The month of November is officially designated as National Native American Heritage Month, and we also celebrate November 24, 2023, as Native American Heritage Day.
National Native American Heritage Month celebrates the traditions, languages, and stories of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Hawaii Natives, and Puerto Rico Natives, including their important contributions to our country’s past, present, and future. Each November and year-round, the American Alliance of Museums joins other cultural organizations across the country in urging all to honor and recognize the rich history, diverse cultures, and invaluable contributions of Native Americans to our nation’s heritage. You may be inspired to offer or create programming, educational resources, or performances; to uplift stories or objects from your collections; or share narratives exploring how Indigenous knowledge has contributed to the United States.
Explore related resources from AAM:
New: The Next Horizon of Museum Practice: Voluntary Repatriation, Restitution, and Reparations
New: Standards for Museums with Native American Collections (SMNAC)
- Learn about this new resource in the joint press release.
Resources on:
Articles and stories from across the museum field:
A Journey of Healing: Creating Co-Stewardship with Tribal Communities, by Caitlin Dichter and Nicole Armstrong-Best, S’eḏav Va’aki Museum
Taking Native Lands and Lives, by Christine Lashaw, Oakland Museum of California
Native Eyes: Honoring the Power of Museum and Community Partnership, by Lisa Falk and Jennifer Juan, excerpted from Journal of Folklore and Education, Vol. 3, “Intersections: Folklore and Museum Education.”
Confronting a Painful History: How a museum partnered with its Native community to educate the public about an offensive place name, by Michelle Graves, Black Rock Historical Society
Chris Newell: First Wabanaki Leader of the Abbe Museum, adapted with permission from a longer podcast discussion between Ian Elsner, host of podcast Museum Archipelago, and Chris Newell, the first member of the Wabanaki Nations to lead the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Decolonizing Museum Collections: A Conversation between Colleagues in the Field – On-Demand Program in the AAM Member Resource Library
“The Indigenous Museum Model” in Museum magazine
“Native Resilience” in Museum magazine
“The National Museum of the American Indian-New York is Changing the Narrative” in Museum magazine
“Hiding In Plain Sight: An exhibition showcasing America’s obsession with Native American iconography aims to start a new conversation” in Museum magazine
“How can museums support Native-led climate justice initiatives?” in Museum magazine
“The Hand of Native American Women, Visible at Last” from the New York Times
“As Native Americans, We Are in a Constant State of Mourning” from the New York Times
“Apsáalooke exhibition at Field Museum avoids stereotypes, shows ‘Native Americans are still here.’” from the Chicago Sun-Times
Additional resources from:
American Association for State and Local History:
Decolonization And The Road To Indigenization Resource Kit
Interpreting Native American History and Culture at Museums and Historic Sites, published by Rowman & Littlefield
Learning Course: Introduction to Indigenous History
Library of Congress:
Free to Use and Reuse: Native American Heritage Month
National Archives:
Native American History has research resources, step-by-step guides for locating important Native American records, access to an online community related to research, and additional resources.
National Park Service:
Native American Heritage Month – NPS Commemorations and Celebrations (U.S. National Park Service)
National Endowment for the Arts:
Celebrate National Native American Heritage Month!
American Artscape, 2022 No. 1, titled “Contemporary Culture: Equity and Access in the Arts for Native American Communities”
National Endowment for the Humanities:
The NEH’s EDSITEment initiative has a guide American Indian History and Heritage providing guiding questions, topics, plans, and resources for educators, and additional resources.
Smithsonian Education:
Native American Heritage Month has museum events, resources for teachers and educators, podcast episodes, and featured exhibitions
Inspiration for how you or your museum might get involved:
Get inspiration from other museums in November or throughout the year:
- The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) offers films from Native filmmakers, guided tours throughout the month, tribal song performances in the museum, and more. On Native American Heritage Day, First Nations dancers will offer free performances in the museum. The museum hosts a ceremony at its Native American Veterans Memorial for Veteran’s Day.
- The National Gallery of Art is exhibiting the work of dozens of Native artists, hosting guided tours, screening films from Indigenous filmmakers, and offering virtual workshops hosted by Native artists. Consider how to tie programming into exhibits or collections on a scale that works for you, across event types and mediums.
- As part of a month-long celebration, the Field Museum in Chicago offers traditional Native American dance and song performances alongside a special tasting menu by Chef Walks First (Menominee) and Ketapanen Kitchen, which will be offered free for guests.
- The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston, Illinois hosted an annual benefit featuring retired U.S. Navy Commander and NASA astronaut John B. Herrington (Chickasaw Nation) as the guest of honor.
- The Burke Museum‘s project, On Our Terms, is a storytelling video project in which twelve staff members share their unique perspectives to explain what commonly used DEAI terms like decolonization, consultation, and healing mean in their lives, and the project invites viewers to reflect on their own definitions.
Consider doing a deep dive into an untold or complex story. The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture created an exhibition of photography, “Will Wilson: In Conversation,” that pairs historic photographs with contemporary photographs by Indigenous photographer, Will Wilson.
Consider how you can shine light on the stories of Native Americans being the first in their professions and crafts, such as the National Women’s History Museum honoring Maria Tallchief, America’s first Native American prima ballerina (who is also honored with a new quarter from the United States Mint). A live dance and commemoration of Maria Tallchief was performed at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Get informed about and share the data, and consider embedding relevant citations into your materials, from this page from the Census Bureau: Facts for Features: American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month: November 2023.
Did your museum honor or celebrate Native American heritage in November, or any time of year?
Consider sharing with the field by pitching an idea about your museum’s work with your community, how your museum worked internally on the initiative or program, or another relevant angle for museum professionals. We are always looking for posts that empower museum professionals to do their best work; speak to a wide breadth of museum types, sizes, and disciplines; and reveal new, surprising ideas and connections. Read the Editorial Guidelines and make your pitch.