November is American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month. All month long, people all over the United States will be celebrating American Indian/Alaska Native cultures and learning more about their history.
For a long time, American Indians and Alaska Natives fought for an official day, week, or month dedicated to their people. In 1914, a Blackfeet Indian named Red Fox James rode his horse across the country to talk to the State governments about a day to honor American Indian/Alaska Native people. Since then, we have had "American Indian Days" and "American Indian/Alaska Native Awareness Weeks," and we even called 1992 the "Year of the American Indian." For the past 9 years, November has been "American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month."
History
A long, long time ago (over 20,000 years ago!), an ice bridge, where Alaska now is, connected Asia and North America. People from Asia walked over and spread out across the area known as the Americas, including Canada, the United States, and Central and South America. Even though American Indian/Alaska Native people originally came from Asia, they are not considered Asian because over thousands and thousands of years, they adapted into an entirely new race.
Who is American Indian/Alaska Native?
About 1 in every 130 people living in the United States today is American Indian/Alaska Native. They make up 2.4 million people, but in 50 years, there will probably be about 5 million American Indian/Alaska Native people living in the United States.
American Indian/Alaska Native people are not all the same. Over 100 American Indian/Alaska Native tribes exist today, including Cherokee, Chickasaw, Lakota, Navaho, Pueblo, and Sioux. Most tribes have their own languages; some of them have several. Today, about 150 American Indian/Alaska Native languages are spoken, but many of them are dying fast. Most of them have less than 100 speakers and they are no longer being taught to the younger generations.
American Indian/Alaska Native cultures are very rich and colorful. Their cultures have beautiful handmade pottery, sculpture, jewelry, and clothing that represent the patterns and rich colors of their tribes. Storytelling, which is a fun way to pass down folklore and history from one generation to the next, is an important part of American Indian/Alaska Native culture.
Find out what American Indian/Alaska Native tribes come from your State by checking this map. To see a larger version of the map click here.
Did you know that…
- lacrosse was originally an American Indian/Alaska Native game?
- an American Indian/Alaska Native language is the official language of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru, in addition to Spanish?
- the names of 26 States came from American Indian/Alaska Native words? Those States are:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Connecticut
Idaho
Illinois
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
New Mexico
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Food
Did you know that these foods are of American Indian/Alaska Native origin?
| Pumpkins | Peanuts |
| Tomato Soup | Cranberry Sauce |
| Sweet Potatoes | Maple Syrup |
| White Potatoes | Hot Chocolate |
| Turkey |
