Blending Indigenous Culture and School
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What We Offer

Created to support indigenous students.

Háu – Haŋ – Aanii – Osiyo! – Hello

The Indigenous Education Program offered through the Minnesota Transition Charter Schools District #4017-07, strives to preserve and present cultural, traditional, and spiritual values of American Indian Nations by way of education, with family support and guidance.

CONTACT US

Coya Night Pipe, MSSL
MTCS Indigenous Education Coordinator
612-722-9013 ext. 1307
indigenouseducation@emailmtcs.org

UPCOMING EVENTS

BOOKS ARE GOOD MEDICINE PODCAST

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a scientist, writer, decorated professor and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of many books, including “Bud Finds Her Gift, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World” and “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.” In this special edition episode, Odia visits Robin at Open Book in Minneapolis for a conversation about her writings, youth fitness and wellbeing, and the importance of being connected to nature. This episode is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s IndigeFit Kids campaign, a $6 million initiative to improve the physical and mental wellness of Native youth in Minnesota. RESOURCES Check out all of Robin’s books and upcoming events: https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/ Open Book in Minneapolis: https://openbookmn.org/ IndigeFit Kids website: https://indigefitkids.org/ Books are Good Medicine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en Books are Good Medicine YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BooksAreGoodMedicine/featured Books are Good Medicine website: https://www.booksaregoodmedicine.com/ Have questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com.
Bonus episode: Author Talk with Robin Wall Kimmerer
We’re celebrating the end of our podcast, Books are Good Medicine. We launched this limited series podcast in 2024 to share books and other K-12 teaching resources on the Native American experience. In this series finale, hosts Allison and Odia reflect on their favorite interviews and takeaways from the series, share some fun facts, and talk about the best resources for educators looking to bring more Native books into the classroom. Have questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com. Resources Native American Teaching Resources guide: https://www.understandnativemn.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024_-Native_American_Teaching_Resources_Guide.pdf Birchbark Books: https://birchbarkbooks.com/ Fire Mountain Fabrics & Supply: https://firemountainfabrics.com/collections/ribbon-skirt-kits Hoċokata Ṫi cultural center: https://hocokatati.org/ Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post: https://www.mnhs.org/millelacs Minnesota History Center’s Our Home: Native Minnesota: https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/our-home Minnesota Humanities Center Native American Live Series: https://www.mnhum.org/program/native-american-lives-series/ Books are Good Medicine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and produced by Goff Public. Our theme music is “Stomp Dance” by Bluedog.
Series finale: Podcast highlights and resources for educators
The U.S. government’s Native American boarding school policy — largely absent from history books — forcibly removed hundreds of thousands of Native children from their families between 1869 and the 1960s. The policy aimed to eradicate traditional Indigenous lifeways from future generations of Native peoples. Sent to over 526 federally and church-run schools, these children were forced to give up their traditional clothing, punished for speaking their language, banned from practicing their culture, and subjected to abuse and neglect. Many never returned home. In this episode, Allison and Odia talk with Deidre Whiteman (Spirit Lake Dakota/Hidatsa) from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition about how educators can approach this difficult topic in the classroom and what teaching resources are available. Deidre also discusses the understanding needed to address the ongoing trauma created by Native American boarding schools in the U.S. Questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com. RESOURCES National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition website: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/ National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition education resources: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/resource-database/education-at-the-edge-of-empire-negotiating-pueblo-identity-in-new-mexicos-indian-boarding-schools/ National Native American Interactive Digital Map of Indian Boarding Schools: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/digitalmap/ Subscribe to the Coalition’s email list: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/subscribe-to-e-news/ More information on Orange Shirt Day: https://orangeshirtday.org/ Books are Good Medicine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en Books are Good Medicine website: https://www.booksaregoodmedicine.com/
Classroom essentials: Native American Boarding Schools
Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscogee) is a Native American artist who brings modernity to Indigenous history, languages and oral traditions while using the land as a teacher. In this episode, Allison and Odia talk with Marlena about how she uses her artwork to teach Minnesotans of all backgrounds the Indigenous history of this place we call home. They also discuss Marlena’s public art installations and the free resources she has created for educators to teach and share Dakota culture. Questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com. RESOURCES • Marlena Myles website: marlenamyl.es/ • Marlena’s Dakota land maps: marlenamyl.es/project/dakota-land-map/ • Marlena’s free resources and activities to teach about Dakota art and culture: marlenamyl.es/free-resources/ • Marlena’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/mylesdesigns • “Realms of Resilience” documentary • “Thanku: Poems of Gratitude” • “Indian No More” by Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell • “Paul Bunyan: The Invention of an American Legend” by Noah Van Sciver and Marlena Myles • Books are Good Medicine website: www.booksaregoodmedicine.com/ • Books are Good Medicine YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@BooksAreGoodMedicine • Books are Good Medicine Instagram: www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and produced by Goff Public. Our theme music is “Stomp Dance” by Bluedog.
Classroom essentials: Native art with Marlena Myles
Two environmental scientists join the podcast: Ferin Davis Anderson (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa/Ojibwe/Anishinaabe/Mitchifs) and Dr. Michael Dockry (Potawatomi Nation). These experts each have extensive experience in natural resource management. They join Allison and Odia to discuss how they incorporate Indigenous perspectives into natural resource management, Ferin’s new book, “Wildfire: The Culture, Science, and Future of Fire,” wildfire as a regenerative land management tool, and more. Questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com. GIVEAWAY To enter for a chance to win a copy of the book “Wildfire: The Culture, Science, and Future of Fire,” by Ferin Davis Anderson, email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com with the subject line, “Wildfire book giveaway” by June 6. We will randomly select 50 winners and notify them via email. RESOURCES • “Wildfire: The Culture, Science, and Future of Fire” by Ferin Davis Anderson and Stephanie Sammartino McPherson • “Wildfire: The Culture, Science, and Future of Fire” discussion guide • “Mothers of Xsan” book series by Brett D. Huson • “Before We Lost the Lake” by Chad Reimer • “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer • “Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults” by Monique Gray Smith • “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World” by Robin Wall Kimmerer • Books are Good Medicine Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en • Books are Good Medicine YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@BooksAreGoodMedicine • Books are Good Medicine website: https://www.booksaregoodmedicine.com/ This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and produced by Goff Public. Our theme music is “Stomp Dance” by Bluedog.
Classroom essentials: Cultural fire and environmental science
In this episode, Allison and Odia sit down with representatives from the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) who share their top resources, professional development opportunities, and other recommendations for educators looking to better incorporate Native content and perspectives into their classrooms. Guests in this episode include: • Dezi Lynn (Diné Nation), NIEA Educator Initiative Manager • Waquin Preston (Diné, Navajo Nation), NIEA Tribal State Policy Director • Helen Thomas (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe), NIEA Professional Learning Manager Questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com. RESOURCES • National Indian Education Association (NIEA) website • NIEA's digital resources for schools, teachers, parents and students • NIEA Learning for Sovereign Futures workshop information • “Indigenous Children’s Survivance in Public Schools” by Leilani Sabzalian • “On Our Own Terms: Indigenous Histories of School Funding and Policy” by Meredith McCoy • “The Water Monster” series by Brian Young • Instagram: www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en • YouTube: www.youtube.com/@BooksAreGoodMedicine • Website: www.booksaregoodmedicine.com/ This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and produced by Goff Public. Our theme music is “Stomp Dance” by Bluedog.
Classroom essentials: National Indian Education Association resources
Dream of Wild Health is a nonprofit working to restore health and well-being in the Native American community by recovering knowledge of and access to healthy Indigenous foods, medicines, and lifeways. In this episode, Allison and Odia sit down with Program Manager Jill Greendeer, Ph.D., M.A., M.S., (Ho-Chunk/Potawatomi/Kaw) and her son and colleague, Justice Haom. They discuss the goals of Dream of Wild Health, Jill’s new research on the barriers that Native youth face in the education system, resources for educators and much more. Questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com. RESOURCES • Dream of Wild Health website • Indigenous Food Network (IFN) website • IFN Youth Gardening Curriculum • Indigenous Voices ElevatED • Books are Good Medicine Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en • Books are Good Medicine YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/@BooksAreGoodMedicine • Books are Good Medicine website: https://www.booksaregoodmedicine.com/ This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and produced by Goff Public. Our theme music is “Stomp Dance” by Bluedog.
Classroom essentials: Native well-being with Dream of Wild Health
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis is a serious issue in both the U.S. and Canada, where Indigenous women are the victims of violent crime far more often than women of any other group. In this episode, Allison and Odia discuss how educators can bring awareness to MMIW and resources available to approach this topic in schools with author Marcie Rendon (White Earth Nation) and CEO of the Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition Nicole Matthews (White Earth Nation). MMIW RESOURCES • Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition website • Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women • National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center • Garden of Truth: The Prostitution and Trafficking of Native Women in Minnesota MMIW BOOKS • Cash Blackbear murder mystery series by Marcie Rendon • “Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands” by Kate Beaton • “Firekeeper's Daughter” by Angeline Boulley • “Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference, and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls” by Jessica McDiarmid • “If I Go Missing” by Brianna Jonnie • “#Notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women” by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale • “Paying the Land” by Joe Sacco • “Where They Last Saw Her” by Marcie Rendon RESOURCES • Episode 15: Author Talk: “Looking For Smoke” with K.A. Cobell • Website: www.booksaregoodmedicine.com/ • YouTube: www.youtube.com/@BooksAreGoodMedicine • Instagram: www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en Have questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com. This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and produced by Goff Public. Our theme music is “Stomp Dance” by Bluedog.
Classroom essentials: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)
High schoolers often enjoy reading books that explore themes of identity, coming-of-age stories and books that delve into social issues. In high school, students are also learning how to analyze texts and themes in their literature more critically. In this episode, Allison and Odia share their picks for the top Native American books that every high school library should have. Previous episodes covered the top Native American books for elementary schools and top Native American books for middle schools. GIVEAWAY To enter for a chance to win a set of five copies of the book “Voices from Pejuhutazizi: Dakota Stories and Storytellers” by Teresa Peterson and Walter LaBatte Jr., email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com with the subject line, “High school books giveaway” by April 15. We will randomly select eight winners and notify them via email. NATIVE AMERICAN BOOKS EVERY HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY SHOULD HAVE 1. “A Constellation of Minor Bears” by Jen Ferguson 2. “A Snake Falls to Earth” by Darcie Little Badge 3. “Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story” by David Robertson 4. “Catching the Light” by Joy Harjo 5. “Colonization and the Wampanoag Story” by Linda Coombs 6. “Crooked Hallelujah” by Kelli Jo Ford 7. “Elatsoe” by Darcie Little Badger 8. “Hearts Unbroken” by Cynthia Leitich Smith 9. “Man Made Monsters” by Andrea L. Rogers 10. “Moon of the Crusted Snow” by Waubgeshig Rice 11. “Murder on the Red River” by Marcie Rendon 12. “My Good Man” by Eric Gansworth 13. “Night Flying Woman” by Ignatia Broker 14. “One Native Life” by Richard Wagamese 15. “Running with Changing Woman” by Lorinda Martinez 16. “Soldiers Unknown” by Chag Lowry 17. “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee” by David Treuer 18. “The Outside Circle: A Graphic Novel” by Patti LaBoucane-Benson 19. “The Reason You Walk: A Memoir” by Wab Kinew 20. “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World” by Robin Wall Kimmerer 21. “The Summer of Bitter and Sweet” by Jen Ferguson 22. “Voices from Pejuhutazizi: Dakota Stories and Storytellers” by Teresa Peterson and Walter LaBatte Jr. Have questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com. This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and produced by Goff Public. Our theme music is “Stomp Dance” by Bluedog. RESOURCES: Website: https://www.booksaregoodmedicine.com/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@BooksAreGoodMedicine Instagram: www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en
Classroom essentials: Native American books every high school library should have
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