Best Indigenous

Layli Long Soldier’s *WHEREAS* examines the complexities of historical and contemporary relationships between the U.S. government and Indigenous communities. This poetry collection, published in 2017, offers a powerful critique through experimental language and deeply rooted Lakota perspectives. It...

Wanuskewin Heritage Park is a National Historic Site of Canada located in Saskatchewan that preserves and celebrates over 6,000 years of Northern Plains Indigenous cultural heritage. The park features walking trails through an intact archaeological site that includes ancient bison jumps and tipi rin...

How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems 1975–2001 is a poetry collection by American author Joy Harjo, published in 2002. Harjo, a member of the Mvskoke (Creek) Nation, draws on Indigenous history, oral tradition, and personal narrative in her work. The volume compiles poems from her earlier col...

Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings is a 2015 poetry collection by Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the United States Poet Laureate. The collection combines themes of indigenous history, spirituality, and contemporary Native American life. Through her verse, Harjo addresses the...

Embrace of the Serpent chronicles two separate expeditions into the Colombian Amazon in the mid-20th century. The film depicts a shaman, Karamakate, accompanied by a German ethnographer and later an American botanist, as they seek the plant yakruna. The narrative is based on the diaries of explorers...

*An American Sunrise* is a 2019 poetry collection by Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the United States Poet Laureate. Through a mix of poetry and prose, the collection reflects on the history of her Indigenous ancestors and their forced removal from their ancestral homelands i...

"She Had Some Horses" is a 1983 poetry collection by Joy Harjo, a writer and musician of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation who later served as the United States Poet Laureate. The book uses the titular animal as a recurring metaphor to explore themes of identity, struggle, and survival within Indigenous a...

“Postcolonial Love Poem” is a poetry collection by Solange Le Fur that explores themes of Indigenous identity and relationships through an American lens. The work garnered significant attention including a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. It’s notable for its nuanced examination of love, loss, and cultura...

Oaxacan cuisine represents a deeply rooted culinary tradition within Mexico’s Oaxaca region. It is notable for its complex mole sauces, developed over centuries using indigenous ingredients such as corn, chilies, and spices. These dishes showcase the area's agricultural heritage and diverse flavors....

The Story of My Experiments with Truth is Mahatma Gandhi’s powerful autobiography chronicling his formative years. This classic work details his journey from a shy lawyer to the leader of India's independence movement through his exploration of philosophy, spirituality, and indigenous traditions. It...

Bagataway is an ancient Indigenous North American stick-and-ball game widely recognized as the foundational predecessor to modern lacrosse, holding deep spiritual significance.

Alto Purús National Park is a large protected reserve located in the remote Amazon basin of Peru. Established in 2004, it safeguards an area of tropical rainforest characterized by extremely high levels of regional biodiversity. The park serves as a secure territory for several uncontacted indigenou...

Edward S. Curtis was a pioneering American photographer renowned for documenting Native Americans during the early 20th century. His extensive work, particularly “The North American Indian,” provides invaluable ethnographic records and portraits of diverse tribes. These photographs are significant h...

"In Mad Love and War" is a poetry collection published in 1990 by Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The collection explores themes of colonial violence, systemic oppression, intimate relationships, and Indigenous resistance. Harjo integrates Native American oral traditions, storyte...

The Museum of Anthropology at UBC showcases a significant collection of Indigenous art and artifacts from the Pacific Northwest Coast. Located within a distinctive Arthur Erickson-designed building on the University of British Columbia campus, it offers invaluable insights into the cultures and hist...

The Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove is a forested reserve situated along the banks of the Osun River in Osogbo, Nigeria. It is dedicated to Osun, the Yoruba goddess of fertility, and serves as a site of worship and traditional rituals. The grove contains a network of shrines, sculptures, and artworks, many...

Mata Ortiz pottery is a contemporary ceramic tradition centered in the village of Mata Ortiz in Chihuahua, Mexico. Beginning in the twentieth century, Juan Quezada Celado studied archaeological ceramics associated with the ancient Casas Grandes culture and developed hand-building, polishing, paintin...

The Treaty of Waitangi is a foundational document in New Zealand’s history. Signed in 1840 between representatives of the British Crown and Māori chiefs, it established British sovereignty while purportedly protecting Māori rights to their land and resources. Its interpretation has been intensely de...

Natalie Diaz’s *When My Brother Was an Aztec* is a debut poetry collection exploring themes of family relationships, substance use, and Indigenous identity. Diaz, an American writer of Mojave descent, uses vivid imagery and personal narrative to address the complexities of growing up within a Native...

Sugarcane documents the devastating history of abuse within Canada’s Indigenous communities through the lens of sugarcane production. The film explores the long-standing connection between sugar barons, Canadian government policies, and the systemic mistreatment experienced by children in residentia...

Tupac Amaru II was a prominent Indigenous leader of Peru during the late 18th century. He spearheaded a widespread rebellion against Spanish colonial rule aiming to dismantle exploitative systems within the Andean region. His efforts, though ultimately unsuccessful in achieving immediate independenc...

Boitatá is a legendary creature from Brazilian folklore, typically described as a fiery serpent that protects forests and fields. The legend has origins in Indigenous traditions, particularly among the Tupi people, though it has been incorporated into broader Brazilian folk culture. According to tra...

Douglas Cardinal is a prominent Canadian architect recognized for integrating indigenous design principles into civic and cultural projects. His work emphasizes flowing, natural forms reflecting organic landscapes. He frequently collaborates with First Nations communities to create spaces that honor...

Mission US: A Cheyenne Odyssey is a 2013 WNET history game in which Little Fox confronts settler, railroad, and military encroachment beginning in 1866.

Tommy Pico’s *Nature Poem* (2017) presents a compelling collection of poetry examining contemporary Indigenous experiences within urban environments. The work blends Kumeyaay heritage with queer perspectives offering a unique lens on identity and displacement. It's notable for its innovative approac...

Xingu Indigenous Park is a protected indigenous territory located in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Established in 1961 by the Brazilian government, it was one of the first major indigenous reserves in the Amazon basin. The park's boundaries enclose a vast expanse of tropical savanna and Amazonia...

Kayan Mentarang National Park is a vast protected area in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, situated in the highlands of Borneo. Covering over 1.3 million hectares, it preserves one of the largest remaining blocks of tropical rainforest in Southeast Asia. The park is a biodiversity hotspot and is co-mana...

Audra Simpson is a Mohawk anthropologist whose 2014 book Mohawk Interruptus developed influential ideas of refusal and nested sovereignty.

The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival showcases contemporary works from Indigenous artists globally. Established in Toronto in 1998, it is recognized as the world’s largest film festival dedicated to Indigenous screen-based media. The event provides a vital platform for showcasing diverse per...