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This unit introduces the historical, cultural, and political impacts of the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act by examining how U.S. citizenship was extended to Native peoples and the ongoing struggle for sovereignty and civil rights that has followed. Through interactive activities, visual slides, primary source analysis, and student-led research, learners will build an understanding of Native identity, government policy, and resistance through an Indigenous perspective. The unit is structured into four flexible parts that can be taught across multiple days or as a condensed unit, depending on time and class pacing.

This multi-lesson series explores the struggle for federal recognition by the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, an Indigenous people from the San Francisco Bay Area, whose fight for recognition has been shaped by a history of genocide, displacement, and systemic erasure. The Muwekma Ohlone's ancestral lands span the regions of what are now Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, an area rich in natural resources where they lived sustainably through fishing, hunting, and gathering. However, the Ohlone people faced devastating consequences starting with Spanish colonization in the late 18th century. Forced into the missions, they endured the violence of cultural genocide, including the destruction of their traditional ways of life, land dispossession, and the suppression of their spiritual practices. After California’s statehood, the Ohlone people continued to face systematic displacement, land theft, and the erasure of their identity, leading to a loss of recognition and official acknowledgment. The genocide, forced labor, and the relentless policies of assimilation contributed to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe's struggle to gain federal recognition. Despite their survival and continuity as a people, they have faced challenges in proving their existence due to the lack of historical documentation, a consequence of deliberate efforts to erase Indigenous communities. This lesson will examine the importance of federal recognition, which grants tribes access to resources, sovereignty, and legal protections. The lesson also highlights the Trail of Truth, a powerful act of resilience, unity, and advocacy undertaken by Muwekma Ohlone in 2024. This 90-day journey, from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., aimed to bring national attention to their fight for recognition. Through rich media, including short videos and photos from the march, students will witness the emotional and symbolic journey of the Muwekma Ohlone people. These visual materials capture moments of resilience and determination, connecting students to the personal and collective struggles of the tribe as they continue to seek justice and visibility. This lesson underscores the impact of genocide and historical erasure on the Muwekma Ohlone and the tribe's ongoing fight to restore their rightful place in history.

This multi-lesson series explores the deep historical and cultural relationship California Native Tribes have with the land, focusing on how cultural burning continues to be used as a vital component of land stewardship. Students will gain insight into the significance of fire in Indigenous cultures and how it was essential for maintaining ecosystems and cultural practices. Through a combination of poems, videos, imagery, timelines and readings, the lessons will highlight the ongoing efforts by Native peoples to restore their relationship with the earth and their traditional fire practices. The series begins with an introduction to Indigenous land stewardship, where students will learn about the role of fire in managing the land, including how fire helps regenerate important plants like acorns, which are vital to Indigenous cultures. Students will have the chance to compare and contrast the Indigenous and colonial views on land management, especially fire suppression. As the series progresses, students will understand how Historical US suppression policy has created a devastating impact that began in 1850, which criminalized Indigenous fire practices. Students will learn about the efforts of Indigenous groups to work, such as the Karuk and Yurok Tribes, to revive cultural burning as a tool for ecological restoration. This will lead into discussions of living in balance with nature, a stark contrast to the Western concept of nature as a resource to be exploited. By the end of the lesson series, students will understand how Indigenous practices like cultural burning can heal the land and how these practices challenge the commodification of nature prevalent in Western conservation. Ultimately, the series aims to show students why it is crucial to respect and include Indigenous voices and knowledge in addressing today’s environmental challenges.

The unit titled Pa’asik’tavaansas Kuniktáamvunatih ("The Women are Carrying Fire") exposes high school students to the Karuk Tribe's cultural and ecological practices, emphasizing the integral role of fire in their traditions and environmental stewardship. Students will learn that Karuk people have utilized controlled, low-intensity burns for millennia to manage landscapes, enhance biodiversity, and maintain cultural practices. These methods, deeply embedded in the Karuk language and worldview, were disrupted by over a century of federal fire suppression policies. The Karuk Women's Fire Training and Exchange (KWTREX) program is a contemporary initiative aimed at revitalizing these traditions, empowering Indigenous women and Two-Spirit individuals to lead cultural burns and reclaim their ancestral fire practices. In these lessons, students will experience the dedication and responsibility to tenure land for cultural preservation of traditions like food sovereignty and the arts like basketry. Through a film produced by the KWTREX program, students will hear firsthand accounts from Indigenous women and Two-Spirit participants, sharing their experiences of healing and empowerment through cultural fire practices. The lesson will also introduce the concept of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and its transmission through language, highlighting how the Karuk language encodes ecological wisdom related to fire management. Students will examine the differences between cultural fire and prescribed burning. By engaging with resources such as the Karuk Tribe's cultural fire storymap, students will research and reflect on the significance of cultural fire practices in adapting to climate change and restoring ecological balance. The overarching goal of this lesson is to foster an appreciation for Indigenous knowledge systems and their relevance in contemporary environmental challenges. Students will gain insight into the Karuk Tribe's efforts to revitalize cultural fire practices and the importance of language in preserving and transmitting ecological knowledge. Through these language integrated lessons, students will recognize the resilience and agency of Indigenous communities and their leadership in providing the necessary training for Karuk women in spaces traditionally occupied by men.

This multi-lesson series on the Wiyot Tribe provides an understanding of the tribe's history, struggles, and cultural resilience. The learning begins with an introduction to the Wiyot people, their ancestral lands in Humboldt County, and their cultural heritage, including their language, Soulatluk. Students will learn Wiyot place names in Humboldt County, highlighting the cultural significance of language and the ongoing efforts to revitalize Soulatluk. Through learning about the massacre at Tuluwat Island during their World Renewal Ceremony in 1860, students will understand more of the genocide the tribe faced which disrupted their community and spiritual practices. The lessons culminate with a study of the Wiyot Tribe’s determination to reclaim Tuluwat Island, their center of the world, exploring their activism and the broader movement for Indigenous land rights. Throughout the lessons, students engage with historical and contemporary narratives through film, discussion, art integration and hands-on activities, fostering empathy and understanding. By reflecting on these experiences, students gain insight into the importance of supporting Indigenous rights, culture, and sovereignty in both historical and modern contexts.

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This 2-3 week unit provides a case study of an evening, in 1916, when 5 young Native girls ran away from the Greenville Indian School, in Plumas County, CA. Students will examine the Greenville Indian boarding school as a historic system of power, designed to erase Native cultures. They will experience stories of Native resistance and strength, historically silenced. Native worldviews and the roles of Native girls and women are centered throughout the discussion. Students will have the opportunity to make connections between historic systems failure and the current crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples. Contemporary voices of the descendants of Greenville School celebrate the cultural continuance, ongoing healing and leadership of Native peoples in Northeastern California. Activities include: the analysis of primary resources, using a critical lens; a readers theater performance; experiencing contemporary film and photographs of native lives; small group discussions to support the understanding of multiple perspectives; art making as a means to process content and perspectives; consideration of community building projects and public art/memorials; the research and development of a cohesive evidence based essay. This unit could be stretched to 3 weeks, a substantial Native focus for an Ethnic Studies course. The learning and support needs of students varies and certain activities could take longer than anticipated. For example, one lesson could take two class periods instead of one. This unit could be shortened to one week if the educator chose to solely focus on the readers theater exercise.

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