Americas

Materials from the Americas

Indian Signals and Sign Language

Photographs and text describe non-verbal signals used by the Indians of the Great Plains, including more than 800 signs, smoke signals, picture writing and the language of feathers and body paint.

Navajo Women: Saanii

“I am a child of Changing Woman.” That is a line in a Navajo prayer spoken by medicine men on behalf of patients, and in the old days it was symbolic and spiritual. Today, it is real. Navajo women, once relegated to bearing children, caring for the home, and raising livestock in a matrilineal society, have transformed themselves into businesswomen, attorneys, truck drivers, pilots, nurses, artists, presidential candidates, and more. Who is the Navajo woman and what drives her in 2007? Join Navajo writer Betty Reid and photographer Kenji Kawano on a journey through the cycle of a Navajo woman’s life, from east (birth and youth) to south (teenager and young adult) to west (adult) to north (elder).

Adventures Of Rabbit and Bear Paws Vol 1: The Sugar Bush

Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws is set in 18th Century colonized North America. We follow the story of two mischievous Ojibwa brothers as they play pranks and have amazing adventures using a traditional Ojibwa medicine (spirit powder) that transforms them into animals for a short time.

Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws: Bear Walker

A winter’s day full of fun and excitement takes an unexpected turn when our young heroes, Rabbit and Bear Paws, cross paths with a mysterious and powerful healer known as the Bear Walker. What does this man want from our boys, and what secret is he hiding?

Proud To Be Inuvialuit: Quviahuktunga Inuvialuugama

James and his daughter, Rebecca, go on a trip to harvest beluga whale. Harvesting and preparing beluga meat together as a family is an integral part of what it means to be Inuvialuit. Join James and Rebecca and learn about how the beluga whale is interlinked with Inuvialuit culture and history.

Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws: True Hearts

What is LOVE? Is love the respect you have for your parents, family, friends and all beings? Or is it something more? What Rabbit loves to do the most is play pranks with his brother Bear Paws on family and friends. Rabbit is the best at playing pranks on others – until he meets his equal in a young girl called Strawberry. Is it young love at first sight?

Sitting Bull

A detailed time line and author’s note reflect extensive research and a depth of understanding about the topic. The book is engagingly told in the first person, with Sitting Bull describing his childhood training to be a warrior and a hunter. White people had been in the area for many years, but increased westward expansion and the decision to build forts brought the tensions among the various Native groups and white settlers and soldiers to a higher level. The book does not attempt to present all sides of the issue but instead concentrates on what happened to the Hunkpapa people and other Sioux groups and the pivotal battles of Killdeer Mountain, Rosebud Creek, and Little Bighorn.

Bears Make Rock Soup: And Other Stories

A collection of stories inspired by paintings that depict the special relationships betweens the Plains Indians and such animals as bear, deer, moose, crows, and loons.