What Your Ribbon Skirt Means to Me

Deb Haaland's Historic Inauguration

Contributors

By Alexis Bunten

Illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt

Formats and Prices

Price

$18.99

Price

$23.99 CAD

Format

Hardcover

Format:

Hardcover $18.99 $23.99 CAD

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around July 25, 2023. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

Celebrate National Native American Heritage Month with this informative picture book that offers both an homage to Secretary Deb Haaland's achievements, and a celebration of urban Indigenous community through the eyes of a little girl. 

Pia rushes over to the Indigenous community center after school. It’s where she goes every day to play outside with friends and work on her homework. But today—March 18, 2021—is special: Auntie Autumn gathers all the children around their television to witness Secretary Deb Haaland in her ribbon skirt at the White House as she becomes the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary. Pia and the other kids behold her Native pride on an international stage.

Together with their parents and Elders, the children explore the values woven into their own regalia, land, community, and traditions, making precious memories on this day they won’t soon forget. 

Genre:

  • "Bunten (Aleut/Yup’ik) engages readers with lively language. Neidhardt’s (Diné) bold, realistic art radiates with strength, especially when Pia’s grandmother teaches her about the importance of regalia. A powerful story of intergenerational strength, womanhood, and Native pride."
    Kirkus Reviews, starred review
  • "This simple story . . . artfully folds in all kinds of cultural details about Indigenous ceremonies, customs, and beliefs. Filled with bright, full-page illustrations, this attractive publication celebrates multiple urban and intertribal Native American traditions."
    Booklist, starred review
  • "Could be used in units on Indigenous history or during Women’s History Month. It would make a great companion to Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard and Sharice’s Big Voice by Sharice Davids. An accessible picture book about an important voice on the U.S. political scene."
    SLJ

On Sale
Jul 25, 2023
Page Count
40 pages
ISBN-13
9780316430036

Alexis Bunten

About the Author

Alexis Bunten (Aleut/Yup’ik) has served as a manager, consultant, and applied researcher for Indigenous, social and environmental programming for over 15 years. She holds a BA in Art History from Dartmouth College and a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from UCLA. Alexis has published widely about Indigenous and environmental issues. She is the award-winning author of So, How Long Have You Been Native? and Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story​.
 
Nicole Neidhardt is Diné (Navajo) of the Kiiyaa'áanii Clan, and is originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has a BFA from the University of Victoria as well as an MFA at OCAD University in Toronto. Nicole’s Diné identity is the heart of her practice, which encompasses illustration, installation, murals, and Indigenous Futurisms.
 

Learn more about this author