North Dakota releases updated tribal textbook for first time in 20 years

September 16, 2025

The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction has released Journey to Understanding, the first updated edition in over two decades of a textbook on the five Native nations that share land with North Dakota, according to North Dakota Monitor. The text introduces students to tribal history, culture, sovereignty and federal policies. A digital version is already on the University of North Dakota’s Scholarly Commons site, and thousands of free print copies will be sent to K-12 schools statewide.

Over the next several months, the agency will publish updated tribe-specific books and a first-ever textbook on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. Tribal colleges, Native organizations and higher education institutions helped develop the series, and tribes had full editorial oversight.

North Dakota Monitor

1.North Dakota Monitor.

1.North Dakota Monitor.

We provide the independent reporting that non-Native, extractive outlets often overlook. We give our communities the context and the facts they need to make informed decisions.

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear

Founder and Editor in Chief

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we exist to illuminate tribal government decision-making for everyone who cares about transparency about Native issues. Because the consequences of restricted press freedom affect our communities every day, our trauma-informed reporting is rooted in a deep, firsthand expertise. Every gift helps keep the fire burning. A monthly contribution makes the biggest impact.