Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month November 2022

Paying tribute to Native Americans of the local community in a celebration of history and culture and in recognition of the community’s struggle for inclusion and equity. Acknowledging that we are here as guests of the indigenous peoples who are the traditional land caretakers.

FEATURED EVENT

Saging the World: Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion

Glendale Central Library Auditorium
Saturday, November 19, 2022
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Sage smudging has become a viral trend. What’s the truth behind the smoke? Join us for a short documentary and discussion on the impact of sage poaching to Indigenous communities and the environment. 

A talk with Rose Ramirez from California State University at San Marcos and an educator of Chumash decent will take place following the screening.

  • “Saging” has become common in movies, TV shows, social media, and cleansing rituals–people burning sage bundles in the hope of purifying space and clearing bad energy. Instead of healing, the appropriated use of saging in popular culture is having a harmful effect. 

    Indigenous communities have tended a relationship with white sage for thousands of generations. White sage (Salvia apiana) only occurs in southern California and northern Baja California, Mexico. Today, poachers are stealing metric tons of this plant from the wild to supply international demand. Saging the World spotlights the ecological and cultural issues intertwined with white sage, centering the voices of Native advocates who have long protected and cherished this plant. 

    The short documentary was produced by Rose Ramirez, Deborah Small, and the California Native Plant Society to foster awareness and inspire action for white sage. For more information on the film and ways to support white sage, visit cnps.org/sagingtheworld 

READING CHALLENGE

NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
READING CHALLENGE

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month by honoring diverse voices, unique perspectives, and rich cultural traditions. Check out our curated reading lists below and reading challenge.

BOOK LISTS

Be The Change by exploring these booklists about the Native American community:

ADULT BOOKLISTS

RESOURCES

LOCAL RESOURCES

Be The Change by exploring these online resources about Indigenous LA: 

  • Short Overview of California Indian History - Written by Professor Edward D. Castillo, Cahuilla-Luiseno, for the California Native American Heritage Commission.  

  • LA Times’ Interactive Map of Past Tongva Villages in the LA Area  

  • UCLA Mapping Indigenous LA 

  • The Autry Museum - The Autry is a museum dedicated to bringing together the stories of all peoples of the American West, connecting the past with the present to inspire our shared future. The museum presents a wide range of exhibitions and public programs, including lectures, film, theater, festivals, family events, and music, and performs scholarship, research, and educational outreach. 

  • Pukúu, Cultural Community Services – Native American non-profit organization. There are many ways you can keep up to date with the work of Pukúu, Cultural Community Services. All our reports, publications, news and press releases are published on the website, and if you would like to be in the loop with our more regular day-to-day activity you can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram containing a roundup of all our latest news and activity. 

  • Haramokngna American Indian Cultural Center. Haramokngna sits on Red Box Saddle in the Angeles National Forest. It sits in the middle of the Gabrielino National Recreation Trail, historically named for the Native populations who were relocated to the San Gabriel Mission. 

  • Cal Indian Legal Services – California Indian Legal Services. Preserved rights, defended sovereignty, guarded Indian families, fostered awareness, protected tribes 

  • Red Circle Project - The Red Circle Project at APLA Health & Wellness is the only HIV Prevention Program targeting American Indians/Alaska Natives in Los Angeles County. 

  • California Native Vote Project -CNVP is the first-of-its-kind statewide effort to engage Native American communities across dozens of counties to build political power through an integrated voter engagement strategy. 

  • American Indian Chamber of Commerce of California -  Our mission is to provide Opportunities for networking and support of American Indian business people in California.  To Provide a mentor's environment for those individuals beginning new endeavors and establish a vehicle for education, networking and growth opportunities 

  • Indian Health Service - California Health Programs | Health Programs - The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The provision of health services to members of federally-recognized Tribes grew out of the special government-to-government relationship between the federal government and Indian Tribes. 

  • Southern California Agency | Indian Affairs - Native Americans in the United States - The Southern California Agency is the primary operating level that provides and coordinates the delivery of Bureau of Indian Affairs programs services within a 4 county area of Southern California. 

  • Tribal TANF - California Department of Social Services - California Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program. The California Tribal TANF Program’s core purpose is to assist the Indian Tribes of California by providing the funding, tools, and resources necessary for each Tribe or Consortium to administer its own Tribal TANF Program. 

LOCAL NATIVE FOOD

  • Auntie’s Fry Bread - Auntie’s Fry Bread traces back more than 20 years to Little Big Horn Days in Hardin, Montana.  The Koyama family, Japanese Farmers who have lived in the area for over 60 years, came up with their own version of fry bread tacos, based on recipes learned from our friends and neighbors in the Crow Community. 

  • Panxa Cocina - For Chef Arthur Gonzalez of Panxa Cocina in Long Beach, California, opening up a restaurant that paid homage to Southwestern flavors was a genuine need, as his time in New Mexico along with pride in his Mexican roots were the major driving factors behind it. 

  • The Green Chile Restaurant -When you visit The Green Chile Restaurant, you’ll find authentic New Mexico style food made to order. With over 30 years of experience, The Green Chile prides themselves on offering New Mexico style home cooking. 

 

GENERAL RESOURCES

Be The Change by exploring these online resources about the Native American community: 

  • Wisdom of the Elders -  Wisdom records, preserves, and shares oral history, cultural arts, language concepts, and traditional ecological knowledge of exemplary Native American elders, storytellers, and scientists in collaboration with diverse institutions, agencies and organizations.   

  • Vision Maker Media - empowers and engages Native people to share stories. We envision a world changed and healed by understanding Native stories and the public conversations they generate.  

  • Indigenous material at the American Philosophical Society - This guide provides broad coverage of the Native American and Indigenous archival collections at the Library & Museum of the American Philosophical Society (APS). These materials date from 1553 to 2019 and include manuscript, audio, and visual materials relating to Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas.  

  • Native Land App - Native Land Digital, an Indigenous-led nonprofit based in Canada, created a map where users can click on labels across the Americas and around other parts of the globe — or type a specific city, state or zip code into the search box — to see which Indigenous tribes lived where. 

  • PBS Native American Heritage Month - Celebrate the history, culture, and traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives in a special collection of films, short stories, and resources from Public Television.  

  • National Park Service : Native American Heritage  

  • Native American Heritage Month -  Library of Congress website includes the history of the establishment of Native American Heritage Month.  

  • Census Facts - Native American Heritage Month 2018 – the first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. Red Fox James, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, rode horseback from state to state to get endorsements from 24 state governments to have a day to honor American Indians.  

  • National Museum of the American Indian – Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) cares for one the world’s largest collection of Native artifacts. NMAI operates 3 facilities and a large outreach department that includes websites, traveling exhibitions, and community programs.  

  • Native Knowledge 360° - For teachers and students, Native Knowledge 360° incorporate Native perspectives on Native American history and cultures.  

  • UAII Workforce Development - They provide career counseling, employment assistance, and professional development opportunities for Native Americans living in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. 

  • The Tribal Court Clearinghouse is a comprehensive website established in June 1997 to serve as a resource for American Indian and Alaska Native Nations, American Indian and Alaska Native people, tribal justice systems, victims services providers, tribal service providers, and others involved in the improvement of justice in Indian country 

  • The Native American Studies Department, UC Davis - Native American Studies at UC Davis had offered a hemispheric approach to the study of indigenous peoples of the Americas 

  • American Indian Studies | California State University, Northridge -The American Indian Studies Program recognizes and acknowledges the Sesevitam, the first people of this ancestral and unceded territory of Sesevenga that is now occupied by our institution; and it honors their elders, past and present, and the Sesevitam descendants who are citizens of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians. 

  • UCLA American Indian Studies Center – Inspire with Knowledge-The core objectives of the American Indian Studies Center (AISC) are tofacilitate and disseminate research about indigenous peoples; strengthen graduate and undergraduate education; seek extramural funds to support student and faculty research; and carry out university and public service programs related to the Center’s mission. 

  • The American Indian Research Program (AIRP), based at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, was among the first health policy research programs in the nation to address these issues. Established in 1998, the program draws upon Center expertise and partnership with other researchers and community groups 

  • Walking Shield | Serving American Indian Families -Walking Shield’s mission is to improve the quality of life for American Indian families by coordinating programs that provide shelter, healthcare, community development support, educational assistance, employment development, and humanitarian aid. 

  • Native American Veterans Association (NAVA) serves and honors men and women who have served active duty and their families. We aid in their transition from a warrior’s journey to civilian life through readjustment assistance, strengthening family ties, links to mental health and wellness services, and career and educational training. 

  • American Indian Airwaves - KPFK 90.7 FM - KPFK is a progressive media outlet challenging corporate media perspectives and providing a voice to voiceless communities. Help keep KPFK a strong and independent source of music, arts, news and information. 

  • Pow Wow Calendars - The Pow Wow Calendar from PowWows.com features hundreds of Native American Pow Wow listing from across North America. Find Pow Wows near you, browse for upcoming events, or add your event to our calendar! 

 

Click here for more information about the Be The Change Series.