In Honor of National Native American Heritage Month
Here are some books to help you celebrate the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans:
Lifting the Sky by Mackie D'Arge Twelve-year-old Blue, always on the move with her ranch-hand mother, yearns for a real home where her father can find them, and on a remote ranch on a Wyoming reservation she finds that and more, including a mystical ability to heal injuries.
Preston Washington has done extensive research into the records of Freedmen, slaves owned by Indian tribes. Certain Native American tribes had close relations with African Americans, especially those in the Southeast where slavery was prevalent. Members of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Choctaw, and Chickasaw) held enslaved blacks, who migrated with them to the West during Indian Removal in 1830 and later.
The Midwest Genealogy Center has many resources for researching your American Indian ancestors. For instance, Cecelia Svinth Carpenter describes in her book, How to Research American Indian Blood Lines, where Native American information can be found, including libraries, courts, the National Archives, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Native American Feather Bonnets, camp fires, and stories. The kids' science club this last weekend at the H. M. S. Beagle Science shop in Parkville was a blast! Everyone had a good time, but I think the neatest thing about putting on this program was the fact that I learned so much about Native Americans. My professors are right. One learns best when one has to teach something, and I sure learned a lot about Native Americans when I was preparing for this club!
