Native American Heritage Month

History of Native American Heritage Month

In November, Plainfield South High School honors Native American Heritage Month, also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. The month is a time to celebrate and acknowledge the important contributions of Native people in the United States, and to celebrate their cultures, traditions, and histories.

In the beginning of the 20th century, Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian and director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, NY, persuaded the Boy Scouts to celebrate a day marked for the “First Americans.” Throughout the years, these efforts grew, until 1990 when President George H.W. Bush designated November of that year as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Learn more about Native American Heritage Month below. We hope that you use these resources to learn and to think about how Native American contributions and culture have played a powerful role in our country and communities.

Eight Ways to Celebrate Native American Heritage Month

1.Honor Native American Code Talkers

During World War I and II, thousands of American Indians joined the US armed forces and served honorably to defend their country. In World War II, a group of Navajo soldiers used their tribal languages as weapons. They created secret battle communications using Navajo words to confuse and mislead the enemy. These American soldiers were known as "Code Talkers."

2. Explore Mesa Verde National Park virtually

For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde, Colorado. Today, the national park and World Heritage site protects the rich cultural heritage of 26 Pueblos and Tribes and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past. It's known for its well-preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, notably the huge Cliff Palace. Use this Google My Maps link to "visit" the park.

3. Learn the history of the Cherokee Phoenix

In February 1828, the Cherokee began publishing the Cherokee Phoenix, the first Native American newspaper published in the United States. The paper circulated nationally from their capital and included columns in both English and Cherokee languages. Editor Elias Boudinot employed a strong editorial style that advocated for the rights of Cherokee people over the impositions of the American government. The publication’s title changed to the Cherokee Phoenix and Indians’ Advocate in 1829 to reflect its coverage of news and issues related to native groups outside of the Cherokee Nation. After the American government ceased making promised payments to the Cherokee Nation for the use of their land, the Cherokee Phoenix and Indians’ Advocate lost its funding and stopped printing in May 1834.

Front page of the June 4, 1828 issue of the Cherokee Phoenix.

The system of Cherokee writing, sometimes credited to the linguist Sequoyah, is called a syllabary because it uses symbols that represent syllables instead of letters

The Cherokee Phoenix printing press in New Echota, Georgia, where the Cherokee had established a capital by the early 1800s.

Tour the inside of the Cherokee Nation print shop, where the first Native American newspaper was published.

4. Discover the poetry of Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo is an American poet, musician, playwright, and author of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She served as the 23rd U.S. poet laureate, the first Native American to hold that honor.

Eagle Song

To pray you open your whole self

To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon

To one whole voice that is you.

And know there is more

That you can’t see, can’t hear;

Can’t know except in moments

Steadily growing, and in languages

That aren’t always sound but other

Circles of motion.

Like eagle that Sunday morning

Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky

In wind, swept our hearts clean

With sacred wings.

We see you, see ourselves and know

That we must take the utmost care

And kindness in all things.

Breathe in, knowing we are made of

All this, and breathe, knowing

We are truly blessed because we

Were born, and die soon within a

True circle of motion,

Like eagle rounding out the morning

Inside us.

We pray that it will be done

In beauty.

5. Celebrate the work of Native artists at the Denver Art Museum

The Denver Art Museum was one of the first art museums in the U.S. to collect Indigenous arts from North America. Today, the museum has over 18,000 works of art from over 250 Indigenous nations that capture multiple artistic traditions from these cultures. The depth of the collection allows visitors to consider the contributions that Native artists have made and illuminates universal themes such as identity, history, survivance, land, place, and community. Four contemporary Native artists are highlighted below (click the picture to learn about the artist and their vision). Visit the DAM website for more.

Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee), Farewell to the Smokies (Trail of Tears), 2007

Kent Monkman (Fisher River Band Cree), The Scream, 2017. Acrylic paint on canvas

Fritz Scholder (Luiseño), Indian Power, 1972

Rose Simpson (Santa Clara), Warrior, 2012. Clay and mixed media

6. Read a book by a Native author

Firekeeper's Daughter

by Angeline Boulley

Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother.

Apple: Skin to the Core

by Eric Gansworth

Eric Gansworth tells the story of his life and family through poems about their Onondaga heritage, from the horrible legacy of government boarding schools, to watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to his fight to be an artist who balances multiple worlds.

Elatsoe

by Darcie Little Badger

Elatsoe lives in a slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and Elatsoe will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask

by Anton Treuer

A "book of questions and answers for Native and non-Native young readers alike. Ranging from 'Why is there such a fuss about nonnative people wearing Indian costumes for Halloween?' to 'Why is it called a traditional Indian fry bread taco?' to 'What's it like for Natives who don't look Native?' to 'Why are Indians so often imagined rather than understood?' and beyond.

Find more titles by Native authors in the PSHS Library

7. Recognize the successes of Native Americans in government

Secretary Deb Haaland

Secretary Deb Haaland made history when she became the first Native American to serve as a U.S. cabinet secretary as the Secretary of the Interior. She is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th generation New Mexican.

A record number of Native American candidates won seats in the House of Representatives and Senate in 2020. Of the fourteen candidates running at the national level, six Native Americans were elected. While two of the candidates were newly elected, four are returning members to Congress. In addition, a number of states, including swing states Arizona and Wisconsin, saw record Native voter turnout.

8. Try an activity!

Make Fry Bread, a popular Native food with a complicated history. While you eat it, read about the work of Native chefs like Nephi Craig and Sean Sherman who are using traditional ingredients and methods to revolutionize the restaurant industry.
Recognize what tribal land you live on, using the Native Lands map that uses your address to identify which tribe/s first lived on “your” land. (No matter where you live in the U.S., indigenous people lived on that land before you. There are almost 600 federally-recognized tribes in the U.S.)
Visit the Pawnee Earth Lodge at the Field Museum and then continue onto the Native Truths exhibit.
Play a game. Games have always been important to Native Americans. In fact, the first European settlers noticed it almost immediately. Like many historic pastimes, Native American games often made use of balls, sticks, and other items made from natural materials. You can play an easy and popular dice game called “Hubbub" by using the directions here.
Watch Reservation Dogs on FX or Hulu.
Listen to one of these podcasts produced by Native American people.