The University of Washington Press is thrilled to announce that Settler Cannabis: From Gold Rush to Green Rush in Indigenous Northern California by Kaitlin P. Reed was named the winner of the 2024 Labriola Center American Indian National Book Award.

Sponsored by the Labriola National American Indian Data Center at the Arizona State University (ASU) Library, the Labriola Center Book Award seeks to promote contemporary work by Indigenous scholars which benefits Indigenous peoples and nations.

“Professor Reed’s book stood apart because she compellingly writes about California’s violent history while prioritizing Indigenous voices and perspectives. This is only possible because of her fantastic prose and storytelling,” said Jerome Clark (Diné), assistant professor of American Indian Studies at ASU and chair of this year’s award committee. “Scholars and students interested in how extractive violence shapes Indigenous bodies and lands should read Settler Cannabis.”

Combining archival research with testimonies and interviews with tribal members, tribal employees, and settler state employees, Settler Cannabis offers a groundbreaking analysis of the environmental consequences of cannabis cultivation in California that foregrounds Indigenous voices, experiences, and histories.

Kaitlin P. Reed (Yurok/Hupa/Oneida) is an associate professor of Native American studies at Humboldt State University.