November is National Native American Heritage Month — dedicated to honoring the diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of Native people. The month celebrates the enriching contributions and profound influence Native people have had across the continent, and also serves as a reflection and acknowledgement of the challenges they have confronted historically and in the present.
Join us in honoring and uplifting the voices of Indigenous people across the country by sharing and listening to their stories.
My Father, the Giant
Thompson Williams remembers his father, a larger-than-life tribal leader of the Caddo Nation and a veteran of World War II.
Listen to Thompson and Kiamichi-tet’s original StoryCorps interview.
The Bookmobile
Storm Reyes was working full-time at a migrant work camp at age 8. She remembers the day a bookmobile arrived, and the world was suddenly at her fingertips.
Where I Come From
Barnie Botone looks back on the beauty and the tragedies that he and his family have experienced on the railroad.
“She Always Gave.” Remembering Shoshone Leader Lillian Pabawena Pubigee
Gwen’s family migrated from city to city across the Wasatch Front region in Utah. But Gwen continued to visit the tribe’s reservations for powwows, funerals, or basketball games, and during the summers she’d visit her grandparents. The time she spent with her maternal grandmother, Lillian Pabawena Pubigee, stands out the most.
Gwen came to StoryCorps with her daughter, Heather Timbimboo Jorgensen, to talk about those trips, and to honor the memory of Lillian.
“I Didn’t Know If I Really Belonged”: A Chickasaw Woman Finds Her Way Back to Oklahoma
Shelby Rowe works in suicide prevention and has dedicated her life to helping people struggling with mental health. But she came to StoryCorps with her best friend, Johnna James, to share her own story of overcoming hardship, and how she found belonging in her Chickasaw roots.
This Couple is Fighting for Equality and Safety For Two Spirit People On Tribal Land
Felipa DeLeon Mousseau Grew up in Manderson on the Pine Ridge Reservation. When she was young she knew a few gay people, including her cousin, and while they were accepted in the community they were not always respected.
When she was in her 30’s Felipa went out for a night with coworkers to a dimly lit, crowded bar in Rapid City, South Dakota. This is where she first saw Monique “Muffie” Mousseau. Muffie had also grown up on the reservation, but 16 miles from Felipa in a small town called Porcupine.
A fast and intense love sprung up between them. And it took them on a journey that neither of them could have anticipated. They came to StoryCorps to talk about that night and what came next.
A Mother And Son Remember “Grandma Chief”
In 1985, Wilma Mankiller made history when she became the first woman to lead the Cherokee Nation. Her family remembers her as an inspiring trailblazer, and as a supportive mother and grandmother.
Carolyn DeFord
Carolyn DeFord, a Puyallup tribal member, remembers her mom, Leona Kinsey, who disappeared twenty years ago. She is part of an epidemic of Native American women who have gone missing and never been found.
“Strong Lines, Beautiful Lines”: Two Alaska Native Women Make Their Mark
Friends Grete Bergman and Sarah Whalen-Lunn came to StoryCorps to talk about Grete becoming one of the first women in the modern Gwich’in Nation to get facial markings.
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