, probably, from their own crossfire. Wounded Knee has excited contradictory accounts and heated emotions. To answer whether it was a battle or a massacre, Rex Alan Smith goes further into the historical records and cultural traditions of the combatants than anyone has gone before. His work results in what Alvin Josephy Jr., editor of American Heritage, calls "the most definitive and unbiased" account of all, ​Moon of Popping Trees​.

• ​Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee​, by Dee Brown. This is Dee Brown's classic, eloquent, meticulously documented account of the systematic destruction of the American Indian during the second half of the nineteenth century. A national bestseller in hardcover for more than a year after its initial publication, it has sold over four million copies in multiple editions and has been translated into seventeen languages. Using council records, autobiographies, and firsthand descriptions, Brown allows great chiefs and warriors of the Dakota, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes to tell us in their own words of the series of battles, massacres, and broken treaties that finally left them and their people demoralized and decimated. A unique and disturbing narrative told with force and clarity, ​Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee​ changed forever our vision of how the West was won, and lost. It tells a story that should not be forgotten, and so must be retold from time to time. "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" remains a valuable and influential book, but it's essential to approach it critically, recognizing its strengths and limitations, and considering other perspectives on the history of the American West. Some historians, like Francis Paul Prucha, have criticized the book for lacking sources for much of the material, except for direct quotations. It's important to note that the book presents a particular perspective, and it's not a comprehensive or definitive history of the period.  Modern historians also emphasize the complexities of the period, including the agency and power of various Native American groups, and the fact that they were not simply passive victims of westward expansion. 

.Black Elk Speaks is a 1932 book by John G. Neihardt, an American poet and writer, who relates the story of Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota medicine man. Black Elk spoke in Lakota and Black Elk's son, Ben Black Elk, who was present during the talks, translated his father's words into English. Neihardt made notes during these talks which he later used as the basis for his book. Though Black Elk was Oglala Lakota, the book was written by Neihardt, a non-Native. Some Lakota people and Native American scholars do not consider the book to be representative of Lakota beliefs.They have questioned the accuracy of the account, which has elements of a collaborative autobiography, spiritual text, and other genres. The Indiana University professor Raymond DeMallie, who has studied the Lakota by cultural and linguistic resources, published "The Sixth Grandfather" in 1985 including the original transcripts of the conversations with Black Elk, plus his own introduction, analysis and notes. He has questioned whether Neihardt's account is accurate and fully represents the views or words of Black Elk.The primary criticism made by DeMallie and similar scholars is that Neihardt, as the author and editor, may have exaggerated or altered some parts of the story to make it more accessible and marketable to the intended white audience of the 1930s, or because he did not fully understand the Lakota context. Late twentieth-century editions of the book by Nebraska University Press have addressed this issue by entitling the book as Black Elk Speaks, as told through John G. Neihardt (aka "Flaming Rainbow").

• ​Lincoln's Bishop: A President, A Priest, and the Fate of 300 Dakota Sioux Warriors, ​by Gustav Niebuhr. ​In the tradition of Doris Kearns Goodwin's ​Team of Rivals​ comes Gustav Niebuhr's compelling history of Abraham Lincoln's decision in 1862 to spare the lives of 265 condemned Sioux men, and the Episcopal bishop who was his moral compass, helping guide the president's conscience. More than a century ago, during the formative years of the American nation, Protestant churches carried powerful moral authority, giving voice to values such as mercy and compassion, while boldly standing against injustice and immorality. Gustav Niebuhr travels back to this defining period, to explore Abraham Lincoln's decision to spare the lives of 265 Sioux men sentenced to die by a military tribunal in Minnesota for warfare against white settlers—while allowing the hanging of 38 others, the largest single execution on American soil. Popular opinion favored death or expulsion. Only one state leader championed the cause of the Native Americans, Episcopal bishop, Henry Benjamin Whipple. Though he'd never met an Indian until he was 37 years old, Whipple befriended them before the massacre and understood their plight at the hands of corrupt government officials and businessmen. After their trial, he pleaded with Lincoln to extend mercy and implement true justice. Bringing to life this little known event and this extraordinary man, Niebuhr pays tribute to the once amazing moral force of mainline Protestant churches and the practitioners who guarded America's conscience. Lincoln's Bishop​ is illustrated with 16 pages of black­ and ­white photos. Note: This book was recommended by the Rosebud Episcopal Mission. There are differing opinions on whether Lincoln's decision was truly moral since 38 warriors were killed.

.The Lakota Way by Joseph Marshall III (recommended by Shane Red Hawk who some of us have met with several times): Rich with storytelling, history, and folklore, The Lakota Way expresses the heart of Native American philosophy and reveals the path to a fulfilling and meaningful life. Joseph Marshall is a member of the Sicangu Lakota Sioux and has dedicated his entire life to the wisdom he learned from his elders. Here he focuses on the twelve core qualities that are crucial to the Lakota way of life--bravery, fortitude, generosity, wisdom, respect, honor, perseverance, love, humility, sacrifice, truth, and compassion. Whether teaching a lesson on respect imparted by the mythical Deer Woman or the humility embodied by the legendary Lakota leader Crazy Horse, The Lakota Way offers a fresh outlook on spirituality and ethical living.

.The Day the World Ended at Little Big Horn also by Joseph Marshall III. Award-winning historian Joseph M. Marshall presents the revisionist view of the Battle of the Little Bighorn that has been available only in the Lakota oral tradition. Drawing on this rich source of storytelling, Marshall uncovers what really took place at the Little Big Horn and provides fresh insight into the significance of that bloody day. It continues from there into an engaging lesson in history. You will learn about Wounded Knee, the effect of government policies, the "conqueror's" mentality and the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians.

.Lakota Woman by Mary Brave Bird (Mary Crow Dog) : Mary Brave Bird grew up fatherless in a one-room cabin, without running water or electricity, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Rebelling against the aimless drinking, punishing missionary school, narrow strictures for women, and violence and hopelessness of reservation life, she joined the new movement of tribal pride sweeping Native American communities in the sixties and seventies. Mary eventually married Leonard Crow Dog, the American Indian Movement's chief medicine man, who revived the sacred but outlawed Ghost Dance. Originally published in 1990, Lakota Woman was a national best seller and winner of the American Book Award. It is a unique document, unparalleled in American Indian literature, a story of death, of determination against all odds, of the cruelties perpetuated against American Indians, and of the Native American struggle for rights. Working with Richard Erdoes, one of the twentieth century's leading writers on Native American affairs, Brave Bird recounts her difficult upbringing and the path of her fascinating life.

.Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer: As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two ways of knowledge together.

.The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer-From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world. As Indigenous scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. 

Movies: 

Short: 

Short film about Wounded Knee: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qTxIldJMHA 

 The previous page is sending you to

Longer:

.Sugarcane: An investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve. 

https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/sugarcane

.Bad River: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/bad-river The documentary, "Bad River," follows the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa's fight for sovereignty and environmental justice, particularly in their struggle against a 70-year-old Enbridge pipeline that traverses their reservation and risks a catastrophic rupture into Lake Superior. The film delves into themes of sovereignty, environmental justice, Indigenous rights, and the historical oppression faced by the Bad River Band.  

• ​Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee:​ This film adaption can be viewed online www.netflixmovies.com/bury-my-heart-at-wounded-knee-2007  2hrs. 13 minutes

• ​Dakota 38:​ ​In the spring of 2005, Jim Miller, a Native spiritual leader and Vietnam veteran, found himself in a dream riding on horseback across the great plains of South Dakota. Just before he awoke, he arrived at a riverbank in Minnesota and saw 38 of his Dakota ancestors hanged. At the time, Jim knew nothing of the largest mass execution in United States history, ordered by Abraham Lincoln on December 26, 1862. "When you have dreams, you know when they come from the creator... As any recovered alcoholic, I made believe that I didn't get it. I tried to put it out of my mind, yet it's one of those dreams that bothers you night and day." Now, four years later, embracing the message of the dream, Jim and a group of riders retrace the 330 ­mile route of his dream on horseback from Lower Brule, South Dakota, to Mankato, Minnesota, to arrive at the hanging site on the anniversary of the execution. "We can't blame the wasichus anymore. We're doing it to ourselves. We're selling drugs. We're killing our own people. That's what this ride is about, is healing." This is the story of their journey ­ the blizzards they endure, the Native and Non­Native communities that house and feed them along the way, and the dark history they are beginning to wipe away. ​From the film’s creators: “This film was created in line with Native healing practices. In honoring this ceremony, we are screening and distributing “Dakota 38” as a gift rather than for sale. This film was inspired by one individual’s dream and is not promoting any organization or affiliated with any political or religious groups. It was simply created to encourage healing and reconciliation.” Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf3cLT2LwuE. We have the movie on DVD. 2 hrs. 

.Indian Horse This film, based on the novel by Richard Wagamese, tells the story of Saul Indian Horse, an Ojibwe man who experiences the abuses and trauma of a residential boarding school in Canada. Recommended to us but do not see it in streaming.  

.Urban Rez: Documentary about the relocation of American Indians to urban environments. The Voluntary Relocation Program, spanning from 1952-1973, was the greatest voluntary upheaval of Native Americans during the 20th century. Urban Rez, explores the lasting legacy of the relocation policies that encouraged Native Americans to leave their homelands and relocate to urban areas across the country.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh3gs3eRYTs  1 hr

Lakota Nation vs. The United States: Lakota Nation vs. United States chronicles the Lakota Indians' century-long quest to reclaim the Black Hills, sacred land that was stolen in violation of treaty agreements. A searing, timely portrait of resistance, the film explores the ways America has ignored its debt to indigenous communities, and ponders what might be done today to repair the wrongs of the past.https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/lakota-nation-vs-united-states 

See the Zinn project below  columbusinamerica.com/  1 hr and 1/2

.Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood

https://www.rapidcitydiocese.org/docmentary-nbe/ This retelling of Black Elk’s life and legacy relies heavily on archival photographs and publications, expert interviews, and historical reenactments on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. In so doing, it goes beyond the book, Black Elk Speaks, and encompasses his entire life and legacy culminating with his family’s request that the Catholic Church declare him a saint. 1 hr. 

Short "trailer" Walking the Good Red Road 

https://youtu.be/v1sAiX8_-nM?si=Rb4y3Fe71KlP1Gd5 

.Series: Reservation Dogs. Comedy/Drama. Award winning series that follows the lives of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma, as they spend their days committing crime and fighting it. After the death of their friend Daniel one year prior to the events of the series, the gang wrestles with a desire to move to California, as Daniel dreamed of. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POkrsNVkGNk

https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/reservation-dogs

FIRST NATIONS FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL - https://fnfvf.org/The mission of First Nations Film and Video Festival Inc. is to support Indigenous/Native American filmmakers of all skill levels and work to provide them a venue for their works and voice.  

Articles:

.History of the Dakota 38: https://ictnews.org/news/traumatic-true-history-full-list-dakota-38

.Interview with Silas Hagerty, producer of Dakota 38: www.conversations.org/story.php?sid=318 

Blog post thejesuitpost.org/2016/05/a-stolen-past-is-just-the-beginning/  Article by Garret Gundlach, SJ teacher at the Red Cloud High School, focusing on students overcoming obstacles.

 NOTE: In a separate email from Garret, he states he refuses to take visitors to Mount Rushmore as it is a disgrace and defacement of a sacred place. 

. Articles re the controversy over Mount Rushmore: www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2020/06/25/mount-rushmore-oglala-sioux-president-removal-president-trump/3198922001/ 

www.grunge.com/223600/the-messed-up-history-of-mount-rushmore/ 

www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/the-strange-and-controversial-history-of-mount-rushmore (might need a subscription) 

. Articles re the protection of the Weelaunee Forest in Atlanta: Articles were based on a 2 day Summit. Members of the Muskogee Nation were centered at this summit.  streetsofatlanta.blog/2022/05/02/native-americans-share-concerns-over-fate-of-forest/ and  streetsofatlanta.blog/2022/05/09/native-people-hope-to-end-the-history-of-violence-and-racism-in-the-weelaunee-forest/  

Guilt, Responsibility, and Purgatory: How Traditional Catholic Teaching Can Help Us Think About Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations by Brett Salkeld: Article regarding Residential Boarding Schools:https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/guilt-responsibility-and-purgatory-how-traditional-catholic-teaching-can-help-us-think-about-truth-reconciliation-and-reparations/

Article regarding missing Native women: .   https://www.apnews.com/cb6efc4ec93e4e92900ec99ccbcb7e05 

Post regarding land in Evanston: https://www.foiagras.com/p/is-the-harley-clark-mansion-on-native 

Exhibits:

Field Museum: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibition/native-truths-our-voices-our-stories 

Block Museum https://www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/exhibitions/2025/woven-being-art-for-zhegagoynak-chicagoland.html?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADMa7yhxAlkg8zA-Y05ZiHQ5SBzFU&gclid=CjwKCAjw5PK_BhBBEiwAL7GTPRSSO0nk1ZIivtWQIDYLfUMEFxUiryiqA93otnCDww3OaoKKt0AlGxoC_HoQAvD_BwE (through July 13th)

Newberry Library: Native Pop! https://www.newberry.org/calendar/native-pop (through July 19th)

Various:

.The Zinn Project: The Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the teaching of people's history in classroom across the country. Since 2008, the Zinn Education Project has introduced students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of history than is found in traditional textbooks and curricula. www.zinnedproject.org/search?_theme=native-american&_grade=adult (movies and readings). NOTE: columbusinamerica.com/ Columbus in America is the best and most comprehensive film on the history of Columbus — and the uses and abuses of the so-called discovery of America. Columbus in America explores the history of what transpired in 1492 and after, and how “Columbus” has been used throughout U.S. history to legitimate the marginalization of Indigenous peoples. However, the film is ultimately hopeful, as it focuses on how the victims of Columbus and those who came after have themselves targeted “Columbus in America” to assert their humanity, their history, and their rights.

Lakota People's Law Project https://lakotalaw.org/

Social Justice Resource Center https://socialjusticeresourcecenter.org/

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