Overview: Honoring Native American Heritage Month Through Shared Inspiration
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, our EnerTribe team came together to create a collective list of recommendations — celebrating Indigenous creativity, culture, and innovation across many forms of expression.
From books and films to music, art, and personal memories, this list represents our diverse individual inspirations and the shared values that unite us.
How Team Members Contributed
Members of the EnerTribe team were invited to contribute one or more picks from categories such as books, music, podcasts, film, visual arts, fashion, Native-owned businesses, and more. This collaborative effort showcases the many ways Indigenous culture influences, grounds, and inspires us.
EnerTribe Team Staff Picks for Native American Heritage Month
Below are the contributions submitted by our team. These entries reflect a wide range of personal connections, cultural insights, and artistic appreciation.
Rebecca Lin
Pick: We Are Water Protectors – Carole Lindstrom (author), Michaela Goade (illustrator)
Category: Books & Authors
Why I Chose It:
One of my favorite books is We Are Water Protectors, beautifully illustrated by Michaela Goada, the 2021 Caldecott Medal – winning artist behind the New York Times bestseller. The story is both powerful and poetic – portraying women as the embodiment of water: strong, resilient, and ever adapting. I love how the young girl in the story stands up to protect the water that sustains her people, a message that mirrors the spirit of the work we do at EnerTribe. With four Ojibwe women on our team, the story made me want to learn more about their heritage and culture. I’ve always believed that we should strive to be like water – able to flow around challenges, adapt to change, and persist with quiet strength. That resilience and respect for the natural world is something I see reflected every day in the work we do and in the Tribal communities we serve.
Daniela Sossa
Pick: Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese
Category: Film / TV / Episode
Why I Chose It:
I chose Killers of the Flower Moon because it represents a watershed moment in how Indigenous stories are told in mainstream cinema. As someone who works daily serving Indian communities at EnerTribe, I’m inspired by films that refuse to silence Native history. This film documents how economic interests escalated into systematic violence and brings overdue visibility to victims within the Osage Nation. It’s a useful reference for anyone interested in accurate, responsible storytelling about Native communities I would say.
Joni Theobald
Pick: Joni’s Frybread
Category: Food & Wellness
Why I Chose It:
It is delicious and I have made it for various Enertribe functions, so here’s my recipe for anyone who would like to try. Know this recipe is passed down through my family, so it’s more than four generations old, probably as old as when government food was passed to tribes. Frybread was born out of the food rations distributed to tribes when they were forced onto reservations in the mid to late 1800’s. It symbolizes how creativity can flourish in hardship. Needed: 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp of baking soda, ½-¾ cup of warm water, 1 tsp of veggie oil, and Crisco for frying. Mix all your dry ingredients together, then slowly pour in warm water, stirring slowly, with happy or loving thoughts as your dough is “alive” care for it like a baby…Once it’s moist, not quite biscuit or cookie batter, you will pour & smooth the veggie oil on top to keep it moist while it “rests”. Cover the dough in a bowl with a towel and let it rest for 2+ hours, overnight for best rising. Keep in a warm place, just not cold. For frying, melt Crisco in a deep frying pan, where the shortening is about 1.5 – 2 inches high, use medium to high heat. To test if it’s ready, drop a small piece in oil, if the dough floats up and fries, then your oil is ready. Put flour on your hands, and form a small ball, smaller than a pool table ball, and then stretch to a flat circle gently. Some people place a hole in the circle to cook in the middle. Place in the oil, frying on each side for about 2 minutes or check as it browns – total of 4 minutes. If it takes any longer, your flame isn’t high enough, and it will get heavy with oil. A fork will easily poke through when it’s ready to flip over. You can line a large bowl or container with paper towels or a paper bag/paper towel on bottom, and let pieces cool in there. Mix a stick of butter and 2-3 tbsp of honey for a nice honey butter flavor or eat plain or as a taco 🙂 Enjoy!!
Bobby Castillo
Pick: Elisapie
Category: Music
Why I Chose It:
Elisapie is an Indigenous Inuk artist from Salluit, a remote village in Nunavik, Quebec. What I like about her music is how she brings her Inuit identity into mainstream music with ease. Her songs move between English, French, and Inuktitut. She’s covered familiar songs like “Time After Time,” and I think it’s a really beautiful balance between the modern and the traditional, through sound.
Chris Fikert
Pick: Chief Joseph (Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt)
Category: Influential People / Leaders
Why I Chose It:
I learned of, and did a report on, Chief Joseph 30 years ago. His fierce resistance of oppression and dedication to his people was inspiring back then, and is even more pertinent today. It is important to recognize the atrocities of the past and remember those who stood against it, in order to grow as a nation of multiple cultures and to prevent history from repeating itself.
Chris Stewart
Pick: Dark Winds (2022–present)
Category: Film / TV / Episode
Why I Chose It:
It’s an edgy detective series rooted in Navajo culture, by season two 95% of the cast and much of the crew, including writers, producers, props, stunts and wardrobe are indigenous. They also have an active Navajo Cultural adviser, George R. Joe on staff vetting props and ceremonies.
David Garcia
Pick: Echo (TV Series – Marvel Studios)
Category: Film / TV / Episode
Why I Chose It:
Echo follows Maya Lopez, a deaf Choctaw woman navigating identity, trauma, and responsibility after breaking from her violent past. I chose this series because it centers Indigenous storytelling, incorporates Choctaw language and legends, and brings Native representation to mainstream media in a powerful and modern way.
Denielle Riggins
Pick: Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America
Category: Food & Wellness
Why I Chose It:
This book highlights fresh, natural ingredients and cooking techniques that connect directly to the land. As someone who loves to cook, I’m drawn to the idea of exploring new flavors and recipes that focus on seasonal, wholesome foods. The book celebrates the simplicity and depth of Indigenous cuisine while showing how these traditions continue to inspire modern cooking. It’s a perfect way to expand my culinary skills while gaining a small window into the culture that shaped these beautiful dishes.
Justin Owen
Pick: Poverty Point World Heritage Site (Louisiana)
Category: Personal Picks
Why I Chose It:
Poverty Point, located in northeast Louisiana, is a 3,000-year-old Indigenous earthwork complex and trade hub, one of the earliest examples of large-scale engineering in North America. The site served as a residential and ceremonial center, as well as a major trading post connecting peoples from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. Built entirely by hand, its vast concentric ridges and mounds reflect the creativity and organization of the region’s early Native peoples. It stands as a powerful reminder of what community, cooperation, and ingenuity can accomplish and of the importance of seeing the bigger picture, since its true scale wasn’t recognized until aerial surveys revealed the site’s remarkable design.
Kathy Farina
Pick: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Category: Books & Authors
Why I Chose It:
Told through the eyes of a Spokane Indian teenager, this novel captures what it’s like to grow up between two worlds — life on the reservation and at a mostly white high school. It’s funny, honest, and heartfelt, offering a glimpse into Native identity, resilience, and hope.
As a non-Indigenous reader, I found this story both eye-opening and relatable. It’s a reminder of the power of humor and humanity in telling difficult stories — and it left me thinking long after I finished it.
(Note: While the author has faced credible allegations of misconduct, I still find this book valuable for the insight it offers and the conversations it can inspire.)
Kelly Jackson
Pick: Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World
Category: Film / TV / Episode
Why I Chose It:
This documentary reveals the profound and often overlooked influence of Native American musicians on rock and roll and other genres of popular music. The film highlights pioneers like Link Wray, Jimi Hendrix, and Robbie Robertson, showing how they helped shape music history despite attempts to suppress and erase their contributions. The documentary aims to give a voice to these artists, educate the public about their history and culture, and spark a conversation about decolonization and the retold histories of North America.
Laura Owl
Pick: 8th Fire with Wab Kinew
Category: Film / TV / Episode
Why I Chose It:
Selected this picture as a reminder of who we are, where we have come from, despite all the challenges we have endured historically. I truly believe that it is time for the 8th Fire to be lit so that we can mend relationships and begin a new path forward.
Pick: First Contact (APTN)
Category: Film / TV / Episode
Why I Chose It:
Selected this series to share the realities of living on First Nations in Canada, how we are still judged incorrectly and to show how much work we have to do in order to achieve truth and reconciliation.
Matt Riggins
Pick: My Uncle “Bo Freeman”
Category: Personal Picks
Why I Chose It:
My uncle from the Choctaw Tribe via Mississippi who was known for enjoying life, being respectful and a family man. He helped raise me as I grew up living with him and my cousins for several weeks each year. He is the only full Native American in my family and the only close relative I lost during Covid.
Mary Ann Wildcat
Pick: “Makin My Way Back Home” by Kelly Jackson
Category: Music
Why I Chose It:
This song hits me right in the heart. As a fellow Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Nation member, hearing Kelly sing about Waaswaaganing fills me with pride and connection. It’s a reminder of where I come from and who I am.
Pick: Well for Culture Podcast & The Seven Circles by Chelsey Luger & Thosh Collins
Category: Podcasts / Books
Why I Chose It:
Thosh and Chelsey’s teachings feel like sitting with family. Their work helps me realign, slow down, and remember what it means to live in a good way. Their message guides me in my personal life and my work.
Mike Allen
Pick: Smoke Signals
Category: Film / TV / Episode
Why I Chose It:
Growing up this was one of my favorite movies. For me personally it was the closest thing to representation we got on the big screen. The movie was very well done and several of its themes hit very close to home for me. Not to mention I also had a cousin named Victor which resulted in me saying very frequently something along the lines of “Hey Victor! Remember that time”. I recall watching this movie in high school (I went to a public school in the city). It filled me with a bit of pride seeing my non-tribal classmates enjoy a realistic movie about Natives that I had enjoyed watching growing up. This is a great movie grounded in realism that I would recommend everyone watch!
Why This Collective Project Matters
Native American Heritage Month is not just a celebration — it’s an invitation to learn, listen, and engage with intention.
This collaborative staff picks project reflects the heart of EnerTribe’s values: sovereignty, innovation, community, and respect.
1. It Shows Collective Allyship, Not Tokenization
The list is created by our team — not just Native staff — making it a genuine act of learning and solidarity.
2. It Demonstrates EnerTribe’s Values in Action
Collaboration. Creativity. Respect. These principles guide both our work and this project.
3. It Creates Richer Representation
More contributors means more perspectives, more stories, and more cultural touchpoints.
4. It Encourages Personal Discovery
Each team member engages with Indigenous content that resonates personally.
5. It Strengthens Internal Culture
Sharing what inspires us helps deepen relationships and build a stronger, more connected team.
Closing Thoughts
This list is more than recommendations — it’s a living snapshot of who we are at EnerTribe and the Native brilliance that inspires us.
We hope these staff picks encourage you to explore new stories, creators, histories, and perspectives during Native American Heritage Month and beyond.
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