People lived in America way before the well-known date of 1492. The history and heritage of Native Americans (also Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians) are connected to all our lives— we should honor the contributions of people who were the first inhabitants of the U.S.

Every November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month, also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. It's a chance to recognize the rich and diverse cultures, traditions and stories and important contributions of Native American people, along with acknowledging the population's hardship and struggles both throughout history and continuing today.

Each day this month there will be a morning announcement related to Native American Heritage.

Tribal lands occupy a huge swath of the U.S.

There are approximately 326 Indian land areas in the U.S. administered as federal Indian reservations, covering more than 56 million acres. Currently, there are 574 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages.

There are over 9 million Native Americans and Native Alaskans living in the United States today. And with over 500 federally recognized tribes, there are hundreds of different cultures that are as unique as the people they represent. From artwork and books and literature, to cuisine and music, there is much to appreciate and learn. About 60 percent of the food that is eaten across the world today was developed or discovered by the American Indians. Their style of “farm to table” is making a resurgence in our society today as well as their simplistic approach to food preparation.

One book recommended to young adults is Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac.

Native Americans were granted citizenship in the 1920's

It wasn’t until 1924 that Native Americans were granted citizenship after Congress enacted the Indian Citizenship Act. While Native Americans were also given the right to vote in 1924, it took another 40 years for all 50 states to allow them voting rights.

The three largest Native American tribal groupings are Cherokee, Navajo and Latin American Indian tribes. The three largest Alaskan Native groupings are Yup’ik, Inupiat, and Tlingit-Haida. Native people have many unique languages. There are approximately 175 Indigenous languages spoken in the United States today.

Native people were forcibly relocated in the early 1800s

In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which empowered the federal government to take Native-held land east of Mississippi and forcibly remove Native people from their homes in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee, sending them to “Indian territory” located in what is now Oklahoma.

FOOTBALL TEAMS ARE CHANGING OFFENSIVE NAMES

In 2020, The Washington Redskins changed their name to The Washington Football team, and then to the Commanders dropping the previous moniker “Redskins,” which is a derogatory term often used for those of Native American descent. The Cleveland Indians followed suit and are now known as the Cleveland Guardians.

Navajo people were crucial during the WWII effort.

During World War II, the United States government enlisted the help of skilled Native Americans, known as code talkers, who used the Navajo language to transmit top-secret information to allied forces. Much of this information was classified until 2002 when congress passed the Code Talkers Recognition Act. Overall, some tribes had as much as 70% participation in the war effort

We owe many things to Native innovation,

Things that we might take for granted, like rubber, corn, kayaks, hammocks, modern-day farming and even mouth wash, all find their roots in Native American design.

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!

Native American tribes have had varied diets that have reflected their local food systems. Many Native American tribes practiced agriculture, domesticating the crops that we eat today. In 2016, it was estimated that as much as 60 percent of the global food supply was based on crops that originated in North America.

The Great Provider: How Bison Were Utilized

For thousands of years, Native Americans hunted bison and relied heavily upon them for their survival. Every part of the bison was used for some purpose; nothing ever went to waste. This mammal not only provided food, but also clothing and shelter. Their bones and horns were also made into tools. For many tribes, the bison was and still is central to their way of life.

We owe the Iroquois our Constitution

It's not just goods that we use every day that we owe to Native innovation. Historians believe that the United States Constitution was modeled after the “The Great Law of Peace” the constitution that governed the Iroquois Confederacy. Benjamin Franklin was said to have studied it in detail as inspiration for the Constitution that we adhere to today.

Giving thanks is a longstanding and central tradition among most Native groups that is still practiced today. The First Thanksgiving is often portrayed as a friendly harvest festival where Pilgrims and generic, nameless "Indians" came together to eat and give thanks. In reality, the assembly of the Wampanoag Peoples and the English settlers in 1621 had much more to do with political alliances, diplomacy, and a pursuit of peace.

• There are 574 sovereign tribal nations that have a formal relationship with the United States government.
• In 2010, there were 334 state-recognized Native American reservations. Indigenous people who live on these reservations are citizens of their tribe, their state, and their country.
• Across 11 states, there are 65 recognized tribes. These states are Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.

Most Native Americans that live in Virginia, live mostly in Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads. Those who live on the reservation belong to the Pamunkey and Mattoponi tribes.

The Pamunkey tribe has just 200 members on its tribal role. Only a small percentage lived on the 1,200-acre reservation in King William County. The 36 families there included 80 people, Nearly 30 are non-native spouses, not entitled to vote on tribal matters.

The only other state-recognized reservation in Virginia is 150 acres owned by the Mattaponi tribe. About 75 of the 450 members of the Mattaponi tribe live there.

Today is the last day of Native American Heritage Month. The announcements you heard are just a peek into the history and contributions of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians to our culture. If your interested in learning more you can check out books from the library or watch documentaries about the first settlers our country.

The Trail of Tears marks important history

The Trail of Tears was part of a series of forced displacements of approximately 60,000 Native Americans between 1830 and 1850. During that time, nearly 4,000 people died of disease, exposure and malnutrition. To recognize and remember their history, you can walk parts of the Trail of Tears in Springfield, Missouri.