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The Mishomis book : the voice of the Ojibway
An indigenous peoples' history of the United States
SkySisters
Lana's Lakota moons
Saltypie : a Choctaw journey from darkness into light
Sacred wilderness
A man called Raven
Cell traffic : new and selected poems
Itse selu : Cherokee harvest festival
The birchbark house
Kiki's journey
The dance boots
Walking on earth & touching the sky : poetry and prose by Lakota youth at Red Cloud Indian School
Jingle dancer
In the footsteps of Crazy Horse
All our relations : native struggles for land and life
When I was eight
For indigenous eyes only : a decolonization handbook
The displacement of native peoples
Hungry Johnny
Sacagawea
Me funny : a far-reaching exploration of the humor, wittiness and repartee dominant among the First Nations people of North America, as witnessed, experienced and created directly by themselves, and with the inclusion of outside but reputable sources necessarily familiar with the indigenous sense of humour as seen from an objective perspective
Buffalo Bird Girl : a Hidatsa story
As long as the river flows
Home to Medicine Mountain
Sky dancers
Native writers : voices of power
If I ever get out of here : a novel with paintings
House of purple cedar
Killer of enemies #1
Lincoln and the indians : Civil War policy and politics
Giving thanks : a Native American good morning message
Before Columbus : the Americas of 1491
Eagle song
I am not a number
Trail of the dead #2
My name is not easy
Black Elk's vision : a Lakota story
Native athletes in action!
The people shall continue
Wild berries = Pikaci-mīnisa
Iktomi and the ducks and other Sioux stories
How I became a ghost : a Choctaw Trail of Tears story #1
You don't have to say you love me : a memoir
The chichi hoohoo bogeyman
A boy called Slow : the true story of Sitting Bull
Bears make rock soup and other stories
The Dakota prisoner of war letters = Dakota Kaŝkapi Okicize Wowapi
Native defenders of the environment
The woman who outshone the sun : the legend of Lucia Zenteno = La mujer que brillaba aún más que el sol : la leyenda de Lucía Zenteno
Not my girl
Hidden roots
God is red : a native view of religion
Songs of Shiprock Fair
Buffalo song
What's the most beautiful thing you know about horses?
Beloved child : a Dakota way of life
Mission to space
Dance in a buffalo skull
Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué rico! : Americas' sproutings
Crazy brave : a memoir
Taku wadaka he? = (What do you see?)
Grandmother Spider brings the sun : a Cherokee story
Songs from the loom : a Navajo girl learns to weave
The creator's game : a story of baaga'adowe/lacrosse
Nanabosho & Porcupine
Sharing the skies : Navajo astronomy
First laugh : welcome, baby!
Navajo long walk : the tragic story of a proud people's forced march from their homeland
An infinity of nations : how the native New World shaped early North America
The Lone Ranger and Tonto fistfight in heaven
Mni sota makoce : the land of the Dakota
Moccasin thunder : American Indian stories for today
Birch Coulie : the epic battle of the Dakota War
The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian
Follow the blackbirds
Sitting Bull : Lakota warrior and defender of his people
The blue roses
Custer died for your sins : an Indian manifesto
Native women of courage
We are grateful : otsaliheliga
Dreaming in Indian : contemporary Native American voices
Muskrat will be swimming
A broken flute : the Native experience in books for children

Access the MN American Indian Collection Literature collection here.

A large selection of fiction and non-fiction works written by Native authors and focusing on Native American culture has been added to our collection, which is made possible by a project of the Minnesota Office of Indian Education using federal funding, Library Service and Technology Act [LS 00-17-0024-17].

The collection boasts works such as “Buffalo Song” by Joseph Bruchac, “The Birchbark House” by Louise Erdrich and more, and offers something for all age groups from childhood to adulthood.

To access the full collection of works, library customers can search our catalog for “MN American Indian Literature” using the keyword search and quotation marks. While the collection was originally designed for use by educators teaching grades K-12, the materials have been wildly popular for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Click here to access the American Indian Literature Resources for Educators: An Annotated Bibliography. This document includes the MN English Language Arts Standards for K-12, the grade level served, the title and author of the recommended book, and an annotation.

A printable version of the American Indian book list is also available.

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