Michelle M. Jacob – författare

An expanded collection of foundational Yakama storiesCentral to the Yakama oral tradition, storytelling enables Tribal Elders to share lessons, values, and customs with younger generations across the Columbia River plateau and the Pacific Northwest. Drawn from a time before the coming of human beings when animals were like people, the stories present characters and motifs that paint a bigger picture of the world as Yakama ancestors knew it. The original edition of Anakú Iwachá featured stories that Yakama Tribal Elders recorded in several dialects of the Ichishkíin language that were collected and translated into English by renowned linguist and scholar Virginia Beavert. This new edition adds a preface from the Yakama Nation and essays on the history of the project and on Ichishkíin-language education. It includes four additional legends in Ichishkíin and English, annotations, an updated glossary, and more artwork by Tribal artists, helping readers, teachers, and students engage with the legends as teaching and learning tools and as a precious gift to current and future Yakama generations.

In 2012 Kateri Tekakwitha became the first North American Indian to be canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, an event that American Indian Catholics have awaited for generations. Saint Kateri, known as the patroness of the environment, was born in 1656 near present-day Albany, New York, to an Algonquin mother and a Mohawk father. Tekakwitha converted to Christianity at age nineteen and took a vow of perpetual virginity. Her devotees have advocated for her sainthood since her death in 1680. Within historical Catholic writings, Tekakwitha is portrayed as a model of pious, submissive femininity. Indian Pilgrims moves beyond mainstream narratives and shows that Saint Kateri is a powerful feminine figure who inspires decolonizing activism in contemporary Indigenous peoples' lives.Author Michelle M. Jacob examines Saint Kateri's influence on and relation to three important themes—caring for the environment, building community, and reclaiming the Native feminine as sacred—and brings a Native feminist perspective to the story of Saint Kateri. The book demonstrates the power and potential of Indigenous decolonizing activism, as Saint Kateri's devotees claim the space of the Catholic Church to revitalize traditional cultural practices, teach and learn Indigenous languages, and address critical issues such as protecting Indigenous homelands from environmental degradation. The book is based on ethnographic research at multiple sites, including Saint Kateri's 2012 canonization festivities in Vatican City and Italy, the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation (New York and Canada), the Yakama Reservation (Washington), and the National Tekakwitha Conferences in Texas, North Dakota, and Louisiana. Through narratives from these events, Jacob addresses issues of gender justice—such as respecting the autonomy of women while encouraging collectivist thinking and strategizing—and seeks collective remedies that challenge colonial and capitalist filters.

On Indian Ground: Northwest is the second of ten regionally focused texts that explores American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian education in depth. The text is designed to be used by educators of Native youth and emphasizes best practices found throughout the region. Previous texts on American Indian education make wide-ranging general assumptions that all American Indians are alike. This series promotes specific interventions and relies on Native ways of knowing to highlight place-based educational practices.On Indian Ground: Northwest looks at the history of Indian education across the Pacific Northwest region. Authors also analyze education policy and Tribal education departments to highlight early childhood education, gifted and talented educational practice, parental involvement, language revitalization, counseling, and research. These chapters expose cross-cutting themes of sustainability, historical bias, economic development, health and wellness and cultural competence.

On Indian Ground: Northwest is the second of ten regionally focused texts that explores American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian education in depth. The text is designed to be used by educators of Native youth and emphasizes best practices found throughout the region. Previous texts on American Indian education make wide-ranging general assumptions that all American Indians are alike. This series promotes specific interventions and relies on Native ways of knowing to highlight place-based educational practices.On Indian Ground: Northwest looks at the history of Indian education across the Pacific Northwest region. Authors also analyze education policy and Tribal education departments to highlight early childhood education, gifted and talented educational practice, parental involvement, language revitalization, counseling, and research. These chapters expose cross-cutting themes of sustainability, historical bias, economic development, health and wellness and cultural competence.