EDU 335: American Indian Education: Books & Authors

S.D. Nelson
Standing Rock Sioux

Donald Montileaux
Lakota

Joseph Bruchac
Nulhegan Abenaki

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve
Rosebud Sioux

Paul Goble
Adopted by the Lakota and Yakima people

Joy Harjo
Mvskoke Nation

Other Plains Indians Authors & Illustrators
N. Scott Momaday
Charles Eastman
Liselotte Erdrich
Maria Tallchief

Non-Plains Indians Authors & Illustrators
Jenny Kay Dupuis
George Littlechild
Traci Sorell
Kevin Noble Maillard

Non-Native Authors & Illustrators 

Connect with the Library

McGovern Library
library@dwu.edu
(605) 995-2618

S.D. Nelson is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the Dakotas. His artwork appears on book jackets, greeting cards, and CD covers, and his paintings are held in both private and public collections. He has written and illustrated numerous award-winning children’s books. Learn more about S.D. Nelson by visiting his website.

Donald F. Montileaux (Yellowbird) is a modern-day storyteller, rekindling the images of the Lakota lifestyle by painting the people as they were. Montileaux regards himself as having a mission: "To portray the Lakota, the Native Americans, in an honest way. To illustrate them as people who hunted buffalo, made love, raised children, cooked meals, and lived. Learn more by visiting his website.

For over forty years Joseph Bruchac has been creating literature and music that reflect his indigenous heritage and traditions. He is a proud Nulhegan Abenaki citizen and respected elder among his people. He is the author of more than 120 books for children and adults. Learn more about Joseph Bruchac by visiting his website. 

For thirty years Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve has written children's books with the intention of dispelling stereotypes and negative images of Native Americans. She has brought the richness of Native American culture and heritage to thousands of children. 

Paul Goble was an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books. He won both the Caldecott Medal and The Library of Congress’ Children’s Book of the Year Award. Goble illustrated over 30 books in his lifetime. Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Goble became a United States citizen in 1984 and was adopted into the Yakima and Sioux tribes (with the name Wakinyan Chikala, “Little Thunder”) by Chief Edgar Red Cloud. His illustrations accurately depict Native American clothing, customs, and surroundings in brilliant color and detail. He also researched ancient stories and retold them for his young audiences. 

Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She is serving her second term as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States. The author of nine books of poetry, including the highly acclaimed An American Sunrise, several plays and children's books, and two memoirs, Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior, her many honors include the Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Foundation, the Academy of American Poets Wallace Stevens Award, two NEA fellowships, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Learn more by visiting her website. 

N. Scott Momaday is a Kiowa novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. 

Charles Alexander Eastman was a physician educated at Boston University, and the first Native American to be certified in Western medicine. He was a writer, national lecturer, and reformer. In the early 20th century. Eastman was of Santee Dakota, English and French ancestry.

Liselotte Erdrich was born in Minnesota, lives in Wahpeton, North Dakota, and has worked in Indian health and education for over twenty years. She is a member of the Turtle Mountain band of Plains-Ojibway.

Maria Tallchief was an American ballerina. She was considered America's first major prima ballerina. She was the first Native American to hold the rank, and is said to have revolutionized ballet. 

Jenny Kay Dupuis was born in Northern Ontario and is a proud member of Nipissing First Nation. She is an educator, researcher, speaker, and artist with over 15 years’ success advancing innovative programs, strategies and research initiatives across Canada focusing on topics pertaining to Indigenous issues, leadership and diversity, inclusion, and the importance of relationship building today.

George Little Child is Metis from the Plains Cree Nation and now lives in Vancouver. Born August 16, 1958 in Edmonton, Alberta and knew from a young age that he had a special talent as an artist to share with the world.

Traci Sorell started her work by focusing on helping Native Nations and their citizens. She wrote legal codes, testimony for Congressional hearings, federal budget requests, grants and reports. She continues that work by writing stories for young people and encouraging other Native writers and illustrators to share theirs. 

Kevin Noble Maillard is a professor and journalist who is a regular writer for the New York Times, and has interviewed politicians, writers, tribal leaders, and even some movie stars. Originally from Oklahoma, he is a member of the Seminole Nation, Mekusukey band.

The authors listed below are not natives, but have written about Indigenous People and Native Myths. The authors and titles presented are held by the McGovern Library. 

Gerald McDermott, Tomie DePaola, Miska Miles, Rafe Martin, Angela Shelf Medearis, Olaf Baker, Caron Lee Cohen, Lynne Cherry, Byrd Baylor, Robbie Robertson, Jean Craighead George, John Steptoe, Sara Hoagland Hunter,  Chiori Santiago, Terri Cohlene, Neil Waldman, Barbra Diamond Goldin