How We Go Home: Voices from Indigenous North America

by Sara Sinclair (Editor)

In myriad ways, each narrator’s life has been shaped by loss, injustice, and resilience—and by the struggle of how to share space with settler nations whose essential aim is to take all that is Indigenous.

 Hear from Jasilyn Charger, one of the first five people to set up camp at Standing Rock, which kickstarted a movement of Water Protectors that roused the world; Gladys Radek, a survivor of sexual violence whose niece disappeared along Canada’s Highway of Tears, who became a family advocate for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls; and Marian Naranjo, herself the subject of a secret radiation test while in high school, who went on to drive Santa Clara Pueblo toward compiling an environmental impact statement on the consequences of living next to Los Alamos National Laboratory. Theirs are stories among many of the ongoing contemporary struggles to preserve Native lands and lives—and of how we go home.

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, Essays, History, Native American, Social Justice, Anthologies

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2020

About the author

Sara Sinclair is an oral historian of Cree-Ojibwa, German-Jewish and British descent. A graduate of Columbia University’s Oral History Master of Arts program, Sara was the project manager and lead interviewer for Columbia Centre for Oral History Research’s Robert Rauschenberg Oral History Project. With Peter Bearman and Mary Marshall Clark, Sinclair edited a book from these narratives, published by Columbia University Press in 2019.

Prior to attending OHMA, Sara lived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she conducted an oral history project for the International Labour Organization’s Regional Office for Africa. Sara’s work as an oral history consultant includes work for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and the Exit Art Closure Study, a research project on the closure of New York gallery/artist’s space Exit Art (1982-2012).

For Sara’s thesis at Columbia she conducted a series of interviews exploring the narratives of university-educated, reservation-raised Native North Americans on returning to their Nations after school. Sara expanded this project, How We Go Home, through Voice of Witness’ Story Lab and is currently editing a forthcoming book with the organization.

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost]

I'm not going to rate this one because while it's not exactly a memoir it does bring together people sharing their own stories.

If you're looking for a book about current struggles and experiences of indigenous people in North America, you'll get a great overview with this collection. Sinclair never pretends to cover everything there is to cover and no one should expect that from a 320 pages book, that being said it's a very well documented book (beyond the stories) with a solid further reading section which also includes fiction titles.

I would absolutely recommend this book.

[LAPL Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sara Sinclair compiled interviews and stories from twelve different Indigenous people whose ancestral tribes and families are from North America (The United States and Canada). These interviews came about because of Sinclair's work with a non-profit oral history project, Voice of Witness. Each person's point of view is unique, but there are common themes to be found in all of them: coerced residential and boarding schools; foster care; and the resulting trauma due to mistreatment, forced assimilation, loss of emotional family connection, loss of family and tribal identity.

The interviews allow each person, from different tribes and regions, to express themelves about their past history, thoughts and feelings that may have been repressed but influenced each individual’s life. Because Sinclair is based in Canada there is a sizable section of the book with stories set in Winnipeg, which is the home of Canada’s largest Indigenous population. Those people who live in Canada are not any different from Indigenous peoples throughout North America because, for the most part, they do not have adequate housing, food, education, job opportunities and are discriminated against openly and/or covertly. As the book was going to the printer COVID-19 was in its infancy as a global pandemic and many thought this horrific event would prove to be a type of equalizer among all of us because the disease did not discriminate who it attacked. However, for Indigenous peoples that was disproven because factors in their lives made them more vulnerable: poverty, overcrowding, and a lack of of running water and/or clean water on reserves and reservations. All of this resulted in higher rates of COVID-19 infections among Indigenous populations.

Each person’s life has been affected by the past history and experiences of their ancestors, and by their own present-day experiences. It is their spirit of resilience and connecting with their tribe's full, rich heritage that has sustained each individual and given them a foundation to move forward.

The book includes footnotes, a glossary and historical timeline which provide background and context for an understanding of Indigenous people's history. The Historical Timeline of Indigenous North America is 10,000 BCE - present, “Indigenous settlements and communities are present from coast to coast in North America and establish complex religious, artistic, and literary practices and economic, social, and political structures.” Starting with 1492 and ending with 2020, major historical events are documented by a specific year. She asks all of us, who live on the North American continent, to think and be aware of whose land we now inhabit, and question how this came to pass. In a chapter, Ten Things You Can Do, Sara Sinclair offers practical advice about how everyone can improve the lives of Indigenous people.

Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some not-yet-coherent thoughts on this remarkable, heavy, very moving book:
- It's so exciting to read a book of oral histories! I didn't know about Voice of Witness and am really looking forward to reading other books in the series. The medium lends itself to a wonderful range of stories, and reading the stories in the tellers' own voices makes them that much more powerful.
- It's one thing to know intellectually about the genocide, racism, and ongoing injustices facing Native American and First Nations people, and quite another to learn more concretely about how these injustices function in the context of people's lives.
- I'm glad that I read this book right after The End of Imagination--they're pretty different, but the context of the havoc the US government facilitates in other countries makes the havoc it wreaks on Native folks even more horrifying. Again, even though I intellectually know that the settler-colonial state at best stands in the way of Native wellbeing and at worst happily commits genocide, it's still astonishing to read about how consistently the people profiled in this book have to fight the US and Canadian governments just to survive, let alone thrive. A good reminder of how much unlearning I have ahead of me!
- I was impressed by Sinclair's editorship--she included a perfect amount of context and interstitial comments, while prioritizing the voices of her narrators.

Overall, a quick but far-from-light read that made me want to learn much, much more.

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful collection of oral histories from twelve Indigenous people from the US & Canada. Sara Sinclair, a Cree-Ojibwe oral historian, collected these stories with a broad focus on the ongoing effects of colonization on Native lands, lives, and cultures today.

Sinclair clearly carried out this project with so much love and respect for her narrators. It reads like a collection of mini memoirs, w footnotes & contextual essays included for more historical info. They aimed to show people “in all their complexity, rather than as case studies,” and they absolutely succeeded.

Each of these stories shine a light on the narrators’ experiences of both intergenerational trauma and resilience. There is huge variety in their life experiences, yet their stories overlap in ways they shouldn’t have to, due to the ongoing efforts of colonization:

The effects of residential and boarding schools on an entire family: “All the things I was told when I was in residential school, I had to erase all that, decolonize my mind and nurture the loving mother.” -Geraldine Manson

The continued harm of the foster care system: “They were just looking for some reason, some cause to take that child. It has become part of their budget. (...) If you’re incentivizing the destruction of our families, in 2019, that’s a problem.” -James Favel

The ongoing genocide of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People: “But even one [missing woman] is too many. So how do we stop it? How do we stop the violence against our women? Where can our women live a sustainable life?” -Gladys Radek


Many of the narrators have used their own experiences to try to help their communities move forward, even if they’re continuing to struggle themselves. These overlaps of hardship & resilience are held at the heart of each of these stories.
“We’re getting in the way of these fucking system trends.” -James Favel

I’d HIGHLY recommend this book. It’s one to read slowly & intentionally, due to the breadth and tough content. Spreading the stories out may also help make the occasional repetition in the footnotes less noticeable.

[Sergio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book simply accomplishes everything it sets out to do. The way each narrator's voice is given as much life as can be expected from the pages of a book, their powerful individual stories, all ultimately hopeful but filled with the struggle, abuse and unjust suffering that centuries of systematic neglect, racism and cultural erasure have brought upon indigenous populations, the carefully and thoroughly annotated footnotes, accompanying essays and context blurbs, and the obvious love and passion with which every sentence has been assembled all coalesce into a picture of indigenous north america, both in the US and Canada, that should be urgently seen and shared by everyone.

[Barbara Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This set of compelling and moving narratives represents a broad variety of Indigenous North American voices and experiences. It should be widely read, available in public libraries, and required reading in college classes.

[Degenerate Chemist · Rating 5 out of 5]

"How We Go Home" is a collection of 12 interviews of indigenous North Americans. It deals explicitly with activism, intergenerational trauma, loss of cultural identity, and the need for justice. Native voices are underrepresented and this collection is both timely and relevant.

[Sam - Spines in a Line · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review to come but loved getting to read this collection after attending Sinclair's workshop. I need to get a copy for my shelves now

[Nandhana Sajeev · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an incredible read and I’ve learned so much about so many different indigenous struggles across North America. The interviews seemed to be done with so much care and respect, it’s very much felt

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara Sinclair and two of the voices who tell their stories in this collection joined Town Hall for an evening to talk about this book. It's one that I've had a copy sitting ready to be promoting for months, and finally got to it, and admittedly it took me longer than I anticipated to get through. Reading about sexual abuse, especially in residential schools which are already abusive as a concept, and the MMIGW (Missing Murdered Indigenous Girls & Women) fight...yeah, really rough. Honestly, this one was really tough to read. Trigger warnings for basically everything (sexual violence/rape, substance abuse/alcoholism, physical abuse, suicide, child abuse, incarceration, and more). But it was INCREDIBLY powerful to read these stories from Indigenous people in their own words.

One of the strongest and most effective aspects of this book—bolstered by a supplemental essay in the back of the book about it—is the exploration of intergenerational trauma, especially when so much of that trauma is ongoing and unresolved. It was striking to me, more than any other time I've read about Indigenous communities in the past, how much of the treatment of Indigenous communities and Black communities mirrors each other and stems from this desire to destroy traditional cultures for the aims and power of the dominant white class, and ultimately, to engineer the destruction of legacies. With Black people, it was about subjugation and free labor, and with Indigenous people, it was about land. I don't know how much of the questions and framework from the interviews might have driven this, but the narratives just naturally provide a more complex (and heartwrenching) investigation of the Native stereotypes that we see so often in popular culture. In a world that often doesn't appreciate nuance or complexity, that was enlightening to see. It goes to the idea of the importance beyond a single story - of course, like with any community, there are alcoholic Natives. And yes, there is a higher percentage of alcoholics than other populations. But when ALL so many of us get to see is alcoholic Indigenous people in media, and especially without an interrogation of WHY alcoholism is so prevalent, it creates this false idea of the "truth."

A must read, one that I will be ruminating on for a long time to come and will likely revisit often.

[Austin Koontz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very powerful stories, and generally just a great format for non-fiction: hearing folks explain their own lives, in their own terms. Makes me very interested to read other books from the Voice of Witness program.

Nonfiction that is both really heavy (because you learn of the terrible injustices Native people on this continent have suffered) and, remarkably, encouraging (because you learn of people who, despite this historic and current trauma, and achieving great things).

+"The Seventh Generation Prophecy portended a time seven generations after first contact when Indigenous youth and allies would come together to give rise to an age of healing and rebirth for Native people and the continent."
+Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851: the first treaty of the Great Sioux Nation

[New · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really liked this book. it contains a collection of interviews, essays, and a historical timeline on indigenous america.

re: the interviews - i enjoyed hearing from indigenous perspectives, and i liked that all the people interviewed were really different. one person spoke about their experience navigating the residential schooling system, another about organizing to combat the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women, another about navigating the carceral system as a youth, another about their seasonal way of life (i.e. moving from place to place with the seasons, in order to live off the land) etc.

re: the essays - they covered everything from the physical and mental health of indigenous communities, contemporary issues, intergenerational trauma/historical trauma, disproportionate rates of incarceration and homelessness, etc. i found this section very informative.

re: the historical timeline - ok, this part was really cool. it was cool how the author broke down the history of indigenous america and contextualized it with treaties european colonizers coercively made with the indigenous populations in order to cement their control over the land and settler colonialism. it was cool hearing about how indigenous people view land and their relationship to the land, and how that differs from how european/white people view land...like how the concept of "owning" land simply does not exist in the indigenous belief system. which i mean, makes so much sense lmao. like "owning" land is such a colonist/imperialist/capitalist concept. u cant own nature with a piece of paper, boy bye lolz. and this also ties into the individualism of european/white cultures...like ofc in a culture where there is such a heavy emphasis on individualism, you would want to "own" something. but in a culture that emphasizes community (so like...every other culture besides western culture lmfao), there is no need to "own" something—because it is shared by and belongs to everyone.

finally, a quote that i really liked from one of the essays: "trauma is an expression on our genes.if there is something that has been tagged on our dna because of trauma, then that stress response could be tagged onto our children's and grandchildren's dna, as a trait. but i tell people that if trauma is in our genes, then so is surviving. and so is resilience. and so is healing." thats factssssss 🔥🔥🔥🔥

10/10 WOULD RECOMMEND!!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find this Voice of Witness format to be a powerful way to tell a story.

There are 12 stories in this volume that originated in oral interviews. Twelve people reveal the stories of their lives and how systemic racism, sexual abuse, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, broken treaties and poverty has impacted their lives. Haunting, heartbreaking stories that are often still surprisingly hopeful.

This should be required reading for non-Indigenous people in North America, so they no longer say things like -- that was in the past, it was the government and churches and not us. These individual lives bring to light the hardships and struggles faced by Indigenous people in both cities and on reserves/reservations.

I found Gladys Radek's life particularly moved me. The fight for justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada should be front page news. Our country should be ashamed that these shocking crimes against women could happen here, let alone residential schools and hidden graves etc.

How We Go Home was enlightening and I hope to explore other titles in this format.

[Leah Rachel von Essen · Rating 4 out of 5]

How We Go Home: Voices from Indigenous North America, edited by Sara Sinclair, shares 12 oral-history accounts, supplemented with historical and social context, of indigenous people living in Canada and the United States.

The book does a superb job of highlighting the impact of intergenerational trauma and social and economic violence on indigenous populations. I learned a lot that I didn't know and should—in particular, how the foster care system is continuing the disastrous family separation practices of the abusive residential schools, perpetuating a cycle of abuse and disempowerment. It covers a lot of modern issues, from the attempts to be recognized and have environmental and natural rights acknowledged by US and Canada governments, to the disappearance and murder of indigenous women, to cycles of substance abuse and violence. It includes a lot of "radical" solutions that we could all learn from, including approaches to protest, community policing and care, and more.

I will say that some editorial choices could be frustrating. For example, many footnotes would repeat essay to essay. Given that footnotes run the risk of taking a risk out of the flow of the text already, I found this particularly irritating. Some of the historical notes did the same.

Overall, this book is an engaging and important primer for indigenous issues of today, and includes a few essays for context and a list of what you can do to support many of these activists. Definitely a worthwhile read.

Content warnings for miscarriage, substance abuse, rape, violence, family separation, self-harm, suicide, institutionalization.

[spicy mayo · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book gives so much context to the past and current experiences of native ppl in north america, particularly in canada. the detailed footnotes, glossary & additional essays at the end top it all off (for those who may be begrudgingly unwilling to accept and be skeptical towards these experiences without “evidence” or “research” OR for those who simply want a deeper historical understanding and context for these experiences). i didn’t even realize how much blatant racism existed towards native people in these Canadian territories, although i’m certainly not surprised. storytelling & oral history is an incredibly compelling and valuable method to share and learn from people’s lived experiences. highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to get a glimpse of north american indigenous experiences. the resilience of the featured individuals and the strength they find in community is the common thread that connects each of these individual stories....great read!!!!! 😃

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although short in length, this book is incredibly powerful. “How We Go Home” is a collection of essays from twelve different indigenous (North America) voices. These essays are raw and heartfelt; writers share stories of great loss, and even greater resilience. All of these authors are incredibly strong and have overcome impossible hardships. These individuals are truly inspiring, and have become revered advocates for their indigenous communities. My one criticism is that these stories left me wanting more. These short essays are a tease— I now want every single one of these writers to publish their own novels and memoirs! In particular, I feel a deep longing to hear more from authors James Favel (Winnipeg, Peguis First Nation), Althea Guiboche (Winnipeg, Métis/Ojibwe/Salteaux), and Vera Styres (Six Nations, Mohawk/Tuscarora). I’m grateful to all participants for sharing their stories, and for the positive work that they are doing to better our communities.

[Tracey Compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye-opening first person accounts of many activists' stories about different aspects of the work of Indigenous rights in Canada and the US. Truly this book will make you upset at the amount of history that's left out of school curriculum regarding Native populations, similar to what's not taught about Black history. These are stories that are forgotten or just plain left out of mainstream coverage. "How We Go Home" brings forward the current fight and issues of Indigenous people of North America, so that readers can draw connections and learn how governments have failed people, but also how Native communities are resilient. I also like that this Voices of Witness book series offers "Ten Things You Can Do" at the conclusion of the book. Too often books like this get you hooked, get you mad at "the system" or institutions, but don't offer practical advice on how to be a part of the change. This book doesn't do that.

[Rach · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and heartbreaking series of oral histories that tell the stories of native people of both Canada and the US. The stark way our government has failed native peoples from the first day they were established, indeed from the first day a white man stepped foot on North American soil, is horrifying and sad and so angering. These are stories we need to hear in school, so we grow up knowing them and standing against the continued injustice. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more about the injustices native peoples face, what those communities are doing to heal and help themselves, and how we as allies can support and assist them.

[Karen Kohoutek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great, accessible overview on issues facing Indigenous people in Canada and the U.S. today. The book consists of seveal (fairly short) interviews with Indigenous people about their life experiences, and their activities in the direction of resurgence, plus some supporting historical information. More than one participant talks about getting a "white" education and then going back to use those tools for their communities. The difficulty of resurgence isn't glossed over, as individuals and communities deal with disruptive traumas. but I think this could help some white people gain perspective on what Indigenous nations are dealing with, but which is too often out of their sight.

[Jean Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a text book of sorts, so my library did not find a copy in the region. I watched the launch video which was a discussion among 4 indigenous women (including the book’s editor/oral historian) and a 3 contributors. I learned a lot so I hope I’m not overstepping too egregiously by including this as a read book. We discussed in a book club too.
If this is what is available in high school, I am thrilled. Just as much for college courses too.

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each essay in this powerful collection is an interview with a different Indigenous person from the US or Canada. Their stories show some of the many ways that contemporary Indigenous people have been impacted by generational trauma from systemic racism. There is a lot of variety among the interviewees, and while they discuss tough topics, the writing style is easy to read. This is a great book to read 1-2 essays at a time. Highly recommended.

[Catherine Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wealth of information and voice and data—without being dry or too heavy or what have you. It was a quick read, for me, because it was so compelling, and I’d finish one essay eager to go on and hear whomever’s story was next. You see recurring themes throughout all the essays of broken homes and addiction and acts of violence just as there are threads of hope and community and goodness. I appreciate that this collection provides balance.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My talent is I can survive. That's my talent. I can survive anything."
"A lot of our families needed help to learn how to be parents because growing up in residential school, they didn't know how to be parents, because they had not been parented."
"You know, on the reservation, you have the beauty of our culture and our traditional knowledge contrasted with the reality of poverty."

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short stories and a few essays from Indigenous peoples in Canada and the US. This was really a beautiful book. Even though it discussed trauma (sometimes quite explicitly) there was a sense of hope for the future. Well worth a read. Features stories from local folks in Tsartlip and Snuneymuxw First Nations.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredibly powerful and important. It took me a while to get through this book because of the heaviness of the themes and stories, requiring a slow thoughtful reading and breaks throughout to wait for a time when I was ready to dive back in. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really educational, highly interesting, and infuriating read. Although there is a lot of depth to it, it never feels dense or overwhelming and I really enjoyed the first-hand accounts interspersed with additional background information and related essays at the end.

[Beatrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful resource and captivating stories. Pay your land tax, everyone.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking, illuminating, devastating read. First person accounts of indigenous/Native Americans. I highly recommend it.

[Ilina Krishen]

Content and trigger warning for institutional violence, assault, incarceration and a*buse

[Lisa Frazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the most damaging elements of the historical (and ongoing) colonial assault on Indigenous North Americans told through the stories of individual people in their own words.