Tag Archives: Cree

Happy Native American Heritage Month 2025!

Happy Native American Heritage and Indigenous History Month! We’re celebrating, as we do, with books by Indigenous authors, starring Indigenous characters. (Note: Despite the title of the post, these books include indigenous characters from all over.) While the usual affiliate links are included, you’re strongly encouraged to order from the Native-owned Birchbark Books where available!

Picture Books

Phoenix Ani’ Gichichi-I’ / Phoenix Gets Greater by Marty Wilson-Trudeau with  Phoenix Wilson (text) and Megan Kyak-Monteith (illustration), translated by Kelvin Morrison

Phoenix loves to play with dolls and marvel at pretty fabrics. Most of all, he loves to dance―ballet, Pow Wow dancing, or just swirling and twirling around his house. Sometimes Phoenix gets picked on and he struggles with feeling different, but his mom and brother are proud of him. With their help, Phoenix learns about Two Spirit/Niizh Manidoowag people in Anishinaabe culture and just how special he is.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | Birchbark Books

Continue reading Happy Native American Heritage Month 2025!

Fave Five: Canadian Indigenous Fiction

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet and Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson (YA, Métis)

Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline (YA, Métis)

A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt (Cree)

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead (Oji-Cree)

Buffalo is the New Buffalo by Chelsea Vowel (Métis)

Bonus: These are all novels, but for poetry, check out Disintegrate/Dissociate by Arielle Twist, This Wound is a World by Billy-Ray Belcourt, and full-metal indiqiqueer by Joshua Whitehead

Fave Five: Poetry by Indigenous Authors

Feed by Tommy Pico (Kumeyaay)

Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz (Gila River)

full metal indigiqueer by Joshua Whitehead (Oji-Cree)

Disintegrate/Dissociate by Arielle Twist (Cree)

You Are Enough: Love Poems for the End of the World by Smokii Sumac (Ktunaxa)