Entwined Memory: A Special Book Installation

Remembering is more than just an act of recall. When we remember, we relive. We reflect. We reconnect to places, people, and our past. Memory transcends time, distance, and experience, serving as both a pathway into the past and a guiding light for the future.

Although they exist within us, uniquely captured by our senses, memories knit people together when they are transmitted from person to person. The concept of historical memory suggests that ancestors’ memories can shape descendants’ outlooks and identities. Historical memories are passed from one generation to the next, continuing to stir emotion, influence perception, and inspire dreams.

These memories are braided together to create stories. For many Indigenous peoples, storytelling is much more than entertainment—it has helped sustain traditions, culture, and knowledge for generations. Despite continuous efforts to control and erase Indigenous narratives, Native peoples have proudly proclaimed their histories and identities through stories.

Picture books are particularly powerful tools for sharing memories. Combining text and image and often read aloud, picture books embody what Indigenous communities have done for millennia. While they have been instrumental in literary and artistic fields, Indigenous people have not always been given the recognition and opportunities they deserve.

Growing up far from the Eastern Band Cherokee reservation, I never had the opportunity to learn about my people or other Native cultures in school. We were silently erased from lessons and conversations about American history and identity. This confused me—I knew there were stories to be shared, yet it felt like no one else believed they were important or even existent.

From a young age, my parents taught me about my ancestors and culture and made sure that I saw myself reflected through picture books. In recent years, a surge of Indigenous authors and illustrators have begun creating picture books. They are not only valuable educational tools for non-Indigenous readers, but also show Native children that their stories matter, that they matter.

The Reading Library exhibition Entwined Memory: Indigenous Stories of Creation, Place, and Continuity features 40+ of these groundbreaking and award-winning picture books. Divided into three thematic sections that include fun, interactive activities, the exhibition invites visitors to learn, connect, and share their dreams with others. This exhibition is an extension of my desire to advocate for positive Indigenous representation in museums, center Indigenous perspectives, and help share our stories with the world.

Creation

Picture books make generational stories easily accessible, transmissible, and engaging. The exhibition’s first section, “Creation,” highlights the traditional knowledge of Indigenous creation, origin, and trickster stories. These picture books teach children about their people, the world, and essential lessons.

Alfreda Beartrack Algeo is a multimedia artist, writer, and storyteller of the Kul Wicasa Lakota Nation. Her book The Day the Earth Rose Up (2022), tells the story of seven sisters who are saved from a giant bear and become the Pleiades constellation. Beartrack Algeo was inspired by her experiences growing up with the Mato Tipila (Bear Lodge), ancestral knowledge of the Wicincala Sakowin (the Seven Sisters or Pleiades), and an encounter with the same constellation one early winter morning. As she shared in a recent interview:

Beartrack Algeo inherited her love of art from her family, especially her father, who introduced her to oil painting at age three: “It’s so emotional for me, so full of love and comfort, and it’s a safe place for me. I connect with my father, my mother, my people. Art is a portal.”

Listen to the audio clips on of the Free Bloomberg Connects App to hear more about Alfreda’s work, including her illustrations for How the Oceans Came to Be (2022) by Arvis Boughman.

Place

Indigenous communities often prioritize conscious connection to the natural world. Their reciprocal relationships with non-human beings and landscapes ensure the survival of both nature and people. “Place,” the exhibition’s second section, explores connections to lands, waters, and animals that sustain Indigenous peoples and hold memories of belonging and loss. Wôpanâak Seasons (2025), by Carrie Ann Vanderhoop and illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, follows a Wampanoag boy as he experiences each season, from planting the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) in springtime to harvesting cranberries in the fall.

Shi-shi-etko (2005), by Nicola I. Campbell and illustrated by Kim LaFave, centers an Indigenous girl named Shi-shi-etko as she soaks in the last moments before leaving for residential school. Her grandmother gifts her a memory bag, which they fill with tree sprigs, berries, roots, and leaves, so she always remembers her homeland and family. This book inspired the exhibition’s Make a Memory Box activity, which prompts visitors to fill a box with cards representing what they want to remember.

Continuity

Storytelling is an act of embodied continuity—a connective flow between older and younger generations. Indigenous communities use storytelling to continue traditions, culture, and knowledge. Youth learn from these stories, follow in their ancestors’ footsteps, and forge their own paths. The books in this section showcase Indigenous youth and community who use food, language, art, dance, and music to help craft their identities and futures. Rock Your Mocs (2023), by Laurel Goodluck and illustrated by Madeline Goodnight, features young characters from different tribal nations sharing differences and celebrating the beauty of their cultures through moccasins.

When the Stars Came Home (2023), by Brittany Luby and illustrated by Natasha Donovan, tells the heartwarming story of a boy named Ojig who longs for his home after moving to the city. His mother crafts a star quilt, sharing stories of his ancestors that comfort Ojig and live on in the quilt’s fabric.  The Make a Guiding Quilt activity invites visitors to share their dreams as they form a quilt-like pattern with tiles.

Connected to the 2027 exhibition,The Precious Things We Share: The Past, Present, and Future of Indigenous Picture Book Art, this book exhibition seeks to represent Indigenous peoples across the continent by highlighting the vital and powerful connection between memory and storytelling. As Alfreda Beartrack Algeo powerfully states,

Picture books, a vibrant medium for storytelling, are created and used by Indigenous people to represent and strengthen their communities. While some of the books featured are from well-known publishers, many are from smaller or Indigenous-run publications. I wanted to give rising authors and illustrators a platform and introduce viewers to their amazing books. I hope this exhibition shows them that their stories make a difference and inspires the next generation of storytellers to use their voices and follow their dreams.