#followfriday - 4 Indigenous Books Part 2.
Happy Friday, book lovers! Today we're continuing our series on 4 great Indigenous books to read. There are many wonderful and wise books out there written by Indigenous authors, and this full moon is the perfect time to detach from our day-to-day lives and immerse ourselves in their stories. Whether you're looking for community healing or just wanting to enjoy a good book, here are four titles to add to your reading list:
1. Sacred Instructions by Sherri Mitchell
As an activist, and attorney, Sherri Mitchell has spent her life devoted to social change. Her first-hand knowledge of the struggles women face — as well as their triumphs — has helped inform her approach to politics and society at large. In Sacred Instructions, she reveals that indigenous wisdom can help us combat the illusions we have called truth for millennia. Drawing from her experience as a tribal leader and female activist, Ms Mitchell urges us to look deeply into these illusions and decolonize our minds.
Returning to ancestral knowledge as well as her work defending indigenous land rights and human rights, lawyer Sherri Mitchell addresses some of the most crucial issues of our day, including land rights and environmental justice. Using shared stories to decolonize our language and memories, she guides us to our higher selves and reminds us that there is no separation between us.
2. Indian in the Cabinet by Jody Wilson-Raybould
Jody Wilson-Raybould was always destined to be a leader. Raised by her grandmother, who instilled in her the importance of upholding tradition, and her father - a hereditary chief and Indigenous leader - Wilson-Raybould was always aware she would take on such responsibilities herself one day. What she didn't anticipate was that her journey would take her from We Wai Kai in British Columbia all the way to Ottawa, where she would become Canada's first Indigenous Minister of Justice and Attorney General under newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Jody's first hand experience and story of the difficulties in the cabinet is a sobering reminder of how much work we still need to do to improve our political institutions and culture.
3. Reclaiming 2 Spirits by Gregory D. Smithers
Since the beginning of time, Indigenous peoples have always had a deep respect and understanding for those who possess both masculine and feminine energy – what we know today as "two-spirits." In his book Reclaiming Two-Spirits, Gregory D. Smithers sheds light on the often misunderstood topic of how these individuals relate to their native cultures and settler societies. Smithers writes that two-spirits have always played an important role in Native American cultures, often filling traditional roles that are disavowed in today's society.
4. Our Voice of Fire by Brandy Morin
Brandi Morin is an internationally acclaimed journalist who writes about Indigenous oppression in North America. She is also a survivor of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis. In her book, Our Voice of Fire, she chronicles her journey from being a foster kid and runaway who fell victim to predatory men and an oppressive system, to becoming a successful journalist. This compelling, honest book is full of self-compassion and the fire of a pursuit of justice.
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