Feature
Indigenous Governance 2026 Summer Reading List
What to read and listen to this summer from the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development team.
Feature
Tribal Sovereignty in Focus Back-to-School Reading List
Back-to-school recommended reads from the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development include books, articles, and podcasts that highlight Indigenous governance narratives.
Looking to the start of the school year, the Ash Center invites you to explore a reading list curated by the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development featuring compelling articles, books, and podcasts. From investigative journalism pieces to stories of the fight for self-determination, this list was created for students and lifelong learners who want to gain a better understanding of Indigenous governance throughout history and into the present day.
Article Series
“Waiting for Water,” High Country News
This five-part package from High Country News and ProPublica takes readers to the frontlines of the Colorado River Basin tribes’ fight for water rights they were guaranteed over a century ago:
- “How Arizona squeezes tribes for water,” by Anna V. Smith, Mark Olalde and Umar Farooq
- “Decades after the Colorado River flooded the Chemehuevi’s land, the tribe still doesn’t have its share,” by Anna V. Smith, Mark Olalde and Umar Farooq
- “How private interests benefit from tribal water settlements,” by Anna V. Smith
- “’The fight for our lives’: Arizona’s water regime limits the Hopi Tribe’s future,” by Umar Farooq
- “Supreme Court keeps the Navajo Nation waiting for water,” Anna V. Smith, Mark Olalde and Umar Farooq
Books
“Carbon Sovereignty: Coal, Development, and Energy Transition in the Navajo Nation,” by Andrew Curley
In his book, Curley looks at the Navajo Nation’s complex relationship with the coal industry and how the transition away from coal impacts the Nation’s political and economic state.
“Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory,” by Claudio Saunt
Saunt details the harrowing history of “Indian Removal” and the forced displacement of tribes from their land to territory across the Mississippi River.
“Thinking in Indian: A John Mohawk Reader,” edited by Jose Barreiro
This collection of essays looks at issues of sovereignty, land rights, globalization, and many more, from a traditional yet modern understanding of the Native experience.
“Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe,” by David Maraniss
In a biography of Jim Thorpe, a member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Maraniss juxtaposes Thorpe’s major athletic accomplishments with a struggle against the odds. Throughout his life, Thorpe dealt with racism, financial hardship, and tumultuous relationships, surviving it all.
“Our Beloved Kin: A new history of King Philip’s War,” by Lisa Brooks
Brooks’s historical recount of the “First Indian War” details the stories of key players in the battle — like Weetamoo, a female Wampanoag leader, and James Printer, a Nipmuc scholar — to introduce readers to a new story of colonial New England and the origins of America.
“The Great Vanishing Act: Blood Quantum and the Future of Native Nations,” by Norbert S. Hill Jr. and Kathleen Ratteree
The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 and the present-day conceptualizations and effects of it are brought to life in essays, personal stories, case studies, and satire.
“The Grass Dancer,” by Mona Susan Power
Set in North Dakota, Susan Power draws on her Sioux roots to bring to life a dramatic tale full of conflict, love, and magic.
“Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” by David Grann
When members of the Osage Nation — the richest people per capita in the world in the 1920s — are murdered, an FBI team goes undercover to work with the Osage and uncover a dark conspiracy.
“The State of the Native Nations: Conditions Under U.S. Policies of Self-Determination,” by Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development
Written by Harvard Kennedy School Indigenous Governance and Development Project experts, this book showcases the true reality of modern-day Indigenous nations throughout the U.S. The book details contemporary challenges faced by tribes under current federal policies and how tribes continue to chart a path forward toward self-determination.
Podcasts
“This Land,” Rebecca Nagle
In this podcast, host Rebecca Nagle explores a tactic used by political actors to pit Indigenous children against Native Nations.
Related Resources
Article
The Disproportionate Burden: Health and Economic Outcomes of COVID-19 for Native American Communities
A new research article by Randy Akee, Julie Johnson Kidd Professor of Indigenous Governance and Development and Director of the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development, and co-authors examines enduring consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations.
Media Release
The Harvard Project Announces 2025 Honoring Nations Award Winners
The national awards program Honoring Nations, flagship program of the Harvard Project, announces the recipients of the 2025 Honoring Nations Awards, recognizing 6 governmental initiatives for outstanding excellence in tribal self-governance.
Feature
Indigenous Governance 2026 Summer Reading List
What to read and listen to this summer from the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development team.
Article
The Disproportionate Burden: Health and Economic Outcomes of COVID-19 for Native American Communities
A new research article by Randy Akee, Julie Johnson Kidd Professor of Indigenous Governance and Development and Director of the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development, and co-authors examines enduring consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations.
Media Release
The Harvard Project Announces 2025 Honoring Nations Award Winners
The national awards program Honoring Nations, flagship program of the Harvard Project, announces the recipients of the 2025 Honoring Nations Awards, recognizing 6 governmental initiatives for outstanding excellence in tribal self-governance.