Native Americans

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples. They are often also referred to as Native Americans, First Nations and by Christopher Columbus' historical mistake Indians, modernly disambiguated as the American Indian race, American Indians, Amerindians, Amerinds or Red Indians. It's now considered racially insensitive to call this race "Red Indians".

According to the still-debated New World migration model, a migration of humans from Eurasia to the Americas took place via Beringia, a land bridge which formerly connected the two continents across what is now the Bering Strait. These early Paleoamericans soon spread throughout the Americas, diversifying into many hundreds of culturally distinct nations and tribes. According to the oral histories of many of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, they have been living there since their genesis, described by a wide range of traditional creation accounts.

Application of the term "Indian" originated with Christopher Columbus, who thought that he had reached India (his original destination). This served to imagine a kind of racial or cultural unity for the aboriginal peoples of the Americas. Once created, the unified "Indian" was codified in law, religion, and politics. The unitary idea of "Indians" was not originally shared by indigenous peoples, but many now embrace the identity.

While some indigenous peoples of the Americas were historically hunter-gatherers, many practiced aquaculture and agriculture. The impact of their agricultural endowment to the world is a testament to their time and work in reshaping, taming, and cultivating the flora indigenous to the Americas. Some societies depended heavily on agriculture while others practiced a mix of farming, hunting, and gathering. In some regions the indigenous peoples created monumental architecture, large-scale organized cities, chiefdoms, states, and massive empires.

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We fill this section primarily with vintage titles, which can be very interesting, but at times inaccurate, and often frustrating to modern sensibilities. While we would love to expand it, lack of space and demand keeps it relatively small. Therefore, separating it out by tribe or region doesn't make a lot of sense for us yet. We'd like to point you to a resource we find quite informative, though you'll need to subscribe to the service for full benefits. Check out this page at Biblioguides.com

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53 Items found Print
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Adopted by Indians
by Thomas Jefferson Mayfield
from Heyday Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$18.00
Anpao
by Jamake Highwater
from HarperCollins
for 5th-9th grade
1978 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
Arrow Over the Door
by Joseph Bruchac
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.99 $4.00 (3 in stock)
Brother Eagle, Sister Sky
by Chief Seattle, illustrated by Susan Jeffers
from Puffin Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99
Buffalo Bird Girl
by S. D. Nelson
from Abrams Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.95
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
by Dee Brown
from Holt McDougal
for 9th-Adult
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$20.00
California Indians
First Nations of North America
by Elizabeth Sonneborn
from Heinemann Educational Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$9.95
Children of the Longhouse
by Joseph Bruchac
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Crazy Horse: Young War Chief
Childhood of Famous Americans
by George Edward Stanley
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$7.99
Crossing Bok Chitto
by Tim Tingle
from Cinco Puntos Pres
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.95
Exiled to the Red River
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Fandex Family Field Guides: American Indians
by Steven Aronson
from Workman Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$12.95 $7.00 (2 in stock)
Fear in the Forest
by Cateau de Leeuw
from Bethlehem Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Geronimo: Young Warrior
Childhood of Famous Americans
by George Edward Stanley
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA)
$7.99
Great Native Americans - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Native American Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAM)
$5.99
Growing Up Dakota
by Charles Alexander Eastman, Edited and Illustrated by Charlene Notgrass
from Notgrass Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.95
Hiawatha
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1st edition from Puffin Books
Poetry for 4th-8th
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99
Hiawatha and the Peacemaker - Book and CD
by Robbie Robertson, Illustrated by David Shannon
from Abrams Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.95
Horsecatcher, The
by Mari Sandoz
First Bison Book from Bison Books
for 6th-10th grade
1958 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$14.95
Indian Captive
by Lois Lenski
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 4th-9th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Indian Life in Pre-Columbian North America - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by John Green & Stanley Appelbaum
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
$4.99
Indian Tribes of North America - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Native American Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAM)
$4.99
Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'Dell
Anv from Sandpiper Books
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1961 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Mary and the Trail of Tears
from Stone Arch Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.95
North American Indians
by Marie & Douglas Gorsline
from Random House
for 2nd-4th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$3.99 $2.00 (3 in stock)
Northwest Coast Indians - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by David Rickman
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Native American Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAM)
$4.99
Only the Names Remain
by Alex W. Bealer
from Little, Brown & Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$8.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Peacemaker
by Joseph Bruchac
from Dial Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.99
People of the Breaking Day
by Marcia Sewall
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-3rd grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$8.99
Picture Book of Sacagawea
by David A. Adler, illustrated by Dan Brown
from Holiday House
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.99
Plains Indians - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by David Rickman
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Native American Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAM)
$4.99 $2.50 (3 in stock)
Pocahontas
by Joseph Bruchac
from Harcourt
for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Rain Player
by David Wisniewski
from Clarion Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.95
Sacajawea
by Joseph Bruchac
from Graphia
Biography for 3rd-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
San Domingo
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Robert Lougheed
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.19
Sing Down the Moon
by Scott O'Dell
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 6th-8th grade
1971 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Soft Rain
by Cornelia Cornelissen
from Yearling
Historical fiction for 3rd-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.99
Southeast Indians - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Native American Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAM)
$4.99
Southwest Indians - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Native American Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAM)
$4.99
Story of Jumping Mouse
by John Steptoe
from HarperCollins
Native American Fable for Preschool-2nd grade
1985 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Story of Sacajawea
by Della Rowland
from Yearling
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.99
Story of Sacajawea - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Native American Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAM)
$4.99
Streams to the River, River to the Sea
by Scott O'Dell
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 7th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Trail of Tears
Step into Reading Level 5
by Joseph Bruchac
from Random House
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$4.99
Very First Americans
by Cara Ashrose
from Grosset & Dunlap
for Preschool-1st grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$5.99
Warrior's Challenge
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Waterless Mountain
by Laura Adams Armer
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
1932 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
We Are Water Protectors
by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
2021 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Where the Broken Heart Still Beats
by Carolyn Meyer
from Graphia
for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Where the Buffaloes Begin
by Olaf Baker
from Dover Publications
for Preschool-2nd grade
1982 Caldecott Honor Book
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$16.95
Wigwams, Longhouses and Other Native American Dwellings - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Native American Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAM)
$3.99
Woodlands Indians - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Arkady Roytman
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Native American Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAM)
$4.99
Zia
by Scott O'Dell
from HMH Books for Young Readers
Realistic Fiction for 6th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99