Wampum was Massachusetts’ First Legal Currency
First Nations' seashell-derived wampum was Massachusetts' first legal currency, used as currency throughout northeastern America into the 19th century.
How 19th Century Women Were Taught to Think About Native Americans
In nineteenth-century American women's magazines, Native American women were depicted as attractive, desirable, and pious.
Why East Germany Loved the Wild West
During the Cold War, both the West and East Germany film industries made popular westerns. Yes, westerns. What was that all about?
Honoring History with Edgar Heap of Birds’s Building Minnesota
Prior to discussions about appropriation art, artist Hock E Aye Vi (Hachivi) Edgar Heap of Birds honored the 40 executed Dakota men in "Building Minnesota."
America’s Imperiled Freshwater Mussels
Freshwater mussels were once found in astonishing numbers and diversity in North America. Then came the button fanciers, and then the pearl-makers.
The Mysterious Pre-Columbian Settlement of Cahokia
Cahokia was the largest pre-columbian settlement north of Mexico. It collapsed centuries before Europeans arrived in the region. What happened?
The Real Pocahontas
Pocahontas, Matoaka, and Lady Rebecca Rolfe were all the same young woman, who died in 1617, a long way from home.
The American Counter-Narrative of Ledger Drawings
Plains Indian ledger drawings offer a rich counter-narrative to the often-glamorized, or forgotten, history of the American West.
Remembering Wounded Knee at Standing Rock
Have you been wondering about the history of Standing Rock protests and the American Indian Movement? Learn why and how we “Remember Wounded Knee.”
Standing Rock and the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day and learn about the history of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.