About Native American Heritage Month

What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose.

One of the very proponents of an American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the “First Americans” and for three years they adopted such a day. In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kans., formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. It directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to observe such a day. Coolidge issued a proclamation on Sept. 28, 1915, which declared the second Saturday of each May as an American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens.

Helpful online guides and resources

Library of Congress Research Guides

https://guides.loc.gov/native-american-pictures/searching

Michigan State Native American Research Guide

https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=95603&p=624338

US Department of Interior Native American Heritage Site

https://www.doi.gov/blog/celebrate-native-american-heritage-month#:~:text=November%20is%20Native%20American%20Heritage,American%20Indians%20and%20Alaska%20Natives.

Native American Heritage Month

https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/about/

American Indians in Children's Literature

https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian

https://americanindian.si.edu/

National Archives resources

https://www.docsteach.org/topics/american-indians

Centering Indigenous Youth Voice

Perspectives from Native American students on what Thanksgiving means to them, and the importance of educating others about Native American heritage.

Unlearning Thanksgiving: Centering Indigenous Youth… | PBS Education

More Resources on Black History

blackhistorymonth.gov

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Association for the Study of African American Life and History

National Geographic Kids

American Association of School Librarians

The African American Experience

Gale- African American History

American Indian versus Native American

A once-heated issue has sorted itself out

by Borgna Brunner

Are the terms American Indian and Native American essentially synonyms, in the same way that the terms black and African American are often used interchangeably? Or is using the term American Indian instead of Native American the equivalent of using Negro instead of black—offensive and anachronistic? Is the insistence on using Native American to the exclusion of all other terms a sign of being doctrinaire?

Why did the Washington Commanders change their name?

For many Native Americans, the Washington Commanders' new name offers some closure

February 6, 202212:07 PM ET

EMMA BOWMAN

Twitter

Hispanic Heritage Canvas Resources

Canvas landing page with more resources dedicated to Hispanic Heritage Month curated by DCPS librarians!

Get ready to cook for the holidays!

Check out this great collection of food related books in SORA!

https://soraapp.com/library/dcpsdc/search/query-cooking/titles

Check out the DC Public Library NAHM offerings!

https://www.dclibrary.org/native-american-heritage-month

Celebrating the Autumn Harvest

In this lesson, students will appreciate the abundance of an autumn garden, through observation and a scavenger hunt. They will consider the “honorable harvest,” how to respectfully and thoughtfully harvest from plants, and they will put these principles into practice by harvesting and preparing a simple tasting of ripe fruits and vegetables from the garden.

Lesson Plan