Celebrate Native American Heritage Month 2024

Join us this November in celebrating Native American Heritage Month, a time to explore the histories, ceremonies, and storytelling traditions of Indigenous peoples across North America.

There are many ways to celebrate, places to discover rich resources, explore collections, and attend events. 

• Discover highlighted resources from our curated collection below and check out some of the digital collections from the Library of Congress 
• Explore the mission and offerings of our campus Native American Center and their scholarship opportunities.  
• Stay tuned for a special blog post by Archives Assistant Shane Olsen, featuring primary source collections that capture Native American perspectives and contributions, both on campus and in the Stevens Point community.
• Experience the artistry of Joe Rainey, a musician blending Native American music with avant-garde styles. Catch his performance at the DUC on November 19th as part of the campus Coffee & Culture program.

VIDEOS

Urban Indigenous Culture (2023)
Part of the PBS Native American Series, we highlight the segment on Thomas and Hill preparing for a show in Brooklyn. They are part of a wave of urban indigenous people forming their own culture.

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (2017)

“This revelatory documentary bring to light the profound and overlooked influence of Indigenous people on popular music in North America. Focusing on music icons like Links Wray, Jimi Hendrix, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Taboo (The Black Eyes Peas), Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Jesse Ed David, Robbie Roberston, and Randy Castillo, RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocket the World shows how these pioneering Native American musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives.” 

Young Lakota: A Native American Leader Fights for Reproductive Rights (2013)

“In this award-winning documentary, Cecilia Fire Thunder – the first female President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, defies a proposed South Dakota law criminalizing all abortions, with no exceptions for rape or incest, by threatening to build a women’s clinic on the sovereign territory of the reservation. She ignites a political firestorm that sets off a chain reaction in the lives of three young Lakotas on the Pine Ridge Reservation, forcing each of them to make choices that define who they are and the kind of adults they will become.” 

The American Buffalo (2023)

“The dramatic story of America’s national mammal, which sustained the lives of Native people for untold generations, being driven to the brink of extinction, before an unlikely collection of people rescues it from disappearing forever. Ken Burns recounts the tragic collision of two opposing views of the natural world – and the unforgettable characters who pointed the nation in a different direction.” 

RESEARCH GUIDE
Take a look at our Research Guide highlighting the Tribal Nations of Wisconsin and various resources available in our databases and digital collections. 

RECENT BOOKS

Indigenous Firsts: A History of Native American Achievements and Events, by Yvonne Wakim Dennis, Arlene Hirschfelder, and Paulette F. Molin. 2023. 

Native American Archaeology in the Parks: A Guide to Heritage Sites in our National Parks and Monuments, by Kenneth L. Feder. 2023. 

Brave Hearted: The Women of the American West 1836-1880, by Katie Hickman. 2022. 

We are not Animals: Indigenous Politics of Survival, Rebellion, and Reconstitution in the Nineteenth-Century California, by Martin Rizzo-Martinez. 2022.