In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, Crow Canyon has put together a few resources to promote Indigenous voices. Listed below are two different Indigenous reading lists that were created to promote Indigenous authors and their cultures.
The first reading list is from the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office and covers a wide range of subjects regarding the Hopi people.
The first book on the list, “Footprints of Hopi History, Hopihiniwtiput Kukveni’at,” focuses on kukveni – footprints – and uses them as a metaphor to understand the Hopi people and their heritage. The Hopis say that the deity Máasaw instructed their ancestors to leave footprints during their migrations as evidence that they fulfilled a spiritual pact to serve as stewards of the land. This book focuses on how modern research techniques around footprints and other historical artifacts at archaeology sites have allowed the Hopi people to understand their tangible heritage.
The next books on the list are, “Moquis and Kastiilam, Hopis, Spaniards, and the Trauma of History, Volume I, 1540–1679 & Volume II, 1680-1781,” which tells the stories of the encounters between Hopis and Spaniards by comparing and contrasting the historical documents and oral histories of both the Hopis and the Spaniards to get a more comprehensive understanding of these events.
The final book on the reading list is, “Becoming Hopi, A History.” This book takes a look at the comprehensive history of the Hopi people in the mesas and includes work by many Crow Canyon staff, researchers, and collaborators including Pueblo Farming Project collaborators Stewart Koyiyumptewa and Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, past Crow Canyon interns Wes Bernardini and Greg Schachner, Crow Canyon staff members Kellam Throgmorton, and former Crow Canyon staff member Kyle Bocinsky!
The second Indigenous reading listed was created by Penguin Random House publishing in support of Native authors during November in recognition of Native American Heritage Month, with the goal of raising scholarship money for the American Indian College Fund. Penguin Random House is donating 15% net proceeds up to $30,000 from all direct sales on their website. This promotion runs till the end of November and helps to highlight Indigenous voices while also raising money for the next generation of Indigenous authors and scholars.
This reading list offers a wide range of authors from Indigenous groups across North America and offers unique stories, perspectives, and experiences distinct to each author’s journey as an Indigenous individual.
