Between Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage and Month, November is go-time for teaching and learning about Native America. Here, parent and museum educator Renée Gokey shares simple ways to make the responsibility less daunting. In addition to briefly describing strategies for learners K–12, Renée links to teaching resources from the museum and other organizations. And she notes that students can use Thanksgiving and their new tools for thinking about culture to learn and share more about their own family’s history and traditions.
The museum mourns the passing December 21 of Hank Adams (Assiniboine–Sioux, 1943–2020). Born on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana and raised in Taholah, on the Quinault Reservation in Washington State, Adams is best known for his lifelong work to secure Native treaty rights, especially Northwest Coast tribes’ treaty rights to fish their accustomed rivers and grounds. The writer Vine Deloria Jr. (Standing Rock Sioux, 1933–2005) called Adams “the most important Indian” of the second half of the 20th century and predicted that historians would recognize his contributions to the struggle for Indigenous rights.
For the last few years, Native friends have shared their Christmas plans and traditions with Smithsonian Voices. This extraordinary year, we asked how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting people’s families and communities. The introduction of Christianity to the Americas can be controversial in Native circles. Europeans knowingly replaced Native people’s existing spiritual beliefs with the beliefs taught in the Bible. Cruelty and brutality often accompanied this indoctrination. Yet it is also true that some tribes, families, and individuals embraced the Bible and Jesus’ teachings. This complicated history is reflected here, as well.
What can one day tell us? This Friday, December 11, 2020, ten Smithsonian museums and cultural centers are taking a snapshot of this extraordinary year, offering a moment for reflection and sharing perspectives. Join us in this effort to document a day in the life of our nation and the world—a chance to consider together where we’ve been and where we’re going. In addition to collecting individuals’ and families’ stories—with the assistance of wide-ranging questions as prompts—the ten museums and centers present a series of free, virtual programs sharing different perspectives on the issues that have shaped this year. See https://24hours.si.edu/ for the schedule and to register for some of the programs.
To the original peoples of this continent, each day is a day to give thanks to the Creator. Thanksgiving ceremonies have always taken place whenever Native people have gathered, and food and feasts often serve as a focal point. For our national Thanksgiving, we've asked Native chefs Javier Kaulaity, Clayton Jones, Justin Pioche, Elena Terry, Brian Pekah, Monie Horsechief, and Anthony Warrior to share recipes inspired by Native American foods and techniques. Our hope during this unusual year is to bring something meaningful and new to your holiday.
For the last 20 years, the National Museum of the American Indian's annual film festival has provided a venue for Native filmmakers who are telling their own stories in their own voices and using the medium as a catalyst for change. This year, from November 18 through 27, the museum presents Native Cinema Showcase entirely online, with many of the selections available to viewers around the world. Here, the museum’s New York film programmer highlights showcase films for every audience.
Join us to celebrate the Day of the Dead virtually with cultural and environmental presentations, music, and art online. Share memories of your loved ones on the museum's Facebook page. The roots of el Día de los Muertos are millennia-deep in Indigenous Mexico. Today, the holiday is celebrated in cities and towns throughout the United States and, increasingly, around the world. In addition to giving an overview of the observance and a look at the virtual programs being offered by the museum this weekend, Dennis Zotigh provides links to online resources, including family activities and good books for young readers.
Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! On Monday, more states, cities, and communities than ever will observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day in place of or in addition to Columbus Day. They’re part of a larger movement to see a more complete and accurate history of the United States taught in our schools and public spaces. Given research showing that the majority of state and local curriculum standards end their study of Native American history before 1900, the importance of celebrating the survival and contemporary experience of Native peoples has never been clearer.
On Monday, October 12, 14 states and the District of Columbia, more than 130 cities, and growing numbers of schools will observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day. If you and the young people in your life are looking for ways to honor and celebrate Native America at home, the teacher services coordinator at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., has ideas—from research resources for making your garden a native ecosystem, to good books for readers of all ages, to online programs where Native guests discuss issues of importance to us all.
National Veterans of Foreign Wars Day, September 29, acknowledges the men and women who have served honorably in the U.S. military overseas in war or other imminent danger. The VFW traces its roots to the late 19th century and efforts to secure rights and benefits for veterans of the Spanish–American and Philippine–American wars. Its establishment, however, dates to 1914. A few years later, the participation of American Indians in the U.S. military during World War I helped bring down the last obstacles to their recognition as American citizens. Here, the museum looks at the mission and vision of the VFW and Native Americans' extraordinary record of service in combat.
Capt. Cody Ayon (Tsistsistas [Southern Cheyenne]) enlisted in both the U.S. Navy and the New Mexico Army National Guard. In this interview, he describes his reasons for joining the military, including family and tribal traditions and his wish to know people and cultures around the world. He retired in 2016 after 24 years of service, including a tour of duty in Iraq during the Iraq War. Looking forward to the completion of the National Native American Veterans Memorial this fall, Capt. Ayon says, “I believe this memorial will serve as reminder and a beacon, not only to Natives but to all who see it, that we are still here, we are still keeping our way of life alive, and our warrior traditions are not forgotten. Even after facing atrocities at the hands of our government earlier in the country’s history, we still stand as the keepers of our homeland.”
On National Park Service Founders Day, the museum looks at the changing relationship between Native Americans and the National Park Service through the eyes of three Native rangers and interpreters: “I think Native interpreters steeped in their own tribal cultures are inclined to go the extra mile to educate the public about other vantage points of an historical event or issue,” writes Roger Amerman (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma). “I worked extremely hard to tell a complicated story. Even when I was off the clock, I was still thinking of how to add to the story of my park.”
As families across the United States begin the new school year amid the coronavirus pandemic, Native people face steeper obstacles than many other Americans. The eight U.S. counties with the largest Native populations have nearly double the national average of confirmed cases of Covid-19, and Native Americans have the highest hospitalization rate of any ethnic group in the country. Many Native families live in multigenerational households or in isolated areas with limited access to public services or the Internet. Many students attend Bureau of Indian Affairs schools administered by the federal government. With all this in mind, the museum asked Native students, teachers, parents, and school administrators across Indian Country to share their concerns about returning to school right now.
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![“Hogan in the Snow,” ca. 1985. Painted by Robert Draper (Diné [Navajo], 1938–2000). Chinle, Navajo Nation, Arizona. 26/6481 (National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian)](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/l78LZ72SgUz1a2bWjV4b8nlUBiY=/150x150/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/Robert_Draper_Hogan_in_the_Snow_26-6481.jpg)
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![Percy Sandy (A:shiwi [Zuni], 1918–1974).](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/wVwSoCE0N_OjejRaIPVDURx0bAg=/150x150/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/Percy_Sandy_Blue_and_White_Corn_Grinding_23-3320.jpg)
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![Cody Ayon (Tsistsistas [Southern Cheyenne]) enlisted in both the U.S. Navy and the New Mexico Army National Guard. The Native community of Albuquerque welcomed then-Lieutenant Ayon home with a Soldier Dance after his service during the Iraq War. (Steven Clevenger [Osage], courtesy of Cody Ayon)](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/kgUu4eGyUlEs3vdLKw5yGToVQbk=/150x150/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/Cody_Ayon_ceremony.jpg)
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