Resources for Background Information
on the novel
Touching Spirit Bear



Professor Debbie Reese's blog critiques literature that depicts American Indians.
Some native peoples are offended by inaccuracies about Tlingit religion and justice:

Tlingit Elder's Comments on Touching Spirit Bear
Beverly Slapin's review of Touching Spirit Bear discusses inaccuracies
Another review, that talks about circle justice


Tlingit Culture
Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska
Tlingit National Anthem
Sealaska Heritage Institute
Alaska Native Knowledge Network
at.oow
Intro to Tlingit Culture and Repatriation

American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Collection: Univ. of Washington -- images and primary source documents

Totem poles
NPR article
American Indians of the Pacific Northwest -- Library of Congress article
Nation Master article

Genealogy & Family History
Genealogy Learning Center
Cyndi's List
Rootsweb
Researching Family History

Hermits
Independent article about British hermits
Modern monasticism from Finding Dulcinea

Background Search
Hoax story of Tlingit boys' exile by judge (possible inspiration for story)
Time magazine article "The Banishing Judge" by David Van Biema, David S. Jackson (look in EBSCO)
New York Times article by Timothy Egan

Smithsonian article about erasing Native American stereotypes

A lot of the content on the Internet about Native Americans is incorrect, stereotyping, or outdated.
Here is a good website to help you evaluate web sites:
Evaluating American Indian Web Sites

Ben Mikaelsen
Nation Master bio