Indigenous Voices

Curated by:
Margaret Jacobs, Akwesasne Mohawk
Instagram @Margaretofsteel
Margaretjacobs.com

THE 101
Starting resources for those newer to the work and conversations.

THE 201
Some lesser-known facts on bipoc communities — resources that are historical, cultural, or otherwise important!

THE ISSUES
Resources on current happenings, politically or otherwise, that are issues right now for bipoc communities.

THE AWESOME
Resources celebrating the achievements/art/general awesomeness in bipoc communities.

The 101:
Resources for People New to Anti-Racist Work

READ

Digital Indigenous News Outlet
One of the leading media outlets for reporting on native issues.

“A Copy Editor’s Education in Indigenous Style” by Tara Campbell
“Journalists’ word choices are shaped by colonialism. Here’s how The Tyee is changing that.”

“How to Honor Indigenous Peoples with Your Kids, Today and Every Day” by April Brown

Diné Aesthetics
Reflections, analyses, and critiques on what it means to be Diné in the 21st century navigating a (colonized) world featuring stories inspired from cultural knowledge and traditions.

Explore

IllumiNative

  • “Created and led by Native peoples, IllumiNative is a new nonprofit initiative designed to increase the visibility of – and challenge the negative narrative about – Native nations and peoples in American society.” Fantastic website with lots of information and resources; the information verbiage is very accessible so it is a great place to start. They have a great Instagram account as well: @illuminative.

  • Resources on Indigenous Peoples’ Day

NDN Collective

  • “NDN Collective is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grant-making, capacity-building, and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.”

Native Land Project

  • A powerful tool to use in identifying Indigenous Nations, territories, and Indigenous communities — to learn about the territory your home or business is situated on, and to find information on land acknowledgements.

Tribal Nations & the United States: An Introduction

  • There are currently 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States and tribal constitutions determine the criteria for an individual's tribal enrollment. Each tribe has different customs, traditions, languages, governance, etc.

  • The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) founded in 1944, is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving the broad interests of tribal governments and communities. This website has a lot of different resources and links on policy and governance so the information is a little heavier to dig through (whereas IllumiNative is easier to navigate).

National Museum of the American Indian

US Department of the Interior: Bureau of Indian Affairs

  • The BIA is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ mission is to enhance the quality of life, to promote economic opportunity, and to carry out the responsibility to protect and improve the trust assets of American Indians, Indian tribes and Alaska Natives.

  • BIA FAQ Page

The 201:
Lesser Known Information on Indigenous Life and History

TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY

Tribal sovereignty refers to the right of American Indians
and Alaska Natives to govern themselves. The U.S. Constitution recognizes Indian tribes as distinct governments and they have, with a few exceptions, the same powers as federal and state governments to regulate their internal affairs. Each federally recognized tribe retains the rights of an independent sovereign nation apart from the local, state or federal government.

The U.S. government has an underlying contract with the tribal nations that the tribes possess inalienable powers of sovereignty. As such, the U.S. has signed numerous treaties, statutes and executive orders protecting the rights of tribal nations.

  • Project 562 and Matika Wilbur

    Project 562’s mission is to photograph and collect stories of Native Americans from each federally-recognized Indian tribe in the United States to create comprehensive visual curricula and publications representing contemporary Native America.

TRIBAL ENROLLMENT, BLO0D QUANTUM, KINSHIP AND LINEAL DESCENT: WHO GETS TO BE NATIVE?

A person’s tribal citizenship is determined by the individual tribal government. Many tribes use blood quantum as the primary criteria, while others use lineal descendancy.

In the United States, blood quantum is the degree to which an individual can prove a certain amount of Indian blood. This amount is used to determine the individual’s tribal belonging and legal rights.

Lineal descent means that anyone directly descended from original tribal enrollees could be eligible for tribal enrollment, regardless of how much Native blood they have.

In 1906, in order to control who received aid, the U.S. Interior Department began to issue Certificate of Indian Blood (CDIB) cards. In this way, American Indians are unique – no other group of human beings is required to carry a racial membership card. The use of blood quantum is viewed by many as an instrument of assimilation and extermination.

MOHAWK IRONWORKERS

The Mohawk tradition of ironworking began in the mid 1880s, when they were hired as laborers to build a bridge over the St. Lawrence River, between Canada and Mohawk land in New York State. They quickly earned a reputation for being good workers, and Mohawk “skywalkers” began “booming out” from their Native communities in search of work on girders far from home. For more than 120 years, six generations of Mohawk ironworkers, known for their ability to work high steel, have helped shape New York City's skyline.

OccUPATION OF ALCATRAZ

The Occupation of Alcatraz (November 20, 1969 – June 11, 1971) was a 19-month long protest when 89 American Indians and their supporters occupied Alcatraz Island. The protest was led by Richard Oakes, LaNada Means, and others, while John Trudell served as spokesman.

CHOCTAW NATION AND IRELAND

“Two ancient peoples. A modern-day connection. Nothing divides the Choctaw people from the Irish except for the ocean. Both the Choctaw Nation and Ireland were, in effect, colonized by outside powers. Both peoples have successfully preserved their cultures and traditions.”

WOMEN AND LACROSSE

Though lacrosse was traditionally seen solely as a men’s sport, the formation of the Iroquois Nationals inspired Haudenosaunee women to create the Haudenosaunee Women’s Lacrosse team. The team was officially recognized by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) in 2008. Today, the lacrosse leagues in North America are three men’s leagues—the National Lacrosse League, Major League Lacrosse and Premier Lacrosse League—and two women’s, the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League and United Women’s Lacrosse League.

THE ISSUES:
Resources on Issues Currently Affecting Indigenous Communities

MOST PROBLEMS STEM FROM INVISIBILITY AND NATIVES BEING VIEWED AS IN THE PAST AND NOT AS A CONTEMPORARY PEOPLE.

NON-INDIGENOUS MEDIA REPORTING ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES/NON-NATIVES TELLING NATIVE NARRATIVES/STORIES

Non-Indigenous media and creators use problematic language that enforces stereotypes and lacks a full understanding of the complexity of the issues they are reporting on.

VIEWING ALL NATIVE PEOPLES AS A MONOLITHIC CULTURE

There are currently 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States and tribal constitutions determine the criteria for an individual's tribal enrollment. Each tribe has different customs, traditions, languages, governance, etc.

AMPLIFY NATIVE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S PERSPECTIVES INSTEAD!

Native Education for All (IllumiNative)

“In partnership with Amplifier, we launched a new lesson plan and artwork series for educators featuring 6 contemporary Native changemakers and their many important contributions to this country. Through the artwork and lesson plans, students will learn about contemporary Indigenous changemakers fighting against invisibility and their many important contributions to this country!”

FRAUDULENT INDIGENOUS ART

MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN (MMIW)

MMIW USA

“MMIW USA’s number one mission is to bring our missing home and help the families of the murdered cope and support them through the process of grief. We give them hands-on support and guidance and if we don’t have the answers, we get the answers so that these families do not feel abandoned and alone in this struggle like so many have before them. Our broader goal is to eradicate this problem so that the future generations thrive.”

THE AWESOME:
Celebrating Awesome in Indigenous Communities

LISTEN & WATCH

Podcasts:

  • Metis In Space

    • Métis In Space hilariously deconstructs the science fiction genre through a decolonial lens. Join hosts Molly Swain & Chelsea Vowel as they drink a bottle of (red) wine, and from a tipsy, decolonial perspective, review a sci-fi movie or television episode featuring Indigenous Peoples, tropes & themes.

  • Indian + Cowboy Podcast Network

    • The world’s premiere member supported Indigenous podcast network.

  • All My Relations

    • “All My Relations is a podcast hosted by Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip) and Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation) to explore our relationships — relationships to land, to our creatural relatives, and to one another.”

  • Let’s Talk Native with John Kane

    • “The only Native talk show in Western New York!”

Comedy:

  • The 1491s

    • “The 1491s are a sketch comedy group based in the wooded ghettos of Minnesota and buffalo grass of Oklahoma. They are a gaggle of Indians chock full of cynicism and splashed with a good dose of indigenous satire.”

Music:

Film & Television:

  • “Rutherford Falls”

    • American sitcom that premiered on Peacock on April 22, 2021. The writer’s room features the largest Indigenous writing staff on American television. Incredible amount of representation with the writers, actors, artwork, etc. featured on the show.

  • “Reservation Dogs”

    • Reservation Dogs is a comedy television series created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi for FX Productions and streamable on Hulu. It premiered August 9th, 2021. It is a notable first in that it features all Indigenous writers and directors, along with an almost entirely Indigenous American cast and production team.

Movies:

  • Frozen River (2008)

  • Blood Quantum (2019)

  • Wind River (2017)

  • Smoke Signals (1998)

    • Screenplay by author Sherman Alexie. In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

    • In 2018, Alexie admitted to sexual harassment/harm of young women after NPR released its eight and a half minute segment and online feature detailing his history of sexual harassment. Film is still iconic/culturally relevant and embedded in pop culture in many Native communities.

EXPLORE

Indigenous Fashion:

Indigenous Designers:

Visual Artists:

CONNECT & SUPPORT

Projects and Organizations:

  • Lakota People’s Law Project

    • Lakota People’s Law Project (LPLP) aims to assist in the reclamation of Indigenous lands and to stop all threats to the Lakota culture.

  • Native American Rights Fund

    • Since 1970, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) has provided legal assistance to Indian tribes, organizations, and individuals nationwide who might otherwise have gone without adequate representation.

  • Native Governance Center

    • Native Governance Center is a Native American-led nonprofit organization located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Our mission is to assist Tribal nations in strengthening their governance systems and capacity to exercise sovereignty through leadership development and Tribal governance support. 

  • We are the Seeds

    • “We are the Seeds of Culture Trust Greater Philadelphia was founded by a team of Indigenous women who are dedicated to honoring Native arts and cultures as a means to understanding Indigenous peoples, the history of what is now called the United States, and who we all are as American people today.

  • Well for Culture: An Indigenous Wellness Initiative

    • “Founded by Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins, Well for Culture promotes holistically well lifestyles.“

People:

Activist Social Media Accounts:

Businesses:

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

Land acknowledgements exist to celebrate the Indigenous peoples who are the rightful guardians of the land or territory that we as colonizers are inhabiting. A land acknowledgement also encourages non-Indigenous people to recognize that they are on stolen and unceded Indigenous land and to directly engage with that knowledge in meaningful and impactful ways. 

WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE AND OUR TEAM ARE OCCCCUPYING UNCEDED AND STOLEN LANDS AND TERRITORIES. 

Kristin occupies the Lenape territories of the Esopus Lenape Peoples.

Jenny occupies the Wabanahkik territory of the Abenaki and Pennacook Peoples.

Alba occupies Tiohtià:ke of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation.

Mack, LaToya, Morgan, and John Mark occupy the lands of the Kizh Peoples.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

'I regret it': Hayden King on Writing Ryerson University's territorial acknowledgement

Land Reparations & Indigenous Solidarity Toolkit