LibGuides: American Indigenous Studies Resources: Stories and Inspirations

Podcasts, Apps, Inspiring Projects

The Indigenous Rocketeer by Abdullahi Tsanni
Publication Date: August 2023
Nicole McGaa’s childhood was full of activities that showcased her handiness: from repairing cars in her parents’ garage to building boats by the Ohio River. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a chemical-engineer father and a chemist mother, McGaa enjoyed early childhood experiences, such as stargazing in a forest, that ignited her love for space and engineering. McGaa, who is Oglala Lakota, is entering her fourth year of undergraduate studies in aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge.

Smudge Before Launch: by William Von Herff, Vishva Nalamalapu, Elizabeth Gamillo and Allison Guy. June 2023

Watch the MIT team for First Nations Launch, an international rocketry competition hosted by the NASA Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium! They follow Indigenous methodologies to engineer, design, manufacture, simulate, and test a rocket for the yearly competition featuring a variety of unique yearly challenges. They also look to build relationships with our local Indigenous nations and share their love for engineering and space.

All My Relations (2019-present), by Matika Wilbur, Desi Small-Rodriguez & Adrienne Keene
Podcast about Native communities, and writing and speaking about issues of representation.
First Languages AI Reality
This project explores a method that aims to decrease the number of hours of audio data required is critical to unlocking the potential of AI for low-resource languages.
Guide to Tribal Colleges and Universities
There are 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities, also known as 'TCUs,' across the United States. This guide traces the history of the TCU movement and provides contemporary insights into each unique institution.
Heart of All Oral History Project
Tells the story of Lakota oyate, or nation, through the voices of local elders and community members from what is now widely known as the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Hidden Literacies
Collection of essays and podcast that investigates the surprising, often neglected roles reading and writing have played in the lives of marginalized Americans—from indigenous and enslaved people to prisoners and young children.
INDIGENOUS A I
The Working Group has held two workshops to date, one in March and another in May of 2019. The workshops laid the foundation for the Position Paper on Indigenous Protocol and Artificial Intelligence, published in August of 2020.
Indigenous D.C. App
A walking tour and map featuring sites of importance to Native peoples across the Nation’s capital.
Indigenous Mathematicians
Podcast and resources about Indigenous Mathematicians from around the world as they share in story about their personal and professional journeys in mathematics.
Indigenous Politics (2007-2013) by J Kēhaulani Kauanui
Audio archive for “Indigenous Politics: From Native New England and Beyond,” a public affairs radio show devoted to Indigenous political issues with a focus on land struggles, nationhood, self-determination and decolonization.
Land Grab Universitiies by Robert Lee, Tristan Ahtone, Margaret Pearce
Investigative journalistic work studying and mapping how the United States funded land-grant universities with expropriated Indigenous land.
Native Land
This interactive map strives to create and foster conversations about the history of colonialism, Indigenous ways of knowing, and settler-Indigenous relations, through additional educational resources and the Territory Acknowledgement Guide.
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine by Leah Lemm ('04) and Cole Premo.
Co-hosted by MIT graduate Leah Lemm, this podcast explores the history, work, strength, and resiliency of Native people who are shaping the future. Hosts are members of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
Parks
This podcast is about the Indigenous people who have lived, hunted, and created communities on these sacred lands, living reciprocally with nature for centuries before colonizers arrived. It’s about the racism, violence, and lies that led the U.S. government to dispossess land from Natives.
A People's Guide to Firsting and Lasting in Boston
Documents the “erasure” of indigenous peoples in and around Boston, Massachusetts. Although the city is imbued with settler colonial stories and symbols, and despite the fact that Native Americans were actually banned within the city limits until 2004 when the 329-year-old Indian Imprisonment Act of 1675 was formally repealed, Boston remains a Native place.
Stolen Lands and State Universities (Podcast by the American Association of University Professors)
This episode discusses the issue of the massive transfer of wealth from tribal nations who underwrote the founding of land-grant universities and how institutions are beginning to address and contend with difficult questions about their relationship to Indigenous communities.
This Land by Rebecca Nagle (2019-2021)
This podcast discusses various native issues such as land rights, sovereignty issues, and the Indian Child Welfare Act.
Toolboxes for Nation Building by The toolboxes curated and hosted by the Native Nations Institute (NNI) at the University of Arizona and the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development (Harvard Project) at Harvard University.
The toolboxes enable Nation Builders to explore, develop and manage their understanding of key functions of tribal, First Nation, and other Indigenous governance structures and strategies. They also provide insights into the political conditions that affect Indigenous Nations.

Talks

Indigenous Knowledge and Western Scienceby Astronomer Rob Cardinal. Cardinal is Blackfoot from the Siksika First Nation, a research associate at the University of Calgary and Executive Director of The First Light Institute. This recording is from January 14, 2015.

"Two-Eyed Seeing" by Albert Marshall, Elder, Eskasoni First Nation, Unama'ki District (Cape Breton), Nova Scotia. This recording was published on December 19, 2019

Decolonial Sex and Relations for a More Sustainable World by Dr. Kim Tallbear, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate and professor at the University of Alberta. This recording is from October 17, 2018.

Re-storying the Experiences of Indigenous College Students. Presentation by Shannon Gonzales-Miller who is Ute and the Director of Scholarships and Grants, Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the Ohio State University. This recording is from April 21, 2021.

Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science. By Dr. Leroy Little Bear a Blackfoot Nation member and emeritus professor. This recording is from January 14, 2015.

Beyond Diversity & Inclusion to Decolonization in Science, Technology, and Policy by Dr. Kim Tallbear who is Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate and professor at the University of Alberta. This recording is from February 4, 2022.

Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science. By Dr. Gregory Cajete who is Tewa and professor at the University of New Mexico. This recording is from January 14, 2015.

On Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science with Jessica Hernandez (Maya Ch'orti' and Zapotec, environmental scientist). Recording published on February 10, 2022.

American Indigenous Studies Resources: Stories and Inspirations

Podcasts, Apps, Inspiring Projects

Talks

Acknowledgements for the American Indigenous Studies Resources Libguide