Oct 11, 2021 - Things to Do

5 Native authors to read on Indigenous Peoples Day

hand holding purple book in front of storefront

Audrey bought The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson at Birchbark Books. Photo by Audrey Kennedy/Axios

It's Indigenous Peoples Day! Want to learn more about Native American culture and history?

I went to Native-owned and operated Birchbark Books and Native Arts in Minneapolis to get some book recommendations. Here are five authors to add to your reading list:

  • Tip: You can find them all at Birchbark, which was founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning Ojibwe author Louise Erdrich.

Drew Hayden Taylor: Ojibway playwright, filmmaker and comedian

Peter Razor: First-time Ojibwe memoirist

  • Recommended: "While the Locust Slept," in which Razor shares his harrowing story of growing up as a ward of the state of Minnesota in the 1930s.

Joy Harjo: First Native American U.S. Poet Laureate

  • Recommended: "An American Sunrise," a collection of Harjo's poems on returning to her family's homeland and exploring her tribe's history.

Angeline Boulley: Ojibwe New York Times bestselling young adult author

  • Recommended: "Firekeeper's Daughter," a YA thriller about a Native teen rooting out corruption in her community.

Diane Wilson: Award-winning Dakota fiction writer and essayist

  • Recommended: "The Seed Keeper," which follows a Dakota family for several generations and the women who protected their family seeds.

Thought bubble: I plan to read "The Seed Keeper" after I finish "LaRose" by Louise Erdrich. I'm 50 pages in and already recommend it.

avatar

Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Twin Cities.

🌱

Support local journalism by becoming a member.

Learn more

More Twin Cities stories

No stories could be found

Twin Citiespostcard

Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Twin Cities.

🌱

Support local journalism by becoming a member.

Learn more