Blackwell Public Library celebrates Native American Heritage Month with special book displays

The Blackwell Public Library is celebrating Native American Heritage Month throughout November with three special book displays highlighting Indigenous authors, histories and experiences, from the stories of Oklahoma's tribal nations to contemporary fiction exploring Native American life across the country.

The displays, organized for adults, middle-grade readers and young adults, feature a wide selection of fiction and nonfiction written by Native American authors or exploring Indigenous history, culture and identity.

The celebration also draws attention to the library's existing collection of Native American materials, including a donated collection of Kiowa artwork housed in its Oklahoma Room. The room also contains numerous protected first-edition books, several of which were written by or concern Indigenous tribes with historical ties to the region.

Among the selections featured in the adult display is Off the Reservation, a new horror novel by acclaimed author Stephen Graham Jones that explores the troubling history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, one of the most notorious institutions associated with the federal government's efforts to forcibly assimilate Native American children.

The display also includes works examining the history of Indigenous education much closer to home.

One such selection is They Called It Prairie Light: The Story of Chilocco Indian School by scholar K. Tsianina Lomawaima. The award-winning nonfiction book examines the history of the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School, located north of Newkirk near the Kansas border.

Established in 1884, Chilocco operated for more than a century and became one of the country's most prominent off-reservation Indian boarding schools. Lomawaima's work explores the experiences of students who attended the institution, examining the complicated relationship between federal assimilation policies, Native identity and the lives of the children who passed through its doors.

Another featured work is Peyote Politics by local author Lisa Barnett, offering readers an opportunity to explore Indigenous religious and cultural issues through the work of an author with regional connections.

Library officials said the displays are intended to provide readers with opportunities to encounter perspectives and histories that are sometimes overlooked, including subjects that may be difficult or uncomfortable to confront.

"As libraries, we have a duty to present voices across all cultures and perspectives," the Blackwell Public Library said in a statement. "Some of these books are hard to read and even harder to reckon with, but we try to present as many stories as possible."

However, library officials emphasized that Native American literature encompasses far more than historical injustice, cultural displacement and generational trauma.

The adult collection also includes romance, mysteries, thrillers and contemporary fiction celebrating Indigenous characters and experiences beyond the historical narratives that often dominate discussions of Native American literature.

Among those selections is The Truth According to Ember by Oklahoma author Danica Nava, a contemporary romantic comedy featuring a Native American protagonist navigating love, career ambitions and personal identity.

The novel represents a growing body of contemporary fiction in which Indigenous characters take center stage in stories of everyday life, relationships, humor and personal discovery.

The library's middle-grade and young adult displays offer a similarly diverse selection of titles intended to introduce younger readers to Indigenous authors and storytelling.

Selections include nonfiction exploring Native American history and social justice alongside science fiction, fantasy, romance and coming-of-age stories written by Native American voices.

Through these displays, the library hopes to encourage younger readers to discover stories that reflect both the cultural heritage and contemporary experiences of Indigenous communities.

Native American Heritage Month is observed nationally each November, recognizing the histories, cultures, contributions and continuing influence of Native American and Alaska Native peoples.

For Oklahoma, home to 39 federally recognized tribal nations, the observance carries particular significance. Indigenous history is deeply intertwined with the state's development, and the experiences of tribal communities remain an essential part of Oklahoma's cultural identity.

The Blackwell Public Library's displays invite readers to explore that history while also discovering the breadth of contemporary Indigenous literature, from historical scholarship and difficult examinations of the past to imaginative fiction, humor, romance and adventure.

The three displays will be available for patrons to browse throughout November at the Blackwell Public Library.