Native American Month
Native American Month has its roots in the celebration known as American Indian Day. This special day celebrated Native Americans and was a tradition in New York beginning in 1916. The month long celebration itself was established in 1990 under President George Bush. Senator Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii and Congressional Delegate Eni Faleomavaega of American Samoa were the two people working to establish this event.
Prior to that year, Congress continued to vote on an issue known as American Indian Heritage Week. The work of the two men helped change this from a week long event into a month long celebration. They wanted an event that not only recognized the original settlers of the United States, but their traditions and rituals. Native American Month now takes place every year in November.
Resources on Native American Month include:
- Smithsonian Institute: lists different events taking place during Native American Heritage Month.
- Native American Heritage Month: gives information about events during the month.
- American Indian Heritage Month: offers resources on the month.
- Native American Month: gives examples of different events taking place during the month.
- National American Indian Heritage Month: provides a history of the month and how it was established.
Events that take place during this month vary depending on the location. There are certain areas that host more events, typically larger cities like Washington D.C. and New York City. Museums often host showing of Native American artifacts and photographs. They show what it was like for these people early in their history and the daily events of their regular life.
A specific event known as, The Road to Reparation takes tribal artifacts and returns them to their original tribes. These artifacts were lost or stolen by the white man years ago. Volunteers walk around the country delivering the pieces back to the original tribe. There are also events that highlight specific areas of Native American life such as jewelry displays or exhibits on beadwork.
