While searching through our collections for maps to use for display in the exhibition Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I, I found one among our uncatalogued holdings that caught my attention. As the title states, it is a map presenting the role of North American Indians in the World War.
One benefit of my job at the Library of Congress is that I get to learn some history and read critical analysis while also locating resources and finding ways to support teachers in the classroom. One topic that I continue to learn more about is the history of the ways in which the lives of Native Americans in the United States have been documented.
November is National Native American Heritage Month, set aside to honor the history and traditions of Native Americans. The Teaching with the Library of Congress blog has published a number of posts about teaching about Native American history and culture using primary sources. Many of them focus on what can and cannot be learned about […]
It is also a reminder that, though we have collected the stories of many Native Americans with a focus on those who served as code talkers, there are many, many more who served bravely in all of the branches of the military throughout the history of the United States of America.
Native American cultures are alive and well today, thriving and evolving within cities, rural communities, tribes, and nations across the United States. The online collections of the Library of Congress contain a variety of primary sources that document daily life and creative works in diverse Native American communities from the late twentieth century to the present day.
One of the most powerful effects of primary sources is their ability to complicate common understandings of history. As the raw materials of history, original documents are able to bring to light little-known details or neglected episodes that add complexity to oversimplified accounts.
The Teaching with the Library of Congress blog has published a number of posts highlighting primary sources related to the rich traditions of Native Americans.
The Library of Congress American Folklife Center has worked to preserve the culture of America’s people. Through on-site recordings and unposed images we are able to experience the language, the songs, the stories and the performances of Native Americans in their communities or here at the Library of Congress.
The Library of Congress has many resources related to the experiences and contributions of Native Americans to our nation.
One image from the exhibit “Shall Not Be Denied: Women’s Fight for the Vote” in particular struck me both for what it shows and for what it does not make evident.