Mission Statement

Our mission for the PNW Native Collection Capstone Project is to present a tribal map of the Pacific Northwest that promotes land acknowledgement and celebrates Indigenous voices. We strive to provide a user-friendly digital resource that serves students, parents, readers, educators, librarians, and anyone curious to know more about Indigenous people, their perspectives, their ways of knowledge from Indigenous people.

Ultimately, we strive to provide a resource that gives Indigenous communities more representation and mirrors to their lives.

Methods Statement

PNW Native Collection aims to highlight Indigenous authors and filmmakers, emphasizing Indigenous communities and their land at the forefront of knowledge and discovery. According to Lee & Low, less than 1% of books published each year are about or by Indigenous people. Not only is this a huge lack of representation for Indigenous communities, but it also makes finding these resources challenging for the average user. Furthermore, because of the history of colonialism (which still exists today), society often fails to recognize the Indigenous land they occupy and the stories of its people. 

As we explored and researched the meaning and sense of place for our map, we were met with a reoccurring truth - that place has no borders and land is a place of intersection, of flowing spirit tied to tribal ancestry and communities. 

Inspired by native-land.ca and Joy Harjo’s Living Nations, Living Words, we have created our own map that visually represents Indigenous PNW voices through their literary and film work. Similar to the maps that inspired ours, there are no borders that distinguish where one land ends and the other begins, illustrating the intersection - the interconnectedness that indigenous people feel about the earth and each other.

Selection Criteria

The work that we have carefully selected reflects extensive research, looking at the identity of the author, illustrator, and director. Our selection criteria has been adapted from the American Indian Youth Literature Award (AIYLA) selection criteria, which centers Indian American communities like their culture, history, language, ceremony, and place. 

The following criteria has been used to select the work we’ve highlighted in our interactive map. This is only the beginning and we hope to populate the map to extend beyond the ancestral lands of the Pacific Northwest.

Selection Criteria

1. Authors of text (or directors for film) MUST be of Indigenous origin/descent and be recognized by that community. 

2. Illustrated work MUST include a person of Indigenous origin/descent and work must authentically represent Indigenous communities. 

3. Literature, films, and illustrated work such as graphic novels must depict authentic representation of communities being represented. Stereotypes that perpetuate harm should NOT be included.

4. Appropriation of an Indigenous tribe that is not of one’s own community and that perpetuates harm should NOT be included.

5. Work that praises colonization for bringing “civilization” to the native people of the Americas should NOT be considered as it distorts the real history of violence, erasure, and genocide.

If you notice a text, illustrated work, or film that we’ve highlighted on our map that doesn’t fit the criteria, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know! We strive to center community voices in our work and follow through on our own selection criteria, taking full responsibility for the potential harm caused. 

Also, if you have titles you’d like to see highlighted. Please reach out to us and we’ll work on adding it to our map.