Storytime Theme: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the United States is celebrated on the second Monday in October and National Native American Heritage Month is celebrated in November. And while I am not Native or Indigenous myself, I think it’s important to celebrate the cultural diversity of our country when so much of it is getting swept under the rug at best and completely erased at worse.
That being said, it’s extremely important to share respectful and appropriate books, music, crafts, and activities if you choose to highlight a culture that you are not a part of. It also wouldn’t hurt to throw a quick note to parents when your program begins about the resources available and research you did to show that you are doing your best to be respectful of cultures that are not your own.
If you know someone in your community who would be interested in helping volunteer, that’s wonderful! We have an extremely diverse community and often enlist some help from the high school’s multicultural club. The teens are often looking for volunteer hours and we are then able to create a storytime with their help about specific cultures and holidays. If you don’t have that option available, then make sure to do the research. And because the Internet is what it is, check your sources with more than one reference point. Just because it seems okay by one person, may not make it okay with a larger audience.
The books and music that are listed below are by Indigenous creators whether that’s writers, illustrators, or musicians. And some of the music might be familiar, but it’s a great introduction for kids to learn about different instruments, rhythms, and sounds they may not be used to. The American Indian Youth Literature Award is a great tool for finding high-qualtiy books written and illustrated by Indigenous creators.
For the arts and crafts extension activities provided, I wasn’t about to offer up “indigenous” crafts that were inappropriate. So instead, I found an adorable strawberry craft that coincides with Berry Song. And I also found a fun process art collage project that can emulate Julie Flett’s artistic style of collage. Finally, I found some coloring sheets directly from Bowwow Powwow. Now, normally, I wouldn’t necessarily just offer up coloring sheets, but they are characters directly from the story and I’d rather provide something respectful, than something that comes across as disrespectful.
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Storytime Theme: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Books
- Berry Song by Michaela Goade
- Bowwow Powwow by Brenda J. Child, illustrated by Jonathan Thunder
- Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers, illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz
- Powwow Day by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight
- Sweetest Kulu by Celina Kalluk, illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis
- We All Play by Julie Flett
- We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade
- When We Are Kind by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
- Where Wonder Grows by Xelena González, illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia
Songs & Rhymes
- Asabikeshiihn (The Itsy Bitsy Spider) – Ojibwe.net
- Old MacDonald Had a Farm – Black Lodge
- Colors of My Heart – Sharon Burch
Crafts & Activities
- Contact Paper Collage – Playgroup WA
- Strawberry Craft – Housing a Forest
- Bowwow Powwow Coloring Pages – Minnesota Historical Society
