Native American Heritage Month: History, Arts, Culture & More
What is Native American Heritage Month?
Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month has evolved from its beginnings as a week-long celebration in 1986, when President Reagan proclaimed the week of November 23-30, 1986 as "American Indian Week” to a month-long celebration of the rich and diverse culture, traditions, and contributions of Native Americans. Since 1995, every sitting president has acknowledged November as National American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the many contributions of the Indigenous peoples of the United States. Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1995.
Native American/Indigenous Peoples Arts & Culture
Indigenous Non-Profit Organizations to Support
Association on American Indian Affairs
First Nations Development Institute
Native American/Indigenous-Owned Brands to Support
Shop TP Mocs - A Blackfoot owned-company working toward alleviating poverty in Native communities, TP Mocs employs Native Americans to handcraft all of its adorable and durable children’s moccasins.
Shop B.Yellowtail - A Native-owned fashion brand and retailer, B.Yellowtail is a one-stop shop for interesting and stunning Indigenous style. It offers everything from earrings to jackets and men’s shirts to embroidered tees.
Shop Bedré Chocolate -An Oklahoma-based chocolatier purchased by the Chickasaw Nation in 2000, Bedré Chocolate is a nationally recognized luxury brand that uses recipes the company says “reflect the time-honored tradition of the Native American peoples who first cultivated this divine delicacy.
Shop Thunder Voice Hat Co. Navajo brim hats have been around for generations but they're getting a new lease on life thanks to the Thunder Voice Hat Company. The company hand-sources vintage hats and materials, reshapes, steams, and accessorizes them and then passes them on to a new generation of owners.
Shop Birchbark Books A Minneapolis bookstore with an online presence and an incredible collection of books about Indigenous life, culture, history and art, Birchbark Books is owned and run by a mostly Indigenous staff. The store calls itself “a neighborhood bookstore, and also an international presence,” and notes that it has had visitors from “every U.S. reservation and Canadian reserve.”
Click here to learn more about the rich and diverse culture, traditions, and contributions of Native Americans.