The following are a list of resources to help you learn more about Native Americans— their culture, history, current issues and accomplishments.
Bibliography
Government Websites
Native American Organizations
Minnesota-Based Organizations Serving Native Americans
National Organizations Serving Native Americans
Native American News Media
Bibliography
1. White Man’s Religion, Craig Smith
2. The Grieving Indian, Art Holmes
3. Bury My Heart and Wounded Knee, Dee Brown
4. Ojibwe Waasa Inaabidaa (We look in all directions), by Thomas Peacock
5. Proud Nations, Celebrating Tribal Self-Governance, Brent Simocosky
6. Ojibwa Warrior, Denis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement
7. Indian Givers, Jack Weatherford
8. Wild Rice and the Ojibwe People
9. A Concise Dictionary of MN Ojibwe, John D. Nichols
10. Chippewa Families, A Social Study of White Earth Reservation 1938, Hilger
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Government Websites
Minnesota Department of Health: www.health.state.mn.us
Hennepin County: www.co.hennepin.mn.us Search the following terms:
American Indian Families Project (AIFP) The AIFP is a project to combine Native American and Hennepin County resources to develop more effective solutions to improve Native American quality of life than previous government efforts.
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA): www.doi.gov/bureau-indian-affairs.
The BIA manages the 55.7 million acres of land held in trust by the United States for American Indians, Indian tribes, and Alaska Natives. BIA responsibilities include developing forest lands, leasing assets on these lands, protecting water and land rights, maintaining infrastructure and economic development.
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: www.usccr.gov
The website includes two in-depth reports on American Indians. ‘A Quiet Crisis: Federal Funding and Unmet Needs in Indian Country’, published in 2003, describes the extent federal funding for the American Indian community has fallen below required levels and the needs in Indian lands. The second report is ‘Broken Promises: Evaluating the native American Health Care System’, published in 2004.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Indian Health Service: www.ihs.gov
The mission of the Indian Health Service is to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level and to assure that comprehensive, culturally acceptable personal and public health services are available and accessible to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
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Native American Organizations
Minnesota-Based Organizations Serving Native Americans
American Indian Community Development Corporation (AICDC): www.aicdc.org
The AICDC provides housing and supportive services to the American Indan community in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The AICDC was co-founded by Gordon Thayer in 1992.
American Indian Policy Center (AIPC): www.airpi.org
The AIPC provides government leaders, policy-makers, and the public with accurate information about the legal and political history of American Indian nations and current issues important to American Indians.
Circle of Indigenous Nations (CIN): www.mcae.umn.edu/circle
At the University of Minnesota, the CIN seeks to help recruit, retain, and graduate American Indian students.
Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC): www.mniac.org
The MIAC is the official liaison between the state and tribal governments. The MIAC’s mission is to protect the sovereignty of the eleven Minnesota tribes and the well-being of Native American people living in Minnesota.
Minneapolis American Indian Center: http://www.maicnet.org/
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National Organizations Serving Native Americans
American Indian Movement (AIM): www.aimovement.org
AIM seeks to “fight White Man’s injustice to Indians, his oppression, persecution, discrimination, and malfeasance in the handling of Indian Affairs…AIM shall be there to help the Native People regain human rights and achieve restitutions and restorations.”
American Indian Resources Directory: www.indians.org
Indian Health Council, Inc.: www.indianhealth.com
National Congress of American Indians (NCAI): www.ncai.org
The NCAI, founded in 1944, is the oldest and largest tribal government organization in the United States. NCAI is a forum for consensus-based policy development among more than 250 tribal governments from every region in the country. Its mission is to inform the public and federal government on tribal self-government, treaty rights, and many federal policy issues affecting tribal governments.
National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA): www.nicwa.org
The NICWA is the most comprehensive source of information on American Indian child welfare and works on behalf of Indian children and families.
National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI): www.nmai.si.edu
The NMAI is part of the Smithsonian Institution and the first museum dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans. The museum works with Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere to protect and foster their cultures by reaffirming traditions and beliefs, encouraging contemporary artistic expression, and empowering the Native American voice.
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Native American News Media
The (Minneapolis-based) Circle Newspaper: www.thecirclenews.org
The (National) Indian Country Newspaper: www.indiancountry.com
The Native Web: www.nativeweb.org (A directory of links to tribal websites and Indian organizations.)
WOJB: www.wojb.org
WOJB, founded by Gordon Thayer, is an Ojibwe managed radio station near Hayward, WI. WOJB’s mission is to promote understanding of the Anishinabe by infusing traditional values in all aspects of WOJB; offering culturally diverse information and entertainment to Indian and non-Indian listeners on behalf of the Lac Courte Oreilles (lac-coot’-o-ray’) Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
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