BOOK STORE > This Season’s Featured Books
“We are what we imagine. Our very existence consists in our imagination of ourselves. Our best destiny is to imagine, at least, completely, who and what, and that we are. The greatest tragedy that can befall us is to go unimagined.”
HOUSE MADE OF DAWN
N. Scott Momaday, Pulitzer-Winning Novelist, Walks On at 89
Navarre Scott Momaday was a renowned Kiowa writer from Oklahoma and New Mexico who wrote novels, short stories, essays, and poetry. His works blend traditional tales, history, and spirituality among modern Kiowa. The success of House Made of Dawn, his first novel and the first Pulitzer-winning work by a Native Author, inspired a wave of Indigenous literature. In 2007, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
N. Scott Momaday wrote a limited edition collection of Kiowa folktales called The Journey of Tai-me (1967). Later, he expanded it into The Way to Rainy Mountain (1969), illustrated by his father, Alfred Momaday. His poetry collection includes Angle of Geese and Other Poems (1969), The Gourd Dancer (1976), Again the Far Morning: New and Selected Poems (2011), and The Death of Sitting Bear: New and Selected Poems (2020). In addition, he wrote The Names (1976), a memoir about his Kiowa ancestors and his early life.
In 1989, Momaday published his second novel, The Ancient Child. The book is a blend of traditional tales, history, and a modern urban Kiowa artist's search for his roots. Some of his notable works include In the Presence of the Sun: Stories and Poems 1961–1991 (1992), Circle of Wonder: A Native American Christmas Story (1994), The Man Made of Words: Essays, Stories, Passages (1997), In the Bear's House (1999), a collection of paintings, poems, and short stories, and Earth Keepers: Reflections on the American Land (2020).
NO SPIRITUAL SURRENDER
Klee Banally, A Beautiful Diné Warrior, Takes His Journey To The Spirit World
Klee Benally, who is a Diné artist, musician, and writer, recently published a manifesto called No Spiritual Surrender: Indigenous Anarchy in Defense of the Sacred (2023). In this document, he presents an anti-colonial analysis based on his frontline experiences. Benally strongly advocates for Indigenous autonomy and the complete liberation of Nahasdzáán (Mother Earth) by relentlessly challenging colonial politics.
“Music is not enough. Direct & effective action is essential if we desire a healthy & sustainable existence. Entire eco-systems are being destroyed to maintain unsustainable lifestyles. Where there is an environmental crisis there is a cultural crisis because we are people of the earth.”
THE SIOUX CHEF’S INDIGENOUS KITCHEN
This holiday season, we celebrate the culture, traditions, and remarkable resilience of Indigenous Peoples from the Rez to Five Star Cuisine.
Did you know... Of the estimated 690 to 783 million people worldwide who face hunger in 2023, Indigenous Peoples have the highest rates of food insecurity.
According to the World Economic Forum, "Food security is a global challenge that affects the economy, society, and environment of every country.
The root cause of Food insecurity among Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island is colonialism. The historical legacy of systemic oppression, institutionalized racism, and discrimination, coupled with the United States' broken treaties and trust responsibilities, has resulted in dependence on unequal federal programs.
SURVIVAL FOOD
Despite and because of the existence of the U.S. Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), the lack of culturally appropriate and nutritious food remains a significant issue. Native Peoples have a higher risk of developing life-threatening diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, compared to other racial groups. This is not a coincidence. Food insecurity and health disparities can be directly attributed to forced assimilation, relocation, and termination policies. These actions have led to historical trauma and U.S. government policies and programs that continue to devastate Native Peoples to this day.
It is essential to protect and preserve Indigenous territories, sacred sites, hunting and fishing rights, and traditional farming knowledge while conserving biodiversity and natural resources.
The international community and member states of the United Nations fully implementing the "Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" would be an excellent first step in ensuring Food security.
IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE
THE STORY OF LEONARD PELTIER AND THE FBI”S WAR ON THE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT
February 6, 2023, marks a Global Day of Solidarity with Leonard Peltier, in which people around the world are calling on United States President Joe Biden to finally grant Leonard clemency. February 6 also marks the beginning of Leonard's 48th year of political imprisonment.
AN APPEAL FOR CLEMENCY NOW!
On September 1, 2022, Leonard Peltier's "Walk To Justice," sponsored by the American Indian Movement Grand Governing Council, took its first step on a 1,100-mile spiritual walk from Cedar Field in Minneapolis and concluded with a Rally on November 13, 2022, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. in a Call To Action for Clemency Now to bring Leonard home.
Leonard Peltier, an Ojibwa Elder, incarcerated for more than four decades for his alleged role in the deaths of two FBI agents in 1975 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, is the longest-serving Indigenous political prisoner in American history.
Over the years, national and international petitions bearing millions of signatures have called for Peltier's release. Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and former United States Attorney General William Ramsey Clark have all spoken truth to power on behalf of Leonard Peltier. Even the former United States Attorney James Reynolds, whose office prosecuted Mr. Peltier, wrote a letter to President Joe Biden requesting clemency. In his letter, Mr. Reynolds states,
“I have realized that the prosecution and continued incarceration of Mr. Peltier was and is unjust.” and “We are not able to prove that Mr. Peltier personally committed any offense on the Pine Ridge Reservation.”
PRISON WRITINGS MY LIFE IS MY SUNDANCE
Some fifty members of Congress, Amnesty International, the United Nations Human Rights Council's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the National Congress of American Indians, governments, dignitaries, celebrities, and human rights organizations around the globe have advocated for Peltier's release. Yet, Peltier remains a political prisoner in America's injustice system.
It is time to take action. We are reaching out to all those who have courageously fought for justice during the 48 years of Leonard Peltier's wrongful imprisonment and to those who advocate for liberty, freedom, and justice for everyone. We request that the President of the United States, Joe Biden, be contacted and asked to grant clemency to Leonard Peltier without delay. Enough is enough.
WHITEHOUSE CONTACT: Phone: 1-202-456-1111 / eMail / Facebook / Twitter
Learn more about Leonard Peltier HERE For more information contact AIM Grand Governing Council
“We need to do more than just what is right. We need to join together and right what is wrong”
Learn about the Amnesty International New Campaign to #FreeLeonardPeltier
