We are continuing looking at how learning Native American culture through children’s literature is possible.
School librarians serve as a resource for the teachers and students we work with. In How to Teach About American Indians, author Karen Harvey addresses some of the roles of the school librarian in regards to Native American literature. We need to “use [our] knowledge of…[the] curriculum to provide American Indian literature, of all genre and at different reading levels.” We also have to “ensure that teachers and students have sufficient accurate information about any given American Indian culture to provide meaningful context for any selection of American Indian literature that is used in the curriculum.” Ms. Harvey also suggests that we “encourage teachers to read American Indian literature to gain a deeper understanding of Indian history, values, [and] beliefs.” I hope that this column helps you serve as a resource to your patrons when it comes to Native American Children’s Literature.
In this column I take a look as books about the Indians of the Arctic and Sub Arctic regions. I realize that some do not like to use “Eskimo” to refer to some of the natives from this area. However, I have chosen to us the term Eskimo when the book’s author does so.
ALEUT
Salmon Summer by Bruce McMillan. Houghton Mifflin, 1998, HB, 0-395-84544-0, 32 p.
Kinder – grade 3. In Salmon Summer Bruce McMillan looks at one aspect of native Alaskan culture — salmon fishing. For this photo essay, Mr. McMillan spent two months with the Matfay family at their Kodiak Island fish camp. The photos are excellent — large and colorful. The text is written in an appealing manner. The book is beautiful and well-done.
ANCIENT
Eyr the Hunter: A Story of Ice-Age America by Margaret Zehmer Searcy and illustrated by Joyce Haynes. Pelican Publishing, 1995, HB, 1-56554-101-4, 40p.
Grades 3-5. Using rhyming couplets, author Margaret Searcy tells the story of what life might have been like for ancient natives in Alaska. Eyr’s people are starving. He is sent out to scout for game. He finds a bear and starts a signal fire which blazes out of control and sends many animals out of the fire. As a result, he kills a mammoth which gives his tribe much food. The story is based on archeological evidence in Alaska. The colored illustrations of Joyce Haynes depict the text well.
CREE
The Cree of North America by Deborah B. Robinson, Lerner Publications, 2002, HB 0-8225-4178-5, 48p.
Grade 4-8. The Cree of North America is part of Lerner’s “First Peoples of Canada” series. The book contains much information that would be helpful in research: history of the Cree, their culture and traditions and the land in which they live, among other things. The books seems slightly slanted against the influence of Christian missionaries. The book is laid out with short paragraphs of information and brightly colored pictures. The book includes a glossary, index, and bibliography of references for further study. The book deals mostly with the Cree of Canada. Deborah Robinson has worked on a variety of projects. Her work on the environment and rights of native peoples seem to be her qualifications for writing this book.
DOGRIB
A Man Called Raven by Richard Van Camp and illustrated by George Littlechild. Children’s Book Press, 1997, HB 0-89239-144-8 32p.
Kinder – grade 3. In writing the contemporary story A Man Called Raven, author Richard VanCamp uses the legends he learned from his Dogrib elders. Chris and Toby terrorize a raven. A mysterious elder teaches them to respect life. The implication is that the elder was once a mean man who was changed into a raven. He only becomes a man again when people need to be reminded of something. Artist George Littlechild, a Plains Cree, illustrated the text with brightly colored paintings.
What’s the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? by Richard Van Camp and illustrated by George Littlechild. Children’s Book Press, 1998. HB 0-89239-154-5 32 p.
Kinder – grade 2. The narrator is home, it is forty below and cars won’t start. He is a member of the Dogrib tribe and they don’t have horses. They have dogs. He asks “What’s the most beautiful thing you know about horses?” In the responses of different people about horses, the reader learns a bit about contemporary culture of the Dogrib people: they live where it is cold, they don’t have horses, some watch WWF wrestling. The brightly colored illustrations by George Littlechild have an abstract feel to them. The book will encourage children to ask questions about things outside of their knowledge.
ESKIMO
Go Home, River. by James Magdanz and illustrated by Dianne Widom. Alaska Northwest Books, 1996. HB 0-88240-476-8 32 p.
Kinder – grade 3. Go Home, River is a story that could take place almost anywhere. Author James Magdanz chose to set the story along the Kobuk River in Alaska, a place where he has spent time with his family. A young Inupiat boy travels with his parents from his village to the river’s source in the mountains to the end of the river in the ocean and the annual trade fair. A subtle scientific lesson is taught in the book – that of the water cycle. Illustrator Dianne Widom’s experience with Alaskan natives is evident in her octopus ink paintings that illustrate the text.
Goodbye, My Island. by Jean Rogers and illustrated by Rie Munoz Alaska Northwest Books, 1983. PB 0-88240-538-1 86p.
Grades 2-5. Esther’s Eskimo ancestors have always lived on King Island, spending summers on the mainland in Nome. Now the government has said no more school and no more store, it is too expensive for so few people. Goodbye, My Island is the story of Esther’s last winter on the island. Author Jean Rogers has lived in Alaska and based the story on the actual closing a Bureau of Indian Affairs School on King Island. Artist Rie Munoz spent time teaching at the King Island school and so has first hand knowledge of the people.
Mik-Shrok by Gloria Repp and illustrated by Jim Brooks. Journey Books, 1998, PB 1-57924-069-0,
Grades 3-5. Steve and Liz followed God’s leading to go to a remote Alaskan village to work with Peter, a veteran missionary. Unfortunately, Peter’s plane crashes and he ends up in the hospital followed by rehabilitation. Steve and Liz decide to stay, learn the language, and continue Peter’s ministry. Some of the Eskimo culture in included, especially about dog sleds and shamans. The sketches of Jim Brooks illustrate the text. Gloria Repp has researched missionary life stories and huskies which lead to this historical fiction. Mik-Shrok is book one of a three-part series Adventures of An Arctic Missionary.
Neeluk: An Eskimo Boy in the Days of the Whaling Ships by Frances Kittredge and illustrated by Howard “Weyahok” Rock. Alaska Northwest Books, 2001, PB 0-88240-546-2, 88p.
Grades 3-5. Originally written in the 1930’s (but never published), Neeluk is the story of a seven-year-old Eskimo boy. Life of the Eskimo at the start of the Twentieth Century is described in a month-by-month format. Many details of Eskimo culture are shared from the viewpoint of a seven-year-old. A glossary of Inupiaq Eskimo terms is include. Author Frances Kittredge lived in a remote Eskimo village in 1900-1902. Artist Howard Rock, an Inupiat, illustrated the text with both full page oil paintings and small sketches.
A Place for Winter: Paul Tiulana’s Story by Vivian Senungetuk and Paul Tiulana. The Ciri Foundation, 1989, HB 0-938227-02-5, 125p.
Grades 5 and up. A Place for Winter is the story of what life was like on King Island in the Bering Sea before World War II. It is an autobiography of Paul Tiulana, an Eskimo. Many details of life on King Island are included. The text is less than 40 pages with the remainder of the book being photographs and their captions.
A Small Tall Tale from the Far Far North by Peter Sis. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1993, HB, 0-374-37075, 34p.
Grades K-3. Jan Welzl is a Czech folk hero who spent many years in the Artic regions. Author Peter Sis read Mr. Welzl’s memoirs as a child. In the Prologue he writes, “Here is a fragment of Jan Welzl’s story (a tall tale?), as it has grown in my imagination.” In order to do the illustrations Mr. Sis researched the Arctic people. More Eskimo culture is found in the illustrations than the text. The maps, storyboards and panoramas would probably interest older students more than the younger children the text is written for. A prologue and epilogue give the context of the story.
INUIT
The Inuit: Ivory Carvers of the Far North by Rachel A. Koestler-Grack. Blue Earth Books (Capstone Press), 2004, HB, 0-7368-2171-6 32p.
Grades 2-5. The Inuit is part of the “America’s First Peoples” series. The book includes a glossary, index and a list of other resources which increases its value as a reference book. The book covers the history, traditions and cultures of the Inuit as well as their life today. Religious information is also included. My only question concerning the book is why a consultant from the Hopi Day School in Arizona was used rather than one from Alaska. Rachel Koestler-Grack seems to have done a good job of staying true to the Inuit people.
The Inuit of Canada by Danielle Corriveau. Lerner Publications, 2002, HB 0-8225-4850-X, 48p.
Grades 4-8. Danielle Corriveau, an Inuit, packs a lot of information into 48 pages. Raised in the ways of the Inuit, she brings much of her experience into the book. From descriptions of the land to the animals who inhabit it, from the Inuit to the explorers from the “outside”, from the Inuit traditional way of life to modern life; it’s all included in The Inuit of Canada. Photos and drawings illustrate the text. A glossary, index, and list of other resources make this a good reference book.
The Transformation by Mette Newth. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997. HB 0-374-37752-9 195p.
Young Adult. In the 1400’s a contingent of Catholics went to Greenland to convert the “heathens.” Brendan is the only one who survives the winter that lasted several years. Nawana is an Inuit woman who was orphaned by the long harsh winter. She rescues Brendan; they fall in love and “marry”. The story contains the beliefs and practices of the ancient Inuits. It also shows the struggle missionaries face when approaching an unknown culture. There are references to nudity and one described pre-marital love-making scene which is why the book received a lower rating. The book does have value for showing the historical native culture of the Inuits. I’d recommend librarians read the book for themselves and determine its suitability for their library.
YUPIK
Dance on a Sealskin by Barbara Winslow and illustrated by Teri Sloat. Alaska Northwest Books, 1995, PB 0-88240-559-4, 32p.
Grades 1-3 Dance on a Sealskin is based on the Yupik tradition of a “first dance”. The author and illustrator both taught in Yupik elementary schools and based the story on their experiences. Dance on a Sealskin has been recognized as a notable children’s book in the field of social studies. It is the story of a young girl’s first dance. Annie and Grandmother learned the dance together. Grandmother had gone to be with her ancestors so Annie had to dance alone. The colorful illustrations are beautiful. The illustration of the ancestors dancing in the northern lights may pose a problem for some audiences.
Kitaq Goes Ice Fishing by Margaret Nicolai and illustrated by David Rubin. Alaska Northwest Books, 1998, HB 0-88240-504-7 32p.
Pre – grade 3 Kitaq Goes Ice Fishing is a beautiful picture book which tells of a Yupik Eskimo boy’s first fishing trip. Kitaq isn’t six yet, but his grandfather decides he is old enough to help get fish for his family. Author Margaret Nicolai based the story on her husband’s experiences growing up as a Yupik Eskimo. The colorful paintings by David Rubin give a real feel for Alaskan life. Mr. Rubin has spent many years in Alaska.
VARIOUS
Children of the Midnight Sun by Tricia Brown and illustrated by Roy Corral. Alaska Northwest Books, 1998, HB, 0-88240-500-4 48p.
Grades 5-8 In Children of the Midnight Sun, Tricia Brown profiles eight native Alaskan children. Alaska natives today live in a world that mixes Western ways with Native traditions. The profiles reveal how the eight different families balance their native culture with the Western ways (even with Christian beliefs) and how the children are taught the traditional beliefs. Full color photographs by Roy Corral illustrate the text. The books ends with a glossary and suggested reading list.
CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS
Children of the Midnight Sun: Young Native Voices of Alaska
Discuss family traditions handed down from ancestors and how they differ from the ones mentioned in the book.
Goodbye, My Island and A Place for Winter: Paul Tiulana’s Story
Goodbye, My Island is a fiction book about King Island. A Place for Winter: Paul Tiulana’s Story is an autobiography. Have the students compare and contrast the information in the two books.
The Inuit: Ivory Carvers of the Far North
The book includes a recipe for Blueberry Topped Snowcream, instructions for soap carvings and instructions for Bilboquet, an Inuit game. Try some of these recipes as a class.
Kitaq Goes Ice Fishing
The story is based on a young boy’s experience with his grandfather. Students could write (or tell) stories based on an experience with their grandfather.
A Place for Winter: Paul Tiulana’s Story
The author compares King Island beliefs with “the religion of the Old Testament.” As a class, make your own comparison.
Salmon Summer
Share canned or smoked salmon with the class, especially if most have never had any.
Traditional Native American Arts and Activities by Arlette Braman and illustrated by Bill Helin. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2000, PB 0-47135992-0 120 p.
This book contains instructions for making Cree moccasins, a Tlingit Button Blanket and a Yupik Wild Raspberry dessert as well as instructions for several Inupiat games. It would be a good supplement for your study of Native Americans.
Links in this post may be affiliate links. Purchases made using these links will not cost you more but may pay me an affiliate fee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and related sites. Thank you for using my links.
Books mentioned in this post
How to Teach about American Indians: A Guide for the School Library Media Specialist (Greenwood Professional Guides in School Librarianship)
Salmon Summer (Walter Lorraine Books)
Eyr the Hunter: A Story Of Ice-Age America
The Cree of North America (First Peoples)
A Man Called Raven
What’s the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses?
Go Home, River
Goodbye, My Island
Mik-Shrok (Adventures of An Arctic Missionary, Book 1)
Neeluk : An Eskimo Boy in the Days of the Whaling Ships
A Place for Winter: Paul Tiulana’s Story
A Small Tall Tale from the Far Far North: (New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year, ALA Notable Children’s Book; Eskimoan)
The Inuit: Ivory Carvers of the Far North (America’s First Peoples)
The Inuit of Canada (First Peoples)
The Transformation
Dance on a Sealskin
Kitaq Goes Ice Fishing
Children of the Midnight Sun: Young Native Voices of Alaska
Traditional Native American Arts and Activities (Celebrating our Heritage)
Read more about Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Books
