Together Here - Digital Resource Library

Creating Space for Transformational Change through listening, learning, and relationship building among diverse peoples and communities. 

A Brief History of Lutherans and American Indian & Alaskan Natives

On this Page:
Videos
Justice Resources
Treaties and Mapping Tools
Places to Visit
Resources-Tink Tinker
Books
Congregational Resources
Cultural Education
ELCA Resolutions

Videos

Online Videos

  • ​Animated Short Videos: Created by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, these videos address a variety of topics that many people outside Indian Country wonder about
  • Native Nations: Standing Together for Civil Rights.  Produced for and funded by the ELCA, “Native Nations: Standing Together for Civil Rights is a one-hour documentary exploring the role of the Lutheran church in the American Indian civil rights movement of the 1970s and 1980s.” 
  • The Sandy Lake Tragedy.  Written and directed by Lorraine Norrgard and published by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, “The Sandy Lake Tragedy” recounts the effects of U.S. government attempts to forcibly relocate the Ojibwe from Wisconsin, Michigan, and eastern Minnesota to the west of the Mississippi River in the mid-nineteenth century without adequate supplies or preparation.
  • Unspoken: America's Native American Boarding Schools Unspoken: America’s Native American Boarding Schools “takes a moving and insightful look into the history, operation, and legacy of the federal Indian Boarding School system…”
  • Zaagibagaang: Anishinaabe Values in Action.  The videos in this series explore topics ranging from core teachings within the Ojibwe culture to an explanation of tribal governance and sovereignty. 

Movies/Documentaries

  • The Doctrine of Discovery.  This video along with its accompanying conversation guide are available for loan through the synod office. The Doctrine of Discovery documentary is “a story of historical truth, spirituality, and resistance, told on behalf of the original nations and peoples of (America).  This doctrine of ancient Christendom (for which the documentary was named), supported by papal edicts, continues to serve as the conceptual foundation of the political and legal system of the United States…”  
  • Ohiyesa: The Soul of an Indian (available by loan through the synod office).  “This documentary follows Kate Beane, a young Dakota woman, as she examines the extraordinary (bridge-building) life of her celebrated relative, Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa)
  • Neither Wolf nor Dog (see website for viewing locations; film is NR but contains strong language and complex topics so viewer discretion is advised). ​

Places to Visit

Bookstores

  • Birchbark Books - A great independent bookstore in Minneapolis owned by native author Louise Erdrich.  They have a great selection of books and knowledgeable staff.

Heritage Centers and Museums

Books

​Book Lists Suitable for All Ages Compiled by Other Organizations:
Cookbooks Fiction

2019 Fall Theological Conference 

With Tink Tinker

Treaties and Mapping Tools

Maps and Maping Tools

Treaties

ELCA Resolutions

Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery

Anti-Racism Commitments

​How Strategic and Authentic is Our Diversity, an ELCA Report

Congregational Resources ​

Faith-Based Book Studies

Group Discussion and Study

  • ​Conversations: Race Relations “This resource promotes change—a reformation of heart, mind, attitude and behavior.”
  • ELCA Racial Justice Resource Page “This resource page provides you a visual way to explore and download the many types of resources we have available.”
  • One Body, Many Members “These materials will lead you through the lands of race, culture and class in the United States, to meet God every step of the way. You will practice skills you need to know to speak the language of welcome and show actions of caring. You will sense more clearly God’s purpose for you in today’s world.”
  • Talking Together as Christians About Tough Social Issues “The suggestions in this guide have been gleaned from groups and organizations with considerable experience in helping people with conversations such as these.”
  • Troubling Waters “This study is an invitation to explore who we are...This resource addresses the need to examine the sin of racism and its affect (sic) on mission and ministry within a multicultural society….(it) was developed to confront and discuss openly the truth of our past and present in order to be set free to move from privilege to partnership. It was developed to work toward the vision of ”that Rainbow Church, that beloved community” where all are treated as people created in the image of God.” 

Justice Resources ​

Decolonization

​Decolonization is an action-driven ideology that incorporates truth-telling with the process of cultural reclamation in order to reverse the negative impacts of colonialism. It's a journey that invites you to explore your own roots while simultaneously taking inventory of the systems of colonization under which we all live today with the sole intention of deconstructing those systems so that they can be rebuilt in just and inclusive ways.

Justice Issues

Implicit Association

  • Implicit Association Test: founded in 1998, Project Implicit is a non-profit organization and international collaboration between researchers who are interested in implicit social cognition. The goal of the organization is to educate the public about hidden biases and to provide a “virtual laboratory” for collecting data on the Internet. On this site, you can take a variety of pictorial quizzes to explore implicit biases you may not be aware you possess.  Feel free to decline to answer any demographic questions you are asked

Cultural Education Resources

General Information

Intergenerational (Historical) Trauma 

Regional Stories and History