Native American Heritage Month, or National American Indian Heritage Month, takes place every November. Major organizations from around the country, including The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and the United States Holocaust Museum all join together in acknowledging and celebrating the rich and multitudinous cultural identities and traditions of American Indians.
Last year, the National Gallery of Art partnered with the wonderful artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation) to curate an exhibit of 50 Native artists called The Land Carries Our Ancestors. The artwork is stunning and varied, from paintings to beadwork to photography to videography, and you can view interviews with the artists and more online at the National Gallery of Art’s website.
“I am honored to share these powerful works that demonstrate the vital, ongoing contributions of Native artists,” said Quick-to-See Smith. “‘Breaking the Buckskin Ceiling’ is not a smooth transition, but the National Gallery of Art is engaged with making change in their system of collecting art as well as demonstrating their ability to be more inclusive in their exhibitions. The Land Carries Our Ancestors is an example of more parity in their exhibition schedule, and we are very pleased to be a party of this change.”
This year, The Smithsonian is hosting various events for the month that can also be viewed online, including a Teaching for Change event, “Native Knowledge 306 Degree Teach-In” and a “Native Cinema Showcase.” The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is led by Director Cynthia Chavez Lamar (San Felipe Tribe), and is dedicated to, “Equity and social justice for the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere through education, inspiration, and empowerment.”
And if you want to travel and get outdoors this fall, check out the National Park’s events happening at The Grand Canyon, including a “rock your mocs” week at the National Parks (note the adorable picture book titled Rock Your Mocs, shared below).
On November 2nd, there is a Native Arts Market hosted at River Park Square in downtown Spokane from 10am to 6pm. You can find more details here.
On November 8th, you can head to the Spokane Tribe Resort and Casino to see lauded Native comedians perform, including Mylo Smith (Crow Creek-Dakota), Vaughn Eaglebear (Lakota Sioux Colville), Marc Yaffee (Navajo), and Howie Miller (Cree Nation). More details here.
And here, too, are recently published books for all ages by Native authors, editors, and illustrators, all available for checkout in the Spokane Public Library collection. This month and always: Share, uplift, and celebrate Native stories.
Picture Books and Middle Grade
Rock Your Mocs by Laurel Goodluck, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight
What Your Ribbon Skirt Means to Me: Deb Haaland’s Historic Inauguration by Alexis Bunten and illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
On A Wing and a Tear by Cunthia Leitich Smith
Buffalo Dreamer by Violet Duncan
We Still Belong by Christine Day
Teen
This Indian Kid: A Native American Memoir by Eddie Chuculate
Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline
Adults
Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha taqwšeblu LaPointe
I Sing the Salmon Home: Poems from Washington State, edited by Rena Priest
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea: A Novel by Debra Magpie Earling
Native Nations: A Millennium in North America by Kathleen Duval
Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America by Matika Wilbur
My Life: Growing Up Native in America, edited by IllumiNative, with an introduction by Crystal Echo Hawk
Indigenous Firsts: A History of Native American Achievements and Events by Yvonne Wakim Dennis, Arlene Hirschfelder, and Paulette F. Molin
By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land by Rebecca Nagle
The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
