The Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) and the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC) have collaborated to develop the Minnesota Native American Lives Series, three biographies of inspirational American Indian leaders written for 3rd-5th graders.
This series shares stories of people who shape the place we live in now. The editors, authors, and illustrator of the Minnesota Native American Lives Series are each distinguished Native artists from all over Minnesota, who are passionately sharing their art so we can all better understand the people who have made and continue to make Minnesota what it is today.
These stories are all Minnesota Native American Lives. Read all three!
Charles Albert Bender: National Hall of Fame Pitcher (Minnesota Native American Lives)
by Kade Ferris (Author), Tashia Hart (Illustrator)
Charles Albert Bender invented the slider. He was a World Series-winning pitcher and the first Minnesotan inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He grew up poor on a farm where he worked in the fields. He lived far away from his home and family while attending an Indian boarding school in Pennsylvania. Charles Albert Bender worked hard all his life and defined his success by the amount of effort he put into something. His story is a Minnesota Native American life.
Peggy Flanagan: Ogimaa Kwe, Lieutenant Governor
by Jessica Engelking (Author), Tashia Hart (Illustrator)
Peggy Flanagan is the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. This is the second-highest office in the state. She is the first Native woman to hold such a high elected statewide office in the United States. Her whole life she knew that the school system doesn't tell American Indian stories in a true way. Peggy is working hard to change how Native peoples' stories are told and to make life better for all Minnesotans. Her story is a Minnesota Native American life.
Ella Cara Deloria: Dakota Language Protector
by Diane Wilson (Author), Tashia Hart (Illustrator)
Ella Cara Deloria loved to listen to her family tell stories in the Dakota language. She recorded many American Indian peoples' stories and languages and shared them with everyone. She helped protect her people's language for future generations. She also wrote many stories of her own. Her story is a Minnesota Native American life.