Native American History Pathfinder
Whitefield School Library -- (This pathfinder is currently under construction.)

The following pathfinder has been developed to fulfill the Maine statute that outlines the requirements of educators in today's classrooms.  This material can be used by teachers and students in exploring the Native American culture. We hope that the websites, books and videos provided enhance research, instruction and information gathering in incorporating Native American History into the classroom. (All materials listed are available at the Whitefield School Library).

Here is a link to the Maine statute: Maine Statute on Native American History (While this statue is in place educator's must incorporate this new area of study into the classroom.  We are hoping that the following links will address some of the requirements.)

When locating or searching for materials use the following terms or call numbers when searching an on-line catalog or our collection:

Keywords or Subject Headings to search with

Dewey Decimal Classification used
Native American Indian
American Indian
Names of Tribes (Ex. Abanaki, Passamaquoddy)
North American Indian		 398.2  Native American legends & Folklore
970.004  History of Native Americans
970  Native Americans
971 thru 979  Various tribes i.e. Utes (979), Blackfoot (975)

Here are two on-line resources to help evaluate websites: Techniques for Evaluating American Indian Web Sites and Erasing Native American Stereotypes

Here is a partial listing of materials at the Whitefield School Library, for the complete list click here: Native American Collection by Author (this is a PDF file - send requests to choward@whitefield.us).

E Fiction Books (Elementary):

YA Fiction Books:
E Bru    Bruchac, Joseph. Children of the longhouse.  (New York: Puffin Books, 1998, 150p) (Gr. 3-6, Lexile: 950). Eleven-year-old Ohkwa'ri and his twin sister must make peace with a hostile gang of older boys in their Mohawk village during the late 1400s.

E Gob   Goble, Paul. The gift of the sacred dog. (New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1987., 32p.) (K-3, Lexile: 670). In response to an Indian boy's prayer for help for his hungry people, the Great Spirit sends the gift of the Sacred Dogs, horses which enable the tribe to hunt for buffalo.

E Sav    Savageau, Cheryl. Muskrat will be swimming. (Gardiner, Maine:   Tilbury House, 2006,  32p.) (Gr. K-3). A Native American girl's feelings are hurt when schoolmates make fun of the children who live at the lake, but then her grandpa tells her a Seneca folktale that reminds her how much she appreciates her home and her place in the world.		 YA F Bru    Bruchac, Joseph. Code Talker : a novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two. (New York: Dial Books, c2005., 231p.) (Gr. 5-8, Lexile: 910). After being taught in a boarding school run by whites that Navajo is a useless language, Ned Begay and other Navajo men are recruited by the Marines to become Code Talkers, sending messages during World War II in their native tongue.

YA F Hob    Hobbs, Will. Beardance. (Aladdin Paperbacks, 2004, c1993., 197p.) (Gr. 5-8, Lexile: 890).  While accompanying an elderly rancher on a trip into the San Juan Mountains, Cloyd, a Ute Indian boy, tries to help two orphaned grizzly cubs survive the winter and, at the same time, completes his spirit mission.
 

Fiction Books:

Biographies:
F Pea    Pearsall, Shelley. Crooked river.  (New York: Knopf , Distributed by Random House, 2005., 249p.) (Gr. 3-6, Lexile: 910). When twelve-year old Rebecca Carter's father brings a Native American accused of murder into their 1812 Ohio settlement town, Rebecca, witnessing the town's reaction to the Indian, struggles with the idea that an innocent man may be convicted and sentenced to death.

F Roo    Roop, Peter. Ahyoka and the talking leaves. (New York: Lothrop, 1992). (Gr. 3-6, Lexile: 520).  Ahyoka helps her father Sequoyah in his quest to create a system of writing for his people.

B Ish    Kroeber, Theodore. Ishi, last of his tribe. (New York: Bantam, 1973, 213 p.) (Gr 5-8, YA, Lexile: 870). A biography of the last of the Yahi Indians, who for many years lived in hidden villages and caves in northern California.

B Seq   Klausner, Janet. Sequoyah's gift: a portrait of the cherokee leader. (New York: HarperCollins, 1993, 111 p.) (Gr. 5-8, Lexile: 870). A biography of the Cherokee Indian who created a method for his people to write and read their own language.

B Sac  Rowland, Della. The story of Sacajawea : guide to Lewis and Clark. (New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, c1989. (Gr. 3-6, Lexile: 860). Recounts the life story of the Native American woman, Sacajawea, who was taken as a young slave, then later sold as a wife to a French fur trader, and who eventually guided Lewis and Clark as they explored the western United States. 

Nonfiction Books:

Professional & Reference Books:
299.7 Str    Stroud, Virginia. Path of the Quiet Elk: A Native American Alphabet Book. (New York: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated). (Gr. K-3). Set in the late 1800s, aspiritual journey unfolds as a Plains Indian girl walks through the woods with a medicine woman, who points out objects -- Animal Helper, Butterflies, Carrying Case, and so on, -- and explains their significance.

305.2 Ash    Ashabranner, Brent. To live in two worlds : American Indian youth today. (Dodd, Mead, c1984). (Gr. 6-8, YA). Includes index, this book discusses the efforts of North American Indians to survive in and adjust to modern society while holding onto their ethnic heritage.

970.1 Bea    Beal, Merrill D. I will fight no more forever : Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce War. (Washington: University of Washington Press, 1966., 366p.) (Gr. 5-8, YA, Lexile: 1130).  Discusses the ethnohistory and military campaigns of the Nez Perce tribe.

974.4 Che    Cherry, Lynne. A river ran wild : an environmental history. (New York: Harcourt Brace & Co., c1992., 34p.) (Gr. 3-6, Lexile: 670). An environmental history of the Nashua River, from its discovery by Indians through the polluting years of the Industrial Revolution to the ambitious clean-up that revitalized it.		 Prof 630 Wah Waheenee. Buffalo Bird Woman's garden : agriculture of the Hidatsa Indians. (St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1987,129 p.) This book is about the Agriculture of the Hidatsa Indians in Minneapolis around 1917, also includes bibliographical references.

Prof 970.1 Wab The Wabanakis of Maine and the Maritimes : a resource book about Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, Micmac and Abenaki Indians; with lesson plans for grades 4 through 8. (Bath, Maine: Maine Indian Program, c1989,  497 p.). Book and sound disc on Wabanaki words and songs.

R 970.0 Cim    Ciment, James. Scholastic Encyclopedia of the North American Indian. (New York: Scholastic Reference, 1996, 224 p.). Encyclopedia specific to the North American Indian, includes bibliographical references and index.

Articles:

Videos:
AILA Literature Awards. (2006, October). School Library Journal. The article announces the winners of the American Indian Youth Literature (AIYL) awards.

Sequoyah. Flack, J. (2004, July). School Library Journal, 50(7), 92-92. Article on reviews of several books about an American Indian hero.

Bold in Action Clark and the Native Americans. Cobblestone Issue  2004-11:  On the Frontier with George Rogers Clark

American Indian Population of the Northeast. Cobblestone Issue 1994-11: Indians of the Northeast Coast

 These 4 videos are available from our Social Studies teacher who received them from a workshop she attended - all videos are specific to Maine tribes:

VHS Mik Mi'Kmaq : six short videos

VHS Mys Mystery of the red paint people

VHS Abe Abenaki: native people of maine

VHS Jou Journey into tradition: penobscot nation
 

TEACHERS: here is a link to American Indian Children's Literature which provides some thoughts on teaching about Native Americans.

Here are some Lesson Plans & Worksheets specific to grade levels.

Kindergarten - 2 3-5 6-8
Native Americans - K
Three Native American Groups - K
Collaborative Unit on Native Americans - 1
Children of Indian Folklore - 1
American Indian Tribes - 2
Not Just Another Native American Lesson Plan - 2		 American History - Lesson 1 - Early Native Americans - 3
Native American Interdisciplinary Educational Unit - 2-4
Fourth Grade Social Studies Skills - 4
American Indian Leather Painting - 5
History Globe - Jamestown 3-5
American Indian Art - 3-5
Native American/First Nation Lessons - all		 The Story of Maine (MPBN) - 5
American Indian Leather Painting - 6
Digging Up Your Past - 5-8
Epidemics: A Story of Loss To gain a deeper understanding of the role of the epidemics of the 1600s (the Great Dying) and their impact on the Passamaquoddy people. (pdf file)
Native American Website for Children - all

WEBSITES for students and teachers to browse:

Hudson Museum, University of Maine Come experience the "wonder and splendor of the human experience" this museum offers. Abbe Museum Celebrating Maine's Native American Heritage The Abbe offers innovative exhibitions and programs on Maine's Native American heritage.
Maine Memory Net (Maine's Online Museum) The resources found in this section are designed to help learn about Maine history, use Maine Memory effectively, and explore the history of their own communities. Windows on Maine is a pilot project to develop an online service offering streaming video programs and clips, and other resources, via broadband and wireless connections. It features a searchable database of complete programs and video clips from Maine Public Broadcasting Network.

www.nativetech.org - Learn about Native American technology and art, beads, clothes, weapons and much more. Description, facts, and illustrations.

 U-S-History.com was developed to provide students with an interactive tool  to locate detailed information about the nation's history. There are several ways to use the site. Quizzes, maps, etc.
Resources for Indigenous Cultures around the World Great Chiefs
and Leaders

Wabanaki Studies - this is a link to the Fogler Library Native American Collection - Mrs. Howard is able to interlibrary loan using the Books-by-Mail program for any resources.

Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Pronunciation
and Spelling Guide

Pathfinder created by choward@whitefield.us - updated last 03/23/2008.