30 Indigenous Resources to Check Out Today
When it comes to understanding the histories, experiences, and values of Indigenous peoples, the best way to learn is by listening to their stories firsthand. By engaging with Indigenous-made resources, we can foster healing, challenge long-held stereotypes, and gain valuable insights to help us grow—both individually and collectively.
Many of the works on our list delve into intergenerational trauma, cultural resilience, and the reclamation of Indigenous sovereignty—core themes that resonate across communities and institutions. Whether offering historical context or revealing the ongoing impacts of colonialism, these stories provide not only a path toward personal understanding and healing but also opportunities to achieve meaningful change.
Podcasts by Indigenous Creators
All My Relations
Hosted by Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip peoples) and Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation), this podcast explores a variety of Native-focused topics, including mascots, fashion, food sovereignty, relationships, and politics.
Coffee With My Ma
Actress Kaniehtiio “Tiio” Horn and her mother Kahentinetha Horn are a dynamic mother-daughter duo. With deep roots in Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk) Nation, the pair explore activism, arts, culture, and politics. They tell stories and share resources related to the struggles, victories, and beauty that is Native American culture throughout Canada and the United States.
The Red Gaze
Every week, The Red Gaze brings you movies and TV shows through an Indigenous lens. They discuss everything from Native classics like Thunderheart to mainstream films like Avatar.
Teachings In The Air
Hosted by Elder Gerry Oldman, this podcast explores how Indigenous people can be empowered in body and spirit through cultural teachings and personal experiences.
First-Voice News Sources
Native Hope
Native hope addresses injustices faced by Native American communities by dismantling barriers through storytelling. They partner with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and tribal leaders and listen to community challenges and needs to help create solutions to empower and inspire. Their work helps heal historical wounds and achieve sustainability.
High Country News (HCN)
HCN is an award winning source for information on the most crucial social, political, and ecological issues affecting Native aAmerican and Indigenous peoples throughout North America. They have over 220,000 readers, operate as a nonprofit organization, and are supported by donations.
IndigiNews
Featuring Indigenous-led journalism, IndigiNews aims to tell stories from across all Indigenous lands. They practice respectful journalism, and tell stories and share news from a trauma-informed, culturally sensitive perspective.
Windspeaker
Windspeaker has been around for four decades, and is owned and operated by the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta. They publish news, updates, and opinion pieces directly from an Indigenous perspective, and seek to provide greater lessons through this unique lens.
Indigenous Representation and Storytelling in Media
Documentaries
Though they may not have always been in the spotlight, there are a number of Indigenous-focused documentary series that provide insight into culture, practices, and values.
We Shall Remain (2009)
This five-part documentary series explores pivotal events in Native American history, such as the Trail of Tears and the Wounded Knee Occupation of 1973.
Against the Current (2022)
This 25-minute documentary focuses on the culture of Indigenous peoples through the eyes of Daunnette Moniz-Reyome, a 17-year-old member of the Winnebago Ho-Chunk tribe. She explores her family’s journey to reclaim and retain their sacred rituals and cultural values after centuries of loss, war, and aggressive government policies.
Reel Injun (2009)
This documentary explores how classic and contemporary movies and shows have portrayed Native peoples in Hollywood. Created by Canadian-Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond, Reel Injun explores how Native peoples have been portrayed in both contemporary and classic Hollywood films. It explores the effects of stereotypes on Indigenous children, including Diamond.
Crow Country: Our Right to Food Sovereignty (2020)
This documentary focuses on the Crow Indian Reservation. Approximately 8,000 Crow (Apsáalooke) tribe members live on the reservation, with many struggling. In response, they have been working to reclaim their food sovereignty. This describes the right of a community to identify, create, and utilize their own food systems in an effort to return to tradition, and create employment while simultaneously sustaining their people.
Additionally, the National Film Board of Canada has an entire page dedicated to free Indigenous documentaries from all around North America.
Indigenous Films & TV
The following shows and films feature largely Indigenous casts and positive portrayals of history, culture, and values. While they may center around fictional characters and scenarios, they weave Indigenous culture, history, trauma, and even humor, blending entertainment and education.
Reservation Dogs (2021-2023)
Reservation Dogs (known as “Rez Dogs”) is a comedy-drama with a nearly entirely Indigenous cast and crew. Created by Taika Watiti in partnership with Indigenous American Sterlin Harjo, Rez Dogs explores the lives of 4 teenagers living in the Muscogee Nation. It combines humor with cultural traditions, spiritual guidance, generational trauma, and more, and brings authentic voices to mainstream audiences.
Prey (2022)
While Prey is a science fiction/horror film (and the seventh film in the Predator franchise, funnily enough) that takes place on the Northern Great Plains in 1719 focusing on the Comache peoples. It cleverly reimagines a genre classic through Indigenous perspectives, and has a largely Indigenous American cast and crew. Throughout the film, there is a huge emphasis on portraying Indigenous peoples positively and historically accurately.
Also, it is the first film ever to be dubbed in Comache!
Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013)
Set in 1976, this film centers on Alia, a Mi'kmaq teenager, as she confronts the trauma caused by the Residential School system and the intergenerational impacts it continues to have on her community.
Video Games
While many may not immediately think about video games as a platform for cultural storytelling, these interactive experiences are increasingly being used to share Indigenous storytelling. This format offers new ways to explore the richness of Indigenous storytelling and cultural narratives, while also offering a way for different people to engage in ways that work best for them.
For non-Indigenous allies who want new ways to engage Indigenous storytelling, these games present a great starting point.
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)
Developed with the Iñupiat people of Alaska, this game shares traditional stories through the journey of a young girl and her fox companion, blending storytelling, folklore, insights from Elders, and puzzle-solving.
Thunderbird Strike
Thunderbird Strike is a short game where the player takes the role of a thunderbird—a mythological bird-like symbol representing power, protection, and strength—to protect Turtle Island (North America).
Books & Storytelling
Braiding Sweetgrass (2013) by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Kimmerer’s novel blends Indigenous wisdom and science. As a botanist and member of the Potawatomi Nation, Kimmerer weaves personal stories and ecological insights to highlight the importance of the reciprocal nature we have with the earth. Her work aims to lead readers to rethink their relationship with nature and its gifts.
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology (2023) edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
This collection of unsettling stories features Indigenous authors exploring ghosts, curses, and creatures through the lens of Indigenous culture and legacies. It features a number of prolific Indigenous authors including Waubgeshig Rice, Mona Susan Power, D.H. Trujillo, and more.
Heart Berries (2018) by Terese Marie Mailhot
A memoir that delves into the complexities of identity, trauma, healing, and motherhood. Mailhot reflects on her life as an Indigenous woman and a survivor of colonialism’s effects.
Indigenous-Owned Shops and Boutiques
Beyond Buckskin Boutique: Based out of North Dakota, Beyond Buckskin was created by Jessica R. Metcalfe, a Turtle Mountain Chippewa woman who aims to share her culture through fashion. They are currently displaying the work of 40 artists and small businesses.
RESIST Clothing Company: Founded in 2020 by Mitch Gegwetch, RESIST Clothing Co. are a streetwear brand based out of Tkaronto (Toronto, Canada). It is Indigenous-owned, but they are passionate about creating clothing that everyone, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike.
Nikikw (Neh-Geek) Designs: In Summer 2022, Rita Bear opened Nikikw Designs with the goal of creating apparel that is size-inclusive, stylish, and expressed Indigenous culture. In addition to swimwear, Nikikw Designs sells candles, throw blankets, jewelry, mugs, and more.
Eighth Generation: A Seattle-based art and lifestyle brand owned by the Snoqualmie Tribe, Eighth Generation was founded by Louie Gong in 2008. His work blends traditional Coast Salish art with urban environments to create up-to-date, unique designs. Their Inspired Natives Project builds capacity by partnering with Native artists who need additional help building their audience.
For more lists of Indigenous-owned shops, visit:
We hope that by exploring these Indigenous resources, you can open yourself to perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of history, resilience, and healing. Whether this is shared in personal conversations, in the workplace, or in your community, these stories offer an opportunity to foster mutual understanding and contribute to a more supportive and equitable future.
Want to keep learning? We’ve got you covered with topics like:
Additionally, our article, “Allyship: Amplifying Indigenous Voices” is a great place to access more resources, and keep the conversation going.
