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Indigenous History Books, 10891974 Upton Road, Los Angeles, CA (2026)

03/02/2026

The Native American boarding school system — a decades-long effort to assimilate Indigenous people before they ever reached adulthood — robbed children of their culture, family bonds and sometimes their lives.
For more than 150 years, spurred by federal assimilation policies beginning in the early 19th century, hundreds of thousands of Native American children were sent to boarding schools across the country. In many cases, they were forcibly removed from their homes.
Until recently, incomplete records and scant federal attention kept even the number of schools - let alone more details about how they functioned - unknown. A new accounting, the most comprehensive to date, shows that at least 523 institutions were part of the sprawling network in the U.S. system.
Many children faced beatings, malnutrition, hard labor and other forms of neglect and abuse. Some never returned to their families. Hundreds are known to have died, a toll expected to grow as research continues.
Wherever they were located or whoever ran them, the schools largely shared the mission of assimilating Indigenous students by erasing their culture. Children’s hair was cut off; their clothes were burned; they were given new, English names and were required to attend Christian religious services; and they were forced to perform manual labor, both on school premises and on surrounding farms. Those who dared to keep speaking their ancestral languages or observing their religious practices were often beaten.
While the boarding school era might seem like distant history, aging survivors, many in their 70s and 80s, are striving to ensure the harm that was done is remembered.”

03/02/2026

Adhara Pérez Sánchez (born 2011) is a Space science prodigy and public speaker. Sánchez is a 11-year-old Mexican girl who recently graduated with a degree in systems engineering from the CNCI University and an industrial engineering degree specializing in mathematics from the Technological University of Mexico. She graduated from elementary school at the age of five and completed middle and high school in just one year. Her IQ score is reported to be 162, which is higher than Albert Einstein's IQ of 160 and physicist Stephen Hawk IQ

03/01/2026

Congratulations to Mo Brings Plenty on being named the first ever recipient of the Western Heritage New Horizon Award. An enrolled Lakota from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Brings Plenty embodies the spirit of his ancestors who fought at Little Big Horn. His dedication to preserving culture and tradition, coupled with his diverse talents as an actor, horse stunt rider, and rancher, make him a deserving choice for this prestigious award.Brings Plenty's roots run deep in the Lakota community, carrying the legacy of his grandfathers who played a significant role in history. His traditional name, Ta Sunke Wospapi, reflects his connection to horses and the land, highlighting his profound respect for nature and his cultural heritage. Every step he takes is guided by the values and sacrifices of his family and ancestors, shaping his perspective on life and the world around him.
As an accomplished actor, Brings Plenty has captivated audiences with his performances in various film and television productions. From his role as Chief Thomas Rainwater’s enforcer in "Yellowstone" to his portrayal of historical figures like Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, he has showcased the depth of his talent and the richness of Native American storytelling. His commitment to authentic representation and cultural accuracy has earned him praise and recognition in the industry.
Beyond his acting career, Brings Plenty is a dedicated rancher and horse stunt rider who cherishes his connection to the land and his heritage. He actively engages in giving back to his Lakota communities and Indian Country, striving to preserve cultural traditions and promote diversity. His belief in the goodness of humanity and his commitment to leaving a positive impact on the world reflect his genuine and compassionate character.
In receiving the Western Heritage New Horizon Award, Mo Brings Plenty stands as a beacon of inspiration for future generations, symbolizing resilience, perseverance, and a deep connection to one's roots. His unwavering dedication to preserving culture and tradition serves as a reminder of the importance of honoring our past while striving towards a brighter future. Congratulations once again to this trailblazing talent who continues to make a lasting impact in the entertainment industry and beyond.

03/01/2026

Since North America is such a big continent, different tribes had very different weather to contend with. In the Arizona deserts, temperatures can hit 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the Alaskan tundra, -50 is not unusual. Naturally, Native Americans developed different types of dwellings to survive in these different environments. Also, different American Indian tribes had different traditional lifestyles. Some tribes were agricultural-- they lived in settled villages and farmed the land for corn and vegetables. They wanted houses that would last a long time. Other tribes were more nomadic, moving frequently from place to place as they hunted and gathered food and resources. They needed houses that were portable or easy to build.
Here are descriptions and pictures of some of the Native American house styles the people developed over the years to fit these needs.
Native American Homes Wigwam HomesWigwams (or wetus) are Native American houses used by Algonquian Indians in the woodland regions. Wigwam is the word for "house" in the Abenaki tribe, and wetu is the word for "house" in the Wampanoag tribe. Sometimes they are also known as birchbark houses. Wigwams are small houses, usually 8-10 feet tall. Wigwams are made of wooden frames which are covered with woven mats and sheets of birchbark. The frame can be shaped like a dome, like a cone, or like a rectangle with an arched roof. Once the birchbark is in place, ropes or strips of wood are wrapped around the wigwam to hold the bark in place. Here are some pictures of a woman building a wigwam.Wigwams are good houses for people who stay in the same place for months at a time. Most Algonquian Indians lived together in settled villages during the farming season, but during the winter, each family group would move to their own hunting camp. Wigwams are not portable, but they are small and easy to build. Woodland Indian families could build new wigwams every year when they set up their winter camps.
LonghousesLonghouses are Native American homes used by the Iroquois tribes and some of their Algonquian neighbors. They are built similarly to wigwams, with pole frames and elm bark covering. The main difference is that longhouses are much, much larger than wigwams. Longhouses could be 200 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 20 feet high. Inside the longhouse, raised platforms created a second story, which was used for sleeping space. Mats and wood screens divided the longhouse into separate rooms. Each longhouse housed an entire clan-- as many as 60 people!Longhouses are good homes for people who intend to stay in the same place for a long time. A longhouse is large and takes a lot of time to build and decorate. The Iroquois were farming people who lived in permanent villages. Iroquois men sometimes built wigwams for themselves when they were going on hunting trips, but women might live in the same longhouse their whole life.
TepeesTepees (also spelled Teepees or Tipis) are tent-like American Indian houses used by Plains tribes. A tepee is made of a cone-shaped wooden frame with a covering of buffalo hide. Like modern tents, tepees are carefully designed to set up and break down quickly. As a tribe moved from place to place, each family would bring their tipi poles and hide tent along with them. Originally, tepees were about 12 feet high, but once the Plains Indian tribes acquired horses, they began building them twice as high.Tepees are good houses for people who are always on the move. Plains Indians migrated frequently to follow the movements of the buffalo herds. An entire Plains Indian village could have their tepees packed up and ready to move within an hour. There were fewer trees on the Great Plains than in the Woodlands, so it was important for Plains tribes to carry their long poles with them whenever they traveled instead of trying to find new ones each time they moved.
Grass HousesGrass houses are American Indian homes used in the Southern Plains by tribes such as the Caddos. They resemble large wigwams but are made with different materials. Grass houses are made with a wooden frame bent into a beehive shape and thatched with long prairie grass. These were large buildings, sometimes more than 40 feet tall.Grass houses are good homes for people in a warm climate. In the northern plains, winters are too cold to make homes out of prairie grass. But in the southern plains of Texas, houses like these were comfortable for the people who used them.
Wattle and Daub HousesWattle and daub houses (also known as asi, the Cherokee word for them) are Native American houses used by southeastern tribes. Wattle and daub houses are made by weaving rivercane, wood, and vines into a frame, then coating the frame with plaster. The roof was either thatched with grass or shingled with bark.Wattle and daub houses are permanent structures that take a lot of effort to build. Like longhouses, they are good homes for agricultural people who intended to stay in one place, like the Cherokees...

02/28/2026

Cherokee Women and Their Important Roles:Women in the Cherokee society were equal to men. They could earn the title of War Women and sit in councils as equals. This privilege led an Irishman named Adair who traded with the Cherokee from 1736-1743 to accuse the Cherokee of having a "petticoat government".
Clan kinship followed the mother's side of the family. The children grew up in the mother's house, and it was the duty of an uncle on the mother's side to teach the boys how to hunt, fish, and perform certain tribal duties. The women owned the houses and their furnishings. Marriages were carefully negotiated, but if a woman decided to divorce her spouse, she simply placed his belongings outside the house. Cherokee women also worked hard. They cared for the children, cooked, tended the house, tanned skins, wove baskets, and cultivated the fields. Men helped with some household chores like sewing, but they spent most of their time hunting.
Cherokee girls learned by example how to be warriors and healers. They learned to weave baskets, tell stories, trade, and dance. They became mothers and wives, and learned their heritage. The Cherokee learned to adapt, and the women were the core of the Cherokee

02/28/2026

In the harsh conditions of the 1700s, Indigenous healers played a life-saving role for struggling colonists. When scurvy — caused by vitamin C deficiency — ravaged early settlements, Native American tribes introduced settlers to a simple yet powerful remedy: spruce tea. Rich in vitamin C, the brew helped restore health and vitality at a time when European medicine offered few solutions for the disease.
Beyond curing scurvy, Indigenous botanical knowledge contributed tremendously to modern medicine. Remedies derived from plants like willow bark, the foundation for aspirin, and cinchona bark, critical for malaria treatment, trace back to these early teachings. Their wisdom, rooted in generations of observation and experience, not only saved lives but shaped the future of global healthcare.

02/27/2026

They call it Labor Day,
a day for the working ones,
for those whose hands shaped cities,
whose bodies carried the weight of nations.
But for us, labor was always older,
always gentler, always sacred.
It was the joy of planting seeds in soft earth,
the laughter of paddles striking water,
the ceremony of raising children,
the songs that guided us from fire to fire.
Our work has always been more than survival —
it has been love,
carved into canoes,
sung into prayers that rose with the smoke,
woven into beadwork.
Yes, there were times when labor became heavy —
when mines and mills called our people away,
when our children were forced to toil in schools
that tried to dim their spirits.
But even then, the light endured.
The kokums still stitched the stars into moccasins,
the hunters still rose with the dawn,
the aunties still wrapped little ones in arms of belonging.
Even in hardship, our labor grew gardens of hope.
So when the world rests on Labor Day,
let us remember:
our labor is not only struggle —
it is joy.
It is ceremony.
It is the smile of a child learning their first Cree word.
It is the pride of water protectors standing together.
It is the soft strength of songs that will never die.
We labor for life itself.
For the children not yet born,
for the ancestors who dreamed us into being,
for the land that still cradles us with love.
This is our Labor Day —
a day not just of rest,
but of remembering that our work is holy,
our path is strong,
and our future is full of light.

02/27/2026

A Blizzard of Courage and Generosity
In the frozen Dakota Territory of 1886, a fierce winter storm trapped two families—one Lakota, one Swedish immigrant—just miles apart. The Anderssons’ oxen were frozen, their wood buried under six feet of snow, and their baby was growing weaker by the hour.
Across the creek, Elk Woman of the Oglala Lakota sensed danger. With her sixteen-year-old son, Wiyáka, she braved the whiteout, carrying pemmican, blankets, and healing herbs. Reaching the Anderssons before nightfall, she cared for the family without a word of English—warming the baby, wrapping the mother’s hands, and stoking a fire with dried buffalo dung.
For six days, the Lakota family stayed, teaching the settlers how to survive the harsh plains. On the seventh day, the storm cleared, and they quietly returned home.
Generations later, the Anderssons’ granddaughter discovered a beaded sash labeled wówačhaŋtognaka—Lakota for generosity. A timeless reminder that compassion knows no language.

02/26/2026

Overheard at a grocery store by someone waiting in line behind a woman speaking on her cellphone in another language. Ahead of her was a white man. After the woman hangs up, he speaks up.

Man: "I didn't want to say anything while you were on the phone, but you're in America now.

You need to speak English."

Woman: "Excuse me?"

Man: *very slow* "If you want to speak Mexican, go back to Mexico. In America, we speak English."

Woman: "Sir, I was speaking Navajo. If you want to speak English, go back to England."

02/26/2026

Just a twist-
Davy Crockett's older sister, Effie Crockett was invited to help some mothers in the Muskogee Tribe. Once she arrived in camp, Effie laughed at what she saw. The Muskogee Tribe had a custom of cradlng their pappooses among the swaying branches of birch trees. This protected their babies from ground insects, the sun, and wild animals.
After first finding it funny, she soon learned all the great reasons for this practice and marveled at the beauty of it.
Effie watched the swaying and soothing motion of the topmost branches of the trees. She loved how each baby enjoyed nature, how they listened to the songbirds, observed every ladybug, and smiled at the colors of a butterfly, every little breeze was felt and enjoyed by these young ones; each babe seemd perfectly content.
One of the Tribal mothers began to sing a song to the children in her native tongue. As the Muskogee mother sang, Miss Effie observed a small tear running down the mother’s cheek.
Lulu se pepe i le pito i luga o le laau,
A agi le matagi e luluina le moega pepe,
A gau le lala e paʻu ai le moega pepe,
Ma o le a sau i lalo pepe, moega pepe ma mea uma.
Effie translated the words and kept the tune. She shared it with everyone and it soon became a wildly popular nursery rhyme among the Colonies.
The English translation:
Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
Why did the Muskogee mother cry?
A “bough” is simply a tree branch, and its breaking was used by the Muskogee mothers as an analogy of their little baby growing up.
Their little baby would soon outgrow his cradle. With each gently rocking wind, time was passing. One day, little baby would no longer need the protection of his mother. One day, the “branch” would break because her little baby had become too heavy. The “cradle” would fall to the earth – the child, no longer a baby, would dust himself off and grow into a man.
The now famous lullaby was first printed in Mother Goose’s Melody in London in 1765.
The actual origin and meaning of the rhyme has been subjects of various theories and folklore, but none of them have been conclusively provn.

02/25/2026

When Crazy Horse was stabbed at Fort Robinson in 1877, his cousin Touch the Cloud was by his side. Refusing to let the great Lakota warrior die abandoned on the ground, he and a few others carried him to the adjutant’s office—so that his last breath would come among his own people, not his captors.
But what followed remains one of the quietest yet most powerful acts of Lakota resistance. That same night, under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, Touch the Cloud lifted Crazy Horse’s body, carefully wrapped in a buffalo robe. The elders had prepared a decoy—the body of a deer, disguised to resemble the fallen chief—left behind to deceive the guards.
The soldiers believed they still held the warrior. In truth, Crazy Horse had already been taken home, carried into the arms of his people. His death became not merely an ending, but a final act of defiance.
Through this deception, the Lakota gained one last victory: the right to mourn Crazy Horse in their own way, away from the eyes of an army that sought to silence him. And through story and song, the memory of that sacred night lives on—the warrior who could not be caged, not even in death.

02/25/2026

THE MUSICAL REBEL WHO CHANGED HISTORY: How One Native American Girl Turned Boarding School Oppression Into Musical Revolution!
Meet Zitkála-Šá, the incredible Native American woman who refused to let anyone erase her identity! In the late 1800s, she was sent to a boarding school designed to strip away her heritage and culture. But instead of giving up, this amazing woman used her talent to fight back in the most beautiful way possible - through music that would change American history forever.
THE GROUNDBREAKING ACHIEVEMENT
In 1913, Zitkála-Šá made history by co-composing the first-ever American Indian opera, "The Sun Dance." This wasn't just any ordinary musical work - it was a revolutionary fusion of traditional Native American melodies with European classical music forms. She didn't just create beautiful music; she created a powerful statement that Native American culture deserved recognition and respect on the world's biggest stages.
MUSIC AS RESISTANCE
What makes her story so powerful is how she turned oppression into opportunity. While boarding schools were trying to destroy Native American culture, Zitkála-Šá mastered classical music and then used it as a weapon of cultural preservation. Her opera was based on the sacred Sun Dance ceremony, which was actually banned by the U.S. government at the time. Through her music, she was secretly keeping her people's traditions alive and sharing them with the world.
BEYOND THE STAGE
But Zitkála-Šá's impact went far beyond music. She became one of the most important Native American rights activists of her time, using her platform and fame to fight for justice and recognition for her people. She co-founded the National Council of American Indians and spent her life lobbying for increased political power for Native Americans. Her music gave her a voice that couldn't be silenced.
LEGACY OF COURAGE
Today, Zitkála-Šá stands as a symbol of how art can be the ultimate form of resistance. She proved that you can honor your roots while mastering new skills, and that creativity can be the most powerful tool for social change. Her story reminds us that sometimes the best way to fight oppression is to excel so brilliantly that the world has no choice but to listen.
This is what happens when talent meets determination and cultural pride! Zitkála-Šá's symphony of resistance continues to inspire musicians, activists, and anyone fighting to preserve their identity in a world that tries to erase it.

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