Indigenous Peoples' Day Resources - Zinn Education Project

Here are lessons, books, and films for teaching the truth about Columbus and Indigenous Peoples history.

Lessons

Discovering Columbus:
Re-reading the Past

How to engage students in a critical analysis of the textbook version of “discovery.”

Role play in the form of a trial to determine who is responsible for the death of millions of Taínos on the island of Hispaniola in the late 15th century. Roles available in Spanish.

The Cherokee/Seminole
Removal Role Play

Role play on the Cherokee-Seminole removal or Trail of Tears.

Andrew Jackson and
the “Children of the Forest”

A lesson in which students develop critical literacy skills by responding to Andrew Jackson’s speech on “Indian Removal.”

‘Don’t Take Our Voices Away’:
A Role Play on the Indigenous Peoples’ Global Summit on Climate Change

A role play that asks students to develop a list of demands to present to the rest of the world at a climate change meeting.

Standing with Standing Rock: A Role Play on the Dakota Access Pipeline

A role play that helps students recognize the issues at stake in the historic struggle of the Standing Rock Sioux to block construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline.

Articles
Christopher Columbus: No Monuments for Murderers Why we should challenge the fundamental structures of ownership, power, and privilege that have given us such a skewed constellation of heroes and holidays.	Truth-Telling in American History: Groups Fight for Indigenous Peoples’ Day Discusses Indigenous Peoples’ Day campaigns and the resistance/challenges to overcome.
Italian Americans Who Fought for Justice Brief bios of people of Italian heritage who were committed to social justice.	Native American Activism: 1960s to Present Brief overview and Native American activism since the late 1960s.

Books
	Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years Readings and lessons for grades 5 to 12 about the impact and legacy of the arrival of Columbus in the Americas.	“All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans Deconstructs persistent myths about American Indians rooted in fear and prejudice—an astute and lively primer of European-Indian relations.
	Christopher Columbus and the Conquest of Paradise Very detailed, with extensive quotes from far-ranging original sources. Links Columbus’s legacy to environmental degradation.	Columbus: His Enterprise A biography that gives a true account of Columbus’ life and voyages.
	An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States Four hundred years of Native American history from a bottom-up perspective.	A People’s History of the United States A groundbreaking work on U.S. history. This book details lives and facts rarely included in textbooks—an indispensable teacher and student resource.

Films
The Columbus Controversy: Challenging How History Is Written Contrasting views and scenes from the classroom on teaching about Columbus.	Columbus in America Documentary on the symbol of Columbus in the United States and the campaign for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Even the Rain/También la lluvia As a crew shoots a film about Columbus’ genocide, local people in Cochabamba, Bolivia rise up against plans to privatize the water supply.	Unlearning “Indian” Stereotypes Slideshow Native American history through the eyes of Native American children.

Websites
American Indians in Children’s Literature Critical perspectives of Indigenous peoples in children’s books, the school curriculum, popular culture, and society-at-large.	Indian Country Today Media Network In-depth coverage of Native American news.	Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline News and updates about the resistance effort.

More at the Zinn Education Project
Abolish Columbus Day Campaign	Resources on Native Americans	Resources on Colonization

Many of these resources are featured in the Abolish Columbus Day packet which is available to download. The 14-page packet includes articles, sample resolutions, and a poster. Read more at www.zinnedproject.org/abolish.