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ShareUEN gathered these American Indian resources to help you recognize the accomplishments of the original inhabitants, explorers and settlers of the U.S.
General Information
Teacher ResourcesLesson PlansUtah Tribes
Videos in eMediaWeb Sites for Students
UEN American Indian Film Fest 2020 Virtual
Basketball, Water and the Lost City of Elbowoods
Relive the excitement of a 1942 basketball team’s bid for a championship and the fate of the team’s hometown which is now covered by Lake Sakakawea.
We're Still Here
Explore the music & educational outreach of First Nation indigenous hip-hop artists in Canada to address social injustices, heal personal traumas & preserve their cultures.
Saving the Sacred
Witness the process of the Koi and Habemetol Pomo to protect their 14,000- year-old homeland and culture from rapid urbanization and looting.
Sisters Rising
Watch the story of six Native women fighting to heal a society crippled far too by violence against indigenous women in the United States. Resources
General Information
American Indian Heritage Month Proclamation View 2016 Presidential Proclamation press release from the White House.
U.S. Dept. of the Interior Indian AffairsIndian Affairs provides services to approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. There are 564 federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives in the United States.
National Museum of the American IndianThe Museum is the first national museum dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans. Explore the Classroom Lessons, the Index of Resources and the Collections Search.
Library of Congress: Edward S. Curtis's the North American IndianThe Library of Congress presents over 2,000 prints from the work of photographer, Edward S. Curtis, who recorded Native American dress, ceremonies, life, and culture.
American Indian TribesA list of federally-recognized tribes.
Library of Congress: American Indian HistoryCheck out some of the American Indian History resources in the Library of Congress.
Utah Division of Indian AffairsThe Utah Division of Indian Affairs support Utah's American Indian tribes. Don't miss the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Circle of StoriesCircle of Stories uses documentary film, photography, artwork and music to honor and explore Native American storytelling.
Trail Tribes: Traditional and Contemporary Native CultureHistory with a tribal perspective, along trails followed by Lewis & Clark.
American Indian Medal of Honor RecipientsThroughout history, American Indians have been among those soldiers to be distinguished by receiving the United States' highest military honor: the Medal of Honor.
Our Mother TonguesExplore Native American language programs from Alaska to North Carolina working to save their heritage languages.
FNX - First Nations ExperienceNative American stories and content to create a diverse and entertaining channel across all media platforms 24/7.
American Indian Library AssociationAn affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), the American Indian Library Association is a membership action group that addresses the library-related needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives.
National Congress of American IndiansThe National Congress of American Indians, 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
My Tribal AreaMy Tribal Area gives you quick and easy access to selected statistics from the American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing statistics every year for the nation's communities
Videos
Websites
Educational Resource List for Webinar for Teacher presented by PBS Utah & UENAn in-depth look at educational resources and programming in honor of Native American Heritage Month
Indigenous Reads by Indigenous Writers: A Children’s Reading List This list of 14 recommended children’s books by Indigenous writers and illustrators was curated by The Conscious Kid Library and American Indians in Children’s Literature, in partnership with Brooklyn Children’s Museum.
The Mountain West Brings Native Lessons To The ClassroomAt a Colorado library recently, its Department of Education unveiled a brand new set of lessons for 4th graders.
American Indian History and Culture Smithsonian Institution's extensive collection of resources related to Native American heritage and culture.
Native American StoriesReading Rocket's list of Native American Indian stories.
Wisdom of the Elders Radio series featuring elders, historians, storytellers, artists, and leaders from thirteen American Indian Nations along the Lewis and Clark trail.
Teaching Young Children about Native AmericansThis online article discusses the prevalence of stereotypes and classroom strategies for teaching about cultural diversity among Native Americans.
Native American Leather and ClothesDetailed images of various tribes' clothing and accessories.
American Indians in Children's LiteratureEstablished in 2006 by Dr. Debbie Reese of Nambé Pueblo, American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) provides critical analysis of Indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books. Dr. Jean Mendoza joined AICL as a co-editor in 2016.
National Native American Heritage Month The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans.
Native American Heritage Month Resources for TeachersTo mark November being Native American Heritage Month, here are some suggestions for how to celebrate from Indian Country Today newspaper.
National Endowment for the Humanities National Native American Heritage Month Resources developed by EDSITEment or supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, we have highlighted new and classic lessons; upcoming professional development opportunities for teachers; documentary films available to stream; podcasts; interactive games; vetted websites; and archives of primary sources.
New Books in Native American StudiesThe New Books Network is a consortium of podcasts dedicated to raising the level of public discourse by introducing serious authors to serious audiences.
The Utah State Board of Education Indian Education The Utah State Board of Education’s (USBE) American Indian website serves as a guideline to facilitate and support in building a framework for program awareness and success. It will guide investigators based on current research, state, and federal requirements the information necessary that address the American Indian/Alaskan Natives in Utah.
Native American and Alaska Native Heritage MonthExplore Native American Culture with the Following Lessons, Activities, and Resources
Native American Cultures Across the U.S.Grades K-2
This lesson discusses the differences between five Native American tribes within the U.S. Students learn about customs and traditions and the regions where the tribes live.
Explore Pueblo PotsGrades K-4
In this hands-on activity, students will learn the meaning of imagery on two Pueblo pots by examining images and reading short excerpts from Native American folklore.
Native Americans TodayGrades 3-5
This lesson challenges students' views of Native Americans as a vanished people by asking them to compare their prior knowledge with information they gather while reading about contemporary Native Americans.
Not "Indians," Many Tribes: Native American DiversityGrades 3-5
In this unit of five lessons, students heighten their awareness of Native American diversity as they learn about three vastly different Native groups in a game-like activity using archival documents.
Pourquoi Stories: Creating Tales to Tell WhyGrades 3-5
Pourquoi tales are narratives developed by various cultures around the world to explain natural phenomena. Students study three tales and learn about their cultures of origin, then work cooperatively to write and present an original pourquoi tale.
Ute Indians: Past and Present4th Grade
Students will become familiar with the Ute Indians both past and present.
The Fremont People4th Grade
After learning about the Fremont people, students will make their own Fremont-Style pottery.
Myth and Truth: The "First Thanksgiving"Grades 6-8
By exploring myths surrounding the Wampanoag, the pilgrims, and the "First Thanksgiving," this lesson asks students to think critically about commonly believed myths regarding the Wampanoag Indians in colonial America.
Circle of Stories Lesson PlansGrades 6-12
Students will examine the complex and rich oral tradition of Native American storytelling, create their own stories to share, explore indigenous and Native American cultures and the issues which face them today.
How the Miss Navajo Competition Reflects the Ingenuity and Culture of the Navajo People7th Grade
The student will be able to understand how the skills necessary to win the Miss Navajo competition reflect the ingenuity and culture of the Navajo people.
Making Connections to Myth and Folktale: The Many Ways to Rainy MountainGrades 9-12
Following the model of N. Scott Momaday's The Way To Rainy Mountain, students write three-voice narratives based on Kiowa folktales, an interview with an Elder, and personal connections to theme.
Indigenous Music From Wounded Knee to the Billboard ChartsGrades 6-12
In this lesson, students are introduced first to Pat Vegas and Redbone by way of interviews and music from RUMBLE. They then look back to the late 19th century to consider the significance of Redbone’s success. Students will use clips from the film, as well as a set of seven source documents to assess the U.S. government’s attempt to control Native American populations by way of culture, particularly music.
The Indigenous Roots of Rock and RollGrades 6-12
In this lesson, students watch clips from RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World and explore Link Wray’s position as an influence on later Hard Rock and Heavy Metal musicians. Students will investigate the history of the Shawnee Tribe, and use Wray as a case study to consider what life might have been like for a Shawnee in the American South during the early 20th Century. Finally, students debate ways Wray’s early life might have contributed to his future musical achievements–particularly “Rumble.”
Debating Cultural AppropriationGrades 6-12
In this lesson, students will engage in a structured academic controversy to address the question, “should appropriation of Native American cultural practices be regulated by law?” Working in small groups, students will consider cultural appropriation in varying degrees by watching RUMBLE clips of African American “Mardi Gras Indian Tribes” from New Orleans, viewing images of sports logos, controversial fashion items, and consulting divergent viewpoints in regards to each.
The Music Behind the Red Power MovementGrades 6-12
In this lesson, students are introduced to the activist music of Buffy Sainte-Marie, Peter La Farge, and Johnny Cash, as well as the Native American Red Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s. By analyzing clips from RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World and examining historical documents, students will gain a deeper understanding of the history of Native American social movements, their tactics, the dangers they might have posed to the Federal Government, and the ways music might have contributed to their goals.
Negotiating Native Identity Through Art and MusicGrades 6-12
In this lesson, students begin by examining the ways their sense of identity might be affected by social pressures associated with different spaces. By watching clips from RUMBLE, students then discover how musicians Robbie Robertson, Stevie Salas, and Taboo have negotiated their Native identities, and compare these musician’s journeys with those of earlier Native Americans.
General Information
Native Americans in UtahAn article from the Utah History Encyclopedia about Native Americans in Utah.
Sacred Images: A Vision of Native American Rock ArtThis K-12 curriculum was developed to teach students about the culture and customs of the earliest inhabitants of Utah.
Utah We Shall RemainIn conjunction with the PBS series, PBS Utah produced a five-part companion series on Utah's five tribes.
Goshutes
Goshute IndiansAn article from the Utah History Encyclopedia about the Goshute tribe.
Skull Valley Band of GoshuteInformation from the Utah Indian Affairs about the Skull Valley Band of Goshute.
Goshute Tales:
- Coyote and the Rolling Stone (pdf)
- Coyote and Frog Race (pdf)
- Coyote Loses Eyes (pdf)
- Coyote and Mouse Make Snow (pdf)
- Bear and Deer (pdf)
Navajo
The Navajo NationInformation from the Indian Health Services about the Navajo Nation.
Navajo Nation
Navajo IndiansAn article from the Utah History Encyclopedia about the Navajo Indians.
Native Words, Native WarriorsThe National Museum of the American Indian honors American Indian Code Talkers. This is a companion website to the traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibition, Native Words, Native Warriors.
Memo Regarding the Enlistment of NavajosThis site gives more detail on the U.S. Marine Corps Navajo Code Talker program, highlighting Maj. Gen. Clayton B. Vogel's March 26, 1942, memo recommending the recruitment of Navajo men for the project.
Paiute
Paiute IndiansAn article from the Utah History Encyclopedia about the Paiute tribe.
Utah's Paiute Indians During the DepressionAn article from the History Blazer about life as a Paiute during the Great Depression.
Shoshone
Shoshone Indians - Northwestern BandsAn article from the Utah History Encyclopedia about the Shoshone Indians.
Ute
Ute Indians, NorthernAn article from the Utah History Encyclopedia about the Northern Ute Indians.
Southern Ute Indian Tribe HistoryAn article from the Utah History Encyclopedia about the Southern Ute Indians.
Ute Indians: Past and Present4th Grade
Students will become familiar with the Ute Indians both past and present.
Utah educators and students can download the following videos from UEN's eMedia
Geronimo and the Apache ResistanceDirect descendants of the legendary Native American leader Geronimo aid in telling the story of the Apache medicine man, who, along with his followers, resisted white settlement.
The Journey of SacagaweaThis program explores the life of Sacagawea from the rich oral history of the Augadika Shoshoni, Mandan Hidatsa and the Nez Perce Native American tribes.
Listening to Our AncestorsListen to the stories and traditions of Native peoples along the North Pacific Coast. Visit web page.
The Long WalkEight thousand Navajo men, women and children were marched at gunpoint through the scorched desert of the American Southwest to a barren reservation along the Texas border.
Native American Hide TanningNative American craftswomen illustrate various steps of hide tanning: hair removal, hide washing and then stretching the hide as it dries.
Reading Rainbow: The Gift of the Sacred DogPaul Goble's Native American legend about a boy who brought the gift of horses to his people and the significance of the horse to the Plains Indian.
Reading Rainbow: Giving ThanksThis book is based on the Iroquois Thanksgiving Address, an ancient message of peace and appreciation for Mother Earth and all her inhabitants
Secrets of the Lost CanyonLearn about Range Creek Canyon, an ancient Fremont Indian site in a remote corner of Utah, from this video produced by PBS Utah.
Sharing Perspectives at the National Museum of the American IndianAn introduction to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Surviving ColumbusThis video chronicles the Pueblo Indians' 450 years of contact with Europeans and their long, determined struggle to preserve their culture, land and religion.
Ute BeadworkVarious Northern Ute beaders demonstrate the craft of beadwork and its cultural significance.
Walking in Two WorldsThis PBS Utah production explores the complexities of Native American education - both the flaws and possibilities for change.
We Shall RemainThis PBS American Experience series presents a multifaceted look at Native ingenuity and perseverance over the course of more than three centuries. Visit web site.
What Can You Make From a Buffalo?The northern Plains Indians used every part of the buffalo. In this interactive matching game, students will match objects made by Native Americans from the buffalo.
Tracking the Buffalo: You Be The HistorianIn this online interactive, students will learn about the culture of the Plains Indians by determining the meaning of stories told on a buffalo hide painting and compare their interpretations to to that of a Smithsonian historian.
