Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month, and the Library has a full line-up of performances, speakers, film screenings, and book discussions about Indigenous history and culture. Read on to learn more about upcoming programs and recommended titles from our collection!

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

• Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe Drum Circle
  • Tues., Nov. 1, 6:00-7:30 PM, Varina Library
  • Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with the Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe. Chief Terry Price will lead their traditional Tuesday evening drum circle in our Grand Stairwell.

• History and Culture of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe
  • Sat., Nov. 5, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Libbie Mill Library
  • Shaleigh Howells, Cultural Resource Director of the Pamunkey Indian Museum and Cultural Center, will share tribal history, artifacts, and information about traditional lifeways of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.

• Indigenous Storytelling
  • Sat., Nov. 5, 2:00-3:00 PM, Twin Hickory Library
  • Speaker Molly M. Bowman will weave their own story of Indigenous Rhetoric and how you can use stories not only in the classroom but throughout all of life. We are all made of stories and tell them every day. Sit for a spell and enjoy the story of stories.

• Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe Culture and History
  • Mon., Nov. 7, 7:00-8:00 PM, Tuckahoe Library
  • Chief Terry Price of the Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe of Virginia will speak about the culture, history, and regalia of his tribe. He will also show artifacts found in Virginia.

• Something to Talk About: Virginia’s Native Peoples
  • Tues., Nov. 8, 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM, Varina Library
  • Come out the second Tuesday of every month for movies, local history presentations, genealogy, and more! Bring your own lunch; the Friends of the Library will provide coffee, tea and water. In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, we will be screening a documentary on Virginia's Native Peoples and sharing a selection of titles in our collection from contemporary Native American authors.

• Powhatan People
  • Sat., Nov. 12, 2:00-3:00 PM, Virtual Program
  • Learn about the Indigenous Powhatan People of the Richmond region including their history, language, and culture. Presented by the Valentine in conjunction with the Twin Hickory Library. This is a Zoom presentation. Please register in advance.

• Monday Morning Matinee
  • Mon., Nov. 14, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Libbie Mill Library
  • Indian Horse (2019, NR, 101 min.): A boy grows up in a Canadian-Indian residential school in the 1970s, isolated from his tribe and Ojibwe heritage. With the help of a kindly clergyman, he strives to overcome the racism and stereotypes he faces on the ice hockey rink.

• Native Ecologies: How Rivers Shaped Indigenous Communities in the American South
  • Tues., Nov. 15, 7:00-8:00 PM, Fairfield Library
  • For thousands of years, Native people in the Southeast worked with local environments to ensure the well-being of their communities. VCU historian Gregory Smithers explores the ethos of environment and well-being by examining the long history of rivers in Native American history. His research reveals how the arrival of Europeans altered riverine ecologies and how Native Southerners are today reconnecting with local waterways to give new meaning to Native ecologies.

BOOK DISCUSSIONS

• Varina Afternoon Book Discussion
  • Tues., Nov. 8, 3:00-4:00 PM, Varina Library
  • A historical novel based on the life of the National Book Award-winning author’s grandfather traces the experiences of a Chippewa Council night watchman in mid-19th-century rural North Dakota who fights Congress to enforce Native American treaty rights. Join us for a discussion of The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich.

• Gayton Afternoon Book Discussion, Mon., Nov. 14, 1:00-2:00 PM, Gayton Library
• Gayton Evening Book Discussion, Mon., Nov. 14, 7:30-8:30 PM, Gayton Library
  • Written by a botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, this work examines modern botany and environmentalism through the lens of the traditions and cultures of the Indigenous peoples of North America. Join us for Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

• Tuckahoe Real Stories Book Discussion
  • Tues., Nov. 15, 7:00-8:15 PM, Tuckahoe Library
  • A myth-shattering work that draws on new evidence to reveal the massive enslavement of tens of thousands of North American Indians, from its beginnings in the early 1500s to its last gasp in the late 1800s. Since the time of Columbus, Indian slavery was illegal in much of the American continent. Yet, as historian Andres Resendez illuminates in The Other Slavery, it was practiced for centuries as an open secret. Join us for a discussion of The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America by Andrés Reséndez. 

• Teen Book Night
  • Mon., Nov. 28, 7:00-8:00 PM, Varina Library
  • Discuss popular teen books with us. A limited number of books will be available to pick up at the teen desk starting mid-October. November's title: Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger. 

FROM THE COLLECTION

EASY (Picture Books)

• We All Play by Julie Flett
• The First Blade of Sweetgrass: A Native American Story by Suzanne Greenlaw
• Buffalo Wild! by Deidre Havrelock
• Sweetest Kulu by Celina Kalluk
• We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
• Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard
• On the Trapline by David Robertson
• When We Were Alone by David Robertson
• Still This Love Goes On by Buffy Sainte-Marie
• Powwow Day by Traci Sorell
• Nibi’s Water Song by Sunshine Tenasco

KIDS

• Native American Nations series by F.A. Bird
• The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls by James Bird
• Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac
• Treaty Words: For as Long as the Rivers Flow Aimée Craft
• I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day
• Maria Tallchief by Christine Day
• Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-to-Be Best Friend by Dawn Quigley
• The Barren Grounds: The Misewa Saga by David Robertson
• Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Cynthia Leitich Smith
• We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell

TEENS

• Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
• Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline, sequel to Marrow Thieves
• If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth
• Walking in Two Worlds by Wab Kinew
• A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
• Surviving the City by Tasha Spillert-Sumner and Natasha Donovan
• Four Faces of the Moon by Amanda Strong
• Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask: Young Readers Edition by Anton Treuer
• A Girl Called Echo series by Katherena Vermette
• Sky Wolf’s Call: The Gift of Indigenous Knowledge by Eldon Yellowhorn

ADULTS

• Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline
• Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford
• Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
• Living Nations, Living Words: An Anthology of First Peoples Poetry edited by Joy Harjo
• 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance by Gord Hill
• Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah
• We Are the Middle of Forever: Indigenous Voices of Turtle Island on the Changing Earth edited by Darh Jamail
• Arts & Crafts of Native American Tribes by Michael Johnson
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman
• Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal, & Sovereignty in Native America by Gregory Smithers
• Johnny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead