Books Are Good Medicine Podcast

Bonus episode: Author Talk with Robin Wall Kimmerer

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a scientist, writer, decorated professor and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of many books, including “Bud Finds Her Gift, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World” and “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.” In this special edition episode, Odia visits Robin at Open Book in Minneapolis for a conversation about her writings, youth fitness and wellbeing, and the importance of being connected to nature. This episode is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s IndigeFit Kids campaign, a $6 million initiative to improve the physical and mental wellness of Native youth in Minnesota. RESOURCES Check out all of Robin’s books and upcoming events: https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/ Open Book in Minneapolis: https://openbookmn.org/ IndigeFit Kids website: https://indigefitkids.org/ Books are Good Medicine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en Books are Good Medicine YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BooksAreGoodMedicine/featured Books are Good Medicine website: https://www.booksaregoodmedicine.com/ Have questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com.

Series finale: Podcast highlights and resources for educators

We’re celebrating the end of our podcast, Books are Good Medicine. We launched this limited series podcast in 2024 to share books and other K-12 teaching resources on the Native American experience. In this series finale, hosts Allison and Odia reflect on their favorite interviews and takeaways from the series, share some fun facts, and talk about the best resources for educators looking to bring more Native books into the classroom. Have questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com. Resources Native American Teaching Resources guide: https://www.understandnativemn.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024_-Native_American_Teaching_Resources_Guide.pdf Birchbark Books: https://birchbarkbooks.com/ Fire Mountain Fabrics & Supply: https://firemountainfabrics.com/collections/ribbon-skirt-kits Hoċokata Ṫi cultural center: https://hocokatati.org/ Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post: https://www.mnhs.org/millelacs Minnesota History Center’s Our Home: Native Minnesota: https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/our-home Minnesota Humanities Center Native American Live Series: https://www.mnhum.org/program/native-american-lives-series/ Books are Good Medicine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and produced by Goff Public. Our theme music is “Stomp Dance” by Bluedog.

Classroom essentials: Native American Boarding Schools

The U.S. government’s Native American boarding school policy — largely absent from history books — forcibly removed hundreds of thousands of Native children from their families between 1869 and the 1960s. The policy aimed to eradicate traditional Indigenous lifeways from future generations of Native peoples. Sent to over 526 federally and church-run schools, these children were forced to give up their traditional clothing, punished for speaking their language, banned from practicing their culture, and subjected to abuse and neglect. Many never returned home. In this episode, Allison and Odia talk with Deidre Whiteman (Spirit Lake Dakota/Hidatsa) from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition about how educators can approach this difficult topic in the classroom and what teaching resources are available. Deidre also discusses the understanding needed to address the ongoing trauma created by Native American boarding schools in the U.S. Questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com. RESOURCES National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition website: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/ National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition education resources: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/resource-database/education-at-the-edge-of-empire-negotiating-pueblo-identity-in-new-mexicos-indian-boarding-schools/ National Native American Interactive Digital Map of Indian Boarding Schools: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/digitalmap/ Subscribe to the Coalition’s email list: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/subscribe-to-e-news/ More information on Orange Shirt Day: https://orangeshirtday.org/ Books are Good Medicine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en Books are Good Medicine YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BooksAreGoodMedicine/featured Books are Good Medicine website: https://www.booksaregoodmedicine.com/

Classroom essentials: Native art with Marlena Myles

Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscogee) is a Native American artist who brings modernity to Indigenous history, languages and oral traditions while using the land as a teacher. In this episode, Allison and Odia talk with Marlena about how she uses her artwork to teach Minnesotans of all backgrounds the Indigenous history of this place we call home. They also discuss Marlena’s public art installations and the free resources she has created for educators to teach and share Dakota culture. Questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com. RESOURCES • Marlena Myles website: https://marlenamyl.es/ • Marlena’s Dakota land maps: https://marlenamyl.es/project/dakota-land-map/ • Marlena’s free resources and activities to teach about Dakota art and culture: https://marlenamyl.es/free-resources/ • Marlena’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mylesdesigns • “Realms of Resilience” documentary • “Thanku: Poems of Gratitude” • “Indian No More” by Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell • “Paul Bunyan: The Invention of an American Legend” by Noah Van Sciver and Marlena Myles • Books are Good Medicine website: www.booksaregoodmedicine.com/ • Books are Good Medicine YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@BooksAreGoodMedicine • Books are Good Medicine Instagram: www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and produced by Goff Public. Our theme music is “Stomp Dance” by Bluedog.

Classroom essentials: Cultural fire and environmental science

Two environmental scientists join the podcast: Ferin Davis Anderson (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa/Ojibwe/Anishinaabe/Mitchifs) and Dr. Michael Dockry (Potawatomi Nation). These experts each have extensive experience in natural resource management. They join Allison and Odia to discuss how they incorporate Indigenous perspectives into natural resource management, Ferin’s new book, “Wildfire: The Culture, Science, and Future of Fire,” wildfire as a regenerative land management tool, and more. Questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com. GIVEAWAY To enter for a chance to win a copy of the book “Wildfire: The Culture, Science, and Future of Fire,” by Ferin Davis Anderson, email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com with the subject line, “Wildfire book giveaway” by June 6. We will randomly select 50 winners and notify them via email. RESOURCES • “Wildfire: The Culture, Science, and Future of Fire” by Ferin Davis Anderson and Stephanie Sammartino McPherson • “Wildfire: The Culture, Science, and Future of Fire” discussion guide • “Mothers of Xsan” book series by Brett D. Huson • “Before We Lost the Lake” by Chad Reimer • “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer • “Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults” by Monique Gray Smith • “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World” by Robin Wall Kimmerer • Books are Good Medicine Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/booksaregoodmedicine/?hl=en • Books are Good Medicine YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@BooksAreGoodMedicine • Books are Good Medicine website: https://www.booksaregoodmedicine.com/ This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and produced by Goff Public. Our theme music is “Stomp Dance” by Bluedog.