Basic Texts
American Indian Thought: Philosophical Essays
edited by Anne Waters
Brings together a diverse group of American Indian thinkers to discuss traditional and contemporary philosophies and philosophical issues. Covers American Indian thinking on issues concerning time, place, history, science, law, religion, nationhood, and art.
How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V. F. Cordova
edited by Kathleen Dean Moore, Kurt Peters, and Ted Jojola
A posthumous collection of the writings of Viola F. Cordova (1937-2002), the first Native American woman to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy.
by Dennis H. McPherson and J. Douglas Raab
Includes extensive discussion of Native American philosophy and culture in the United States as well as Canada. Topics covered include colonialism, the phenomenology of the vision quest, the continuity of Native values, land and the integrity of person, the role of cognitive science in supporting Native narrative traditions, language in Indian life, landscape and other-than-human persons, the teaching of Native American philosophy and the value of various research methods.
by Brian Burkhart
"This work is an attempt to articulate the nature of land as a material, conceptual, and ontological foundation for Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and valuing. As a foundation of valuing, land forms the framework for a conceptualization of Indigenous environmental ethics as an anticolonial force for sovereign Indigenous futures" (publisher's description).
The Metaphysics of Modern Existence
by Vine Deloria, Jr.
Synthesizing ideas from some of the most eminent philosophers of modern times, ideas that have hitherto been given only a perfunctory examination, juxtaposes Native American thinking with Western thought. Deloria was a preeminent writer on Native American topics addressing theology, philosophy, history, and indigenous American rights.
Peace, Power, Righteousness: An Indigenous Manifesto
by Gerald Taiaiake Alfred
Main Library ARC General Collection E 98 .T77
Calls for the indigenous peoples of North America to move beyond their 500-year history of pain, loss, and colonization, and move forward to the reality of self-determination.
Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Claiming
by Winona LaDuke
Economist, writer, and activist Winona LaDuke uses stories, facts, and examples to explain why recovering that which is "sacred" to Native Americans is critical to social justice struggles as well as the survival of the planet.
by Christine J. Winter
"A response to global environmental challenges and their future-oriented outlook, deeply rooted in the cosmovisions of those traditionally left out, indigenous peoples. It is principally argued that predominant Western worldviews and their underlying assumptions(!) fail to appreciate the scale of threats to environmental sustainability, including climate change, resource extraction and environmental degradation, broadly seen as the outcomes of industrialisation" (publisher's description).
WasaŹ¹se: Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom
by Gerald Taiaiake Alfred
"This book traces the journey of those Indigenous people who have found a way to transcend the colonial identities which are the legacy of our history and live as Onkwehonwe, original people" (author's note).
Ways of Being in the World: An Introduction to Indigenous Philosophies of Turtle Island
An anthology of the Indigenous philosophical thought of communities across Turtle Island, offering readings on a variety of topics spanning many times and geographic locations.
by Daniel Heath Justice
"Part survey of the field of Indigenous literary studies, part cultural history, and part literary polemic, Why Indigenous Literatures Matter asserts the vital significance of literary expression to the political, creative, and intellectual efforts of Indigenous peoples today" (publisher's description).
Primo: The UCF Libraries Catalog
Primo Search is the default tab on the Libraries' homepage that allows researchers to locate books, multimedia (e.g., DVDs, CDs, streaming videos), journal titles, and other materials owned by the UCF Libraries.
Simple Search:
- To locate UCF materials only, change on the drop-down menu labeled "Available Now: Online and On Shelf," to "Library Catalog."
- "Everything in Primo" searches the statewide catalog for all Florida publicly-supported university and college libraries (e.g., University of Florida, Florida International University).
- Primo is not recommended as a tool for locating journal articles, as it encompasses roughly only 50% of the UCF Libraries' journal databases; instead, use a subject-specific database to identify journal articles on a topic.
- Use keywords or any words to search for topics. Try using two or three of the most significant words from the topic for which you are searching. A keyword search will find all occurrences of a word in a library catalog or a database. What follows are some examples of keyword searches:
- music wom#n [finds: music AND woman or women, occurrences of all words]
- child* [finds: child, child's, children, children's]
- music theory [finds: both words, with "and" implied between words]
- "music theory" [finds: phrase – must enclose with quotations]
- city OR cities [finds: either word – must type OR in uppercase]
- city NOT cities [finds: city only – must type NOT in uppercase]
Advanced Search:
- To locate UCF materials only, choose the radio button labeled "UCF Library Catalog."
- Allows specification of Title, Author/Creator, Subject, ISBN, ISSN, and Call Number fields which are not available in Simple Search.
- Limiters or filters also may be used, such as Material Type and/or Language to further refine the search. The Material Type filter is especially useful for locating scores, video/film, sound recordings, and government documents.
- Subject searching requires use of Library of Congress Subject Headings. Here are some representative subject headings:
- Ethnoecology – North America
- Indian mythology – North America
- Indian philosophy – North America
- Indians of North America
- Indians of North America – Agriculture
- Indians of North America – Civil rights
- Indians of North America – Ethnic identity
- Indians of North America – History
- Indians of North America – Religion
- Indigenous peoples – Ecology – North America
- Peyotism
- United States – Civilization – Indian influences
- Vision quests
- Philosophy and religion
ARC: Automated Retrieval Center
Over 80% of the UCF Libraries materials (e.g., books, DVDs, Blu-rays) have been transferred into the Automatic Retrieval Center, or ARC for short. The ARC is located behind the Hitt Library and it is not accessible to patrons. All materials in this guide that have been designated "Main Library ARC General Collection" are in the ARC. Therefore, materials located in the ARC need to be requested. Here's an overview of how that process works.
Note in the examples above that every title says "Available at UCF ARC Main..." To initiate a request, click on the title look for the "Sign in to see request options" on the record page. For example:
We can see from this record that the item is in place and available to be requested by clicking the sign in option where you'll enter your NID and your NID password. Once you do that, you'll be directed to a page to complete your request:
The final step is to select a pickup location from the menu:
Then submit your request. Requests placed during hours of operation are generally filled in 15-20 minutes. You'll receive an email notification once your book is ready and it will be held at the location you selected for one week.
For more information about the ARC, see this guide, which includes a video of the ARC in action.
Other Catalogs of Interest
https://books.google.com
Searchable by keyword for the full text of some books, magazines, and newspapers.
A catalog of library collections from the U.S. and around the world. It is the world's most comprehensive bibliography, with millions of records for books, periodicals, and other materials in 370 languages and covering information from 4,000 years of knowledge. It includes RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network) catalogs and the Union List of Periodicals.