Native American Heritage Month

 November is Native American Heritage Month and it's important to take time to learn, amidst an long history of misinformation and discrimination. I know that what I grew up learning is no longer something I would be comfortable teaching to children.

At work, we're doing a 21-day Indigenous Anti-Racism Challenge. While we can go back and forth about whether we need to have challenges to motivate people towards antiracism goals, I think it's important nonetheless that they exist. I know that they have pushed many people towards learning and knowledge that they wouldn't otherwise have had. So I wanted to share some resources that I've been exposed to this month.

First, the Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian has this fantastic virtual exhibit to see all sorts of interesting artifacts and information. You can find it here.

I also very much enjoyed this podcast from Teaching While White, a podcast dedicated to informing educators. I've listened to some of their other podcasts and they're definitely worth a listen if you're involved with teaching in any way, in schools or out of them.

I also found Remembering the Children to be a powerful reminder of the horrible treatment of Indigenous people in the past.

Lastly, I would like to offer my land acknowledgement (x, x). I used Native Lands to research my local nations here in Utah. There was actually a nation that had been added since I last looked, the Timpanogos nation. As an outdoor enthusiast, I benefit from the ongoing stewardship of the land around me, including by it's original and current caretakers, the native nations of this land. There are many who call my state home, including the Ute, Goshute, Shoshone, and Timpanogos of my area. I acknowledge that, while the idea of land ownership is a white idea, I and my people are not the original inhabitant of this land. The indigenous people of my area are a living nation, with their own cultures and traditions, each valuable. I gratefully acknowledge the native peoples of the land I live on. I understand my ongoing requirement as the descendant of immigrants and colonizers to learn about the genocide and mistreatment of Indigenous peoples, express my gratitude, and inspire action in myself and others.