November, the start of many holidays to come, is a month that many people look forward to. Such holidays include Thanksgiving and many people mark it on their calendars to spend with their loved ones.
Even though this month has an important role in this country’s history, some people forget it is also a celebration of indigenous people.
Since November is often remembered as the month in which Thanksgiving is celebrated, many often overlook the importance of Native American Heritage Month.
Because of its challenging position, Native American Heritage Month is not as well-known as other heritage or history months, such as Black History Month and National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Native Americans have suffered from discrimination and been deprived of their culture. Native Americans still face difficulties protecting their often misrepresented history.
This month exists to remind everyone to honor Native American history, culture and achievements.
“I think it’s about celebrating the sacrifices and the contribution of Native American indigenous people to our society,” Sara Kohne, one of the library specialists, said.
This observance and change came from significant efforts of a few Native American people.
Dr. Arthur C. Parker, who was a Seneca Indian, advocated for a national day to honor the “First Americans.” His proposal was a leading voice to make progress for the creation of this national day.
Red Fox James was also an essential person for this movement. He was a Blackfoot Indian who traveled across the country to take the endorsements for their celebration day.
In 1915, he submitted proof of approval from 24 states in the U.S. to the White House to convince them to create the day and expand inclusion to Native Americans.
Later in 1916, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association acknowledged to set aside a day as American Indian Day.
Rev. Sherman Coolidge, the president of this association, issued the second Saturday of each September as American Indian Day.
Following this event, the activities spreaded out all over the country.
The 39th president, Jimmy Carter declared the establishment of “American Indian Week” in October of 1976. The history of the national honor celebration was born in this moment.
In the next breath, the week grew up to be the “American Indian Heritage Month” by a new proclamation of 40th president Ronald Reagan.
To deepen people’s understanding of this heritage month, there are many activities and lessons located in museums, native arts markets and museum tours. Most of the museums and libraries are in New York City or Washington D.C.
However, New York City Public Schools offer vertical show casings, a film and several resources to watch.
The SHS library also offers books that share Native American stories which can be used to sharpen one’s understanding of their culture.
Kohne even began creating Native American Heritage Month displays in order to bring awareness and challenge readers to explore new genres.
The library creates these kinds of displays “to encourage students to read outside of what they normally do and to learn something new,” Kohne said.
