Across the Americas for Native American Heritage Month

Posted on November 07, 2023

This Native American Heritage Month, why not celebrate voices from across the Americas?

From San Andrés and Providencia, Colombia, we recommend the poem "Kriol Soldier," an ode to the language spoken across the islands by the Raizal people.

From Mexico, we suggest the beautiful and stirring poem "Purépecha Mother," a celebration of the power of a seemingly ordinary woman. For more indigenous Mexican writing, try the poems "Marías Mazahuas" and "Nothing Remains Empty," and the story "Dreams and Memories of a Common Man," about the impact of environmental changes on indigenous communities.

From further south, in Paraguay, we bring you a thought-provoking declaration of independence entitled "Serpent." Almost guaranteed to foster classroom conversations, the poem is posted with audio of the author reading it aloud in the original language, indigenous Guaraní. We also suggest the powerful essay "I Am Not Your Cholo," from an indigenous author and immigrant to the United States.

(Updated in 2023 with new links—Eds.)