The history, cultures, and nations of Indigenous Americans have been purposefully subjected to governmental campaigns of complete erasure. An example being the Indian Removal Act which was signed into law on May 28, 1830 and wasn’t repealed until March 1980—150 years after its passage. From the first colonists planting their European flags of conquest on American soil to the representatives of the over 35 Bakken Shale Companies and/or Active Operators running roughshod over sacred ground to establish the Dakota Access Pipeline at whatever cost, the struggle to protect Indigenous self-determination has been all encompassing. Today, the voices of Native Americans are finally being heard in growing numbers. Listed below are Indigenous authors telling their own stories.
Geller’s return to the Navajo reservation via Florida begins with her mother’s death from alcohol withdrawal. Creating a portrait of her mother’s life through documents, photos, and diaries left behind, she compares the emerging story of her homeless mother with her own memories. This haunting memoir reconciles coming to terms with the destructive nature of addiction, her own Navajo identity, and the power of shared family grief.
