Native American & Indigenous Peoples’ Month

Native American & Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month 

In November, Native American Heritage Month celebrates the long history of Indigenous people and communities. During this month, we acknowledge the rich culture, unique traditions, and ongoing contributions of Native Americans. As we move along our year, we frequently call out months of recognition, but the true impact of these recognition months is decided by you. The way you approach the month will determine if you grow in your work to understand why we recognize them. I am asking you to use this month to stretch and grow. Congress has established the month through a proclamation that refers to Native American Heritage Month. I’ll use the descriptor Native Americans frequently in this email, but I would like to acknowledge that there are many other descriptors used to describe a diverse group of people. Frequently the right or wrong descriptor can guide our assumptions and impressions. I commit to continuing to listen and learn in order to seek the right language.

National impacts: The First People of this Nation have contributed to our past, our present, and our future in many ways. Here are some suggested resources:

• Review national events happening this month at: https://www.si.edu/events/native-american-heritage-month.
• Visit the Native American Heritage Month Website for a collection of exhibits, collections, images, and resources at https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov.
• State impacts: California’s Native American Heritage Commission provides many resources to help you understand the land we use and the people who came before us by identifying, cataloging, and protecting cultural resources.
• The organization provides a short overview of California Indian History here: http://nahc.ca.gov/resources/california-indian-history/.
• • Learn more about the Nisenan here https://www.nisenan.org/
  • Learn about the Nevada City Rancheria here http://www.nevadacityrancheria.org/Local impacts: The land we inhabit as a college belonged to the Nisenan. They continue to contribute to the area we live in by investing in safety, education, and other public programs.

Celebrate with us by adding our Zoom background during your meetings between November 1 through November 30 Native American & Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month Zoom Background

Recommended Films/Documentaries by Yuba College (available now on YC Kanopy)

• What Was Ours
• The thick dark Fog: Reclaiming Native American Identity  
• Who controls the land: Bear Ears National Monument and the fight for Native American equality
• Moccasins and Microphones: Modern Native Storytelling through performance poetry  

Recommended Books by Yuba College (available for check-out at YC Marysville Library)

• “An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States” by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
• “The Other Slavery: the Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America” by Andres Resendez
• “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer  
• “There There” by Tommy Orange

Basic Needs Center: Providing some Family Meal options with recipes and ingredients and spices with a Native American touch, in celebration of Native American & Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month.  More information coming soon!

Printable November Activities

Activities coordinated through the Identity and Engagement Center planned with Kelly Boren, Ruth Catalan, Crystal Garcia, Chrystal Gillming, and Anabel Toche