Native Heritage and History
Student representation
Bellingham Public Schools' students represent over 20 tribal ancestries, including Alaskan Native, Hawaiian Native, Colville, Cowlitz, Jamestown, Lummi, Makah, Nisqually, Nooksack, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Puyallup, Quileute, Quinault, Samish, Sauk-Suiattle, Skokomish, Squaxin Island, Stillaguamish, Suquamish, Swinomish, Tulalip, Upper Skagit, and Yakama.
Orange Shirt Day | Sep. 30
Orange shirt day, September 30th, serves as a conversation about the realities of residential schools and the impacts of cultural genocide on Indigenous peoples. The commemoration honors Indigenous peoples and brings communities together to repair relationships.
It is strongly recommended that staff communicate with families prior to teaching lessons. Editable letter to families.
Indigenous Peoples' Day | Oct. 9
Native American/Indigenous Heritage Month | November
The annual 2024 Native Knowledge 360° Teach-In, hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in collaboration with Teaching for Change, is an opportunity for educators around the world to access classroom resources from NMAI’s online education portal Native Knowledge 360°, the Zinn Education Project, and more. This event will be hosted ONLINE via Zoom.
Teachers select two workshop breakout sessions that include relevant and resource-rich experiences to support effective use of American Indian-focused classroom lessons and resources from Teaching for Change and NMAI. The goal of the Teach-In is to support awareness of the museum’s Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) national education initiative and its classroom lessons to promote improved teaching about American Indian communities. Teachers play a crucial role in advancing the museum’s work to transform popular understandings of Native history, cultures, and contemporary lives.
Native American Perspectives on Thanksgiving
This teaching poster, designed for educators and students grades 4 and up, examines the deeper meaning of the Thanksgiving holiday for Indigenous people through the themes of environment, community, encounters, and innovations. Appropriate for use at any time during the year, the poster includes ideas for classroom activities, as well as compelling information and images that are essential to understanding and teaching about American Indians.
During World War I and World War II, hundreds of American Indians joined the United States armed forces and used words from their traditional Native languages as weapons. The United States military asked them to develop and use secret battle communications based on their languages. Native Words, Native Warriors tells the stories of these military heroes, also known as code talkers.
Grades 6-12 | History, Social Studies | Click the button to explore standards, teacher guide, and student resources.
Treaty Day | Jan. 22
On January 22, 1855, the Treaty of Point Elliott created a Government-to-Government relationship between the United States and several Coast Salish nations. Ratified by the Senate in 1859, the Treaty guaranteed hunting and fishing rights and reservations to all Tribes represented by 82 different tribal leaders, including Lummi Chief Chow-its-hoot.
We are grateful for the reminder to continue learning about treaty rights and tribal sovereignty.
Please view the for learning resources and tribute video created by Children of the Setting Sun Productions.
Billy Frank, Jr. | Mar. 9
We honor the life and legacy of Billy Frank Jr. on March 9. A tireless advocate and activist for treaty rights, his work was acknowledged with a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
Billy Frank Jr. led some of the Northwest's greatest civil rights movements for tribal rights to catch fish and environmental rights for fish to exist. His work laid the foundation for the Timber, Fish and Wildlife (TFW) Policy Committee of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, which brings tribes, foresters, environmentalists and the governments together to ensure our environment is being protected now and well into the future.
Teacher Resources:
- Against the Current
- Billy Frank, Jr. Collection (Seattle Public Schools)
- The Life and Legacy of Billy Frank Jr.
Lesson plans:
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women | May 5
There is widespread anger and sadness in First Nations communities. Sisters, wives, mothers, and daughters are gone from their families without clear answers. There are families whose loved ones are missing—babies growing up without mothers, mothers without daughters, and grandmothers without granddaughters. For Native Americans, this adds one more layer of trauma upon existing wounds that cannot heal. Communities are pleading for justice.
The REDress Project focuses around the issue of missing or murdered Aboriginal women across Canada. It is an installation art project based on an aesthetic response to this critical national issue. The project has been installed in public spaces throughout Canada and the United States as a visual reminder of the staggering number of women who are no longer with us. Through the installation I hope to draw attention to the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes against Aboriginal women and to evoke a presence through the marking of absence.
Click this link to access multiple inquiry questions and interactive resources. Each section includes both teacher and student instructions.