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Culture, Language and Land: Three American Indian Tribes

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Cherokee

The Origin of the Milky Way and Other Living Stories of the Cherokee
Edited by Barbara Duncan
Suited for kids ages nine to 12, The Origin of the Milky Way is filled with traditional stories told in the voice of Cherokee elders.
The Great Ball Game of the Birds & Animals
By Deborah L. Duvall
This traditional tale of Cherokee folklore tells the story of Bear and Terrapin. When they tell two small furry animals they cannot compete in an important stickball game, the two are welcome by the birds, who find a way for them to fly.
Indian Shoes
By Cynthia Leitich Smith
Ray Halfmoon, a Seminole-Cherokee boy, and his “Grampa” find creative and solutions to life’s challenges.

Navajo

Navajo: Visions & Voices Across the Mesa
By Shonto Begay
Kids 10 and up will enjoy this collection of twenty poems accompanied by full color paintings of mountains, plateaus, deserts, and wildlife from the American Southwest and of the Native people who live there.
Navajo Long Walk: The Tragic Story of a Proud People’s Forced March from their Homeland
By Joseph Bruchac
This is the story of the Long Walk (1863 to 1865) when the Navajos were forcibly removed from their homeland in Arizona and sent to a desolate reservation in New Mexico.
Sunpainters: Eclipse of the Navajo Sun
By Baje Whitehorne
When a Navajo boy witnesses an eclipse, his grandfather tells him about the Little People who renew life when the sun dies. For readers eight to 12.

Lakota

Lakota Hoop Dancer
By Jacqueline Left Hand Bull and Suzanne Haldane
Follow the activities of Kevin Locke, a Hunkpapa Indian, as he prepares for and performs the traditional Lakota hoop dance. For readers eight to 12.
How Not to Catch Fish: and Other Adventures of Iktomi
By Joseph M. Marshall
Readers seven and up will love these short, traditional legends about Iktomi the trickster.
Gift Horse: A Lakota Story
By S.D. Nelson
A Lakota boy prepares to become a warrior when his father gives him horse. Recommended for readers four through eight.