Indian or Native American? Ojibwe or Chippewa? Dakota or Sioux? Many educators feel unsure about which terms they should use in reference to Native people. In this episode of Books are Good Medicine, hosts Allison Waukau and Odia Wood-Krueger discuss the appropriateness of commonly used terms and phrases. They also recommend which ones you should use in the classroom and which to avoid and recommend resources on this topic.

There are many books about the Native American experience. What are the best ones for young children? In this episode of Books are Good Medicine, hosts Allison Waukau and Odia Wood-Krueger share their picks for the top books about Native Americans that every elementary school library should have.

Dr. Anton Treuer is a professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University and celebrated author of many books, including “Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask” and “The Language Warrior’s Manifesto.” In this episode, Anton discusses his recently released debut novel, “Where Wolves Don’t Die.” He also explains how he aims to reach young people through his “Ojibwe Word of the Day” series and his role in other important Ojibwe language revitalization efforts.

Among the most memorialized women in American history, Sacajewea served as interpreter and guide for Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery. In this episode, award-winning author Debra Magpie Earling (Bitterroot Salish) discusses her latest novel, The Lost Journals of Sacajewea, which re-centers Sacajewea as the arbiter of her own history. Debra shares what she thinks everyone should know about the real Sacajewea and how she envisions this book being used in classrooms.

Content warning: This book contains violence and other mature content.

Welcome to Books are Good Medicine, a new podcast exploring books and other K-12 teaching resources on the Native American experience. For many Indigenous communities, storytelling has been and is a critical component of cultural identity and healing for generations. Meet hosts Allison Waukau and Odia Wood-Krueger, who share how reading offers a form of good medicine, as books have the power to inspire, inform and empower students as they discover the world around them. They also share resources for educators who are looking to incorporate reliable information on Native topics into their curriculum. This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and produced by Goff Public. Our theme music is “Stomp Dance”by Bluedog.