November is Native American Heritage Month
The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans.
Circle of Dance
Circle of Dance is a five-year exhibition that presents Native dance as a vibrant, meaningful, and diverse form of cultural expression. Featuring ten social and ceremonial dances from throughout the Americas, the exhibition illuminates the significance of each dance and highlights the unique characteristics of its movements and music.
The Bandelier National Monument Collections
These collections include objects made by Ancestral Pueblo people over 400 years ago and neighboring modern Pueblo peoples; paintings by Pablita Velarde and Helmut Naumer Sr.; and Civilian Conservation Corps tinware and woodwork made in the 1930s.
National Park Service Travel Itineraries
These web sites are part of a series of travel itineraries that explore our country's past through visiting places listed in the National Register of Historic Places which reflect major aspects of American history and the Native American experience.
Overview: Places Reflecting America's Diverse Cultures
Travel Itinerary on American Southwest
Native American Veterans
American Indians have eagerly served a government which did not always keep its word to their ancestors. They have volunteered to serve in conflicts from World War II to Iraq. Few encountered any overt prejudice while in uniform, but for all American Indian veterans, the honor of defending their country overrode all other considerations.
For Teachers
Put the power of primary sources to work in the classroom. Browse lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids from the nation’s premier cultural heritage preservation institutions.
Event Highlights
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November 3-5, 2012
Chikasha Poya: We Are Chickasaw -- Weekend Festival
The Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma celebrates its tribal heritage and history with three days of food; hands-on activities and performances, including dancing, singing, flute playing, storytelling; and such other cultural arts as beading, woodwork, pottery and weaving.
(National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC) -
November 9, 2012
Native Pride Dancers
Enhanced by indigenous vocal and flute music, Buffalo, Eagle, Round, and other dances celebrate various animals, crops, the sun, and the wind.
(National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC) -
November 13, 20 & 27, 2012
Regalia Making Demonstration with Cody Harjo (Seminole/Otoe)
Meet artist Cody Harjo and watch her demonstrate regalia making.
(American Indian Museum Heye Center, Smithsonian Institution, New York, NY) -
November 28, 2012
Native American Courting Flutes
Lecture and Demonstration
(Library of Congress) -
November 29, 2012
Native American Featured Event: "Native by Native"
(Library of Congress) -
View More Events at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian