Good evening. How are you? As we end this day I wanted to share our series featuring Unique Holidays: November 8th, 2022 with you. Today is Native American Heritage Month. A holiday I believe all children should study in school. What do you think about that?
Native American Heritage Month
Native American Heritage Month is celebrated to honor the remarkable Native Americans who have contributed a lot to improve the character of the Nation. Did you know November is also referred to as the American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.
November is the time to rejoice in diverse and rich cultures, histories, and traditions and to appreciate the great contributions of the Native Americans. November allows us to spread awareness about tribes or to educate people about the various challenges faced by the Native Americans in the past and today. Throughout November, we commit to keep on supporting the remaining Native American tribes and let the world know about their sacrifices.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
National Native American Month started off as an effort to get a day of appreciation and acknowledgment for contributions made by the first Americans for the growth and establishment of the United States. The effort has now resulted in November being celebrated for that purpose.
Dr. Arthur C. Parker was one of the first supporters of having an American Indian Day. Dr. Arthur C. Parker was a Seneca Indian and the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, New York. Dr. Arthur C. Parker was also the one to convince the Boy Scouts of America to create a day for the Native Americans, The Boy Scouts adopted this day for three days.
In 1915, a plan concerning American Indian Day was formally approved in the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting. The president of the American Indian Association, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, called upon the Country to observe this holiday.
The first time American Indian Day was declared was in May 1916. In 1990, a joint resolution was approved by George H.W. Bush, which called for November to be named National American Heritage Month. Declarations like these have been issued since 1994, such as Native American Heritage Month and National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.
Facts about Native American Heritage
- Native American Heritage Month is an excellent way to learn about the history of American Indians. You can teach your children about the Country’s past and how Native Americans have helped America.
- You can visit or take kids to a Museum or virtually visit it to show them artifacts and exhibits of the Native Americans’ jewelry, customs, and culture.
- There are many cultural videos that you can watch on Native culture like “Living Earth Festival”. If you or your kids are interested in learning about the Native American Culture find a documentary or movie about it and watch it.
5 FACTS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE
- Ishi was the last known surviving member of the Native American Yahi tribe.
- The Sequoia Tree is named in the honor of Cherokee leader Sequoyah.
- Although it has been 500 years, Native Americans are still often referred to as Indians.
- ‘Christopher Columbus came up with the word ‘Indian’.
- The names of many U.S. states are derived from Amerindian words, including Connecticut, Kentucky, and Arizona.
WHY NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH IS IMPORTANT
- The Native Americans have been living in America for a very long time. They were not a single Nation but included a variety of cultures, Nations, and languages. Some people believe that they have been living on the Sub-continent for over 30,000 years.
- There are many contributions made by the Native Americans including the discovery of edible Plants, which are widely eaten by people around the world. Native Americans were the first people to raise Turkeys, Guinea Pigs, and Honeybees.
- The government of Native Americans serves as the model of federated representative democracy. The government system of the U.S. is based on the system in which the power is distributed amongst the central authority and smaller political units.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
