Native American Heritage Month

by Jeff Williams | Adult Services Librarian

A Diné woman in a traditional dress, on the rim of Grand Canyon.
A Diné woman in a traditional dress, on the rim of Grand Canyon. Who were the original caretakers of this land? Indigenous people are the first inhabitants and caretakers of the land that later became the United States of America. Grand Canyon National Park wants the world community to know that native people of this land still exist today, through the 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States. 11 of those tribes call Grand Canyon home: The Havasupai Tribe, Hopi, Hualapai Tribe, Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, Las Vegas Band of Paiutes, Moapa Band of Paiute Indians, Navajo Nation (Diné), Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Yavapai-Apache Nation, and Pueblo of Zuni. The Indigenous people of Grand Canyon have a deep cultural connection to this land. The Indigenous peoples established themselves on this land long ago before it was established as a National Park and have been caretakers from the time immemorial. We would like to honor the past and present Indigenous communities and cultures across the country. They are the first to live in harmony with the environment and have intergenerational and invaluable knowledge of the landscape that can be utilized today to solve problems like land management issues that our federal lands face today. We would also like to thank the indigenous communities that continue to work in partnership with the Grand Canyon on the stewardship of these lands.

November is a month for celebrating Native American Heritage.   

New Haven Free Public Library has created the following annotated list of online resources to recognize this occasion and to provide a starting point for exploration: 

  • The Administration for Native Americans of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services recognizes this month-long celebration here
  • Did you know that there are 574 Native American tribes recognized by the U.S.? If you are looking for stats for school projects, or for your own research for Native American Heritage Month, try the U.S. Census Bureau’s article “Facts for Features: American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month: November 2023” at https://census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2023/aian-month.html 

Image Credits: 

  1. File: Native  American Heritage Month – Flickr - Grand Canyon NPS.jpg by Grand Canyon National Park under Creative Commons License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en