What Your Ribbon Skirt Means to Me : Deb Haaland's Historic Inauguration

A contemporary Indigenous picture book that offers both an homage to Secretary Deb Haaland's achievements, and a celebration of urban Indigenous community through the eyes of a little girl. 

Pia rushes over to the Indigenous community center after school. It’s where she goes every day to play outside with friends and work on her homework. But today—March 18, 2021—is special: Auntie Autumn gathers all the children around their television to witness Secretary Deb Haaland in her ribbon skirt at the White House as she becomes the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary. Pia and the other kids behold her Native pride on an international stage.

Together with their parents and Elders, the children explore the values woven into their own regalia, land, community, and traditions, making precious memories on this day they won’t soon forget. 

Alexis Bunten (Aleut/Yup’ik) has served as a manager, consultant, and applied researcher for Indigenous, social and environmental programming for over 15 years. She holds a BA in Art History from Dartmouth College and a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from UCLA. Alexis has published widely about Indigenous and environmental issues. She is the award-winning author of So, How Long Have You Been Native? and Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story​.

Nicole Neidhardt is Diné (Navajo) of the Kiiyaa'áanii Clan, and is originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has a BFA from the University of Victoria as well as an MFA at OCAD University in Toronto. Nicole’s Diné identity is the heart of her practice, which encompasses illustration, installation, murals, and Indigenous Futurisms.