Understanding this Year's Theme - Celebrating Tribal Sovereignty and Identity
Native American Heritage Month occurs in November each year with Native American Heritage Day taking place on November 24, 2023. It is a month honoring and celebrating the traditions, languages, and stories of the Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities. Native American cultures are alive and evolving within cities, rural communities, tribal communities, and nations across the United States (Source: Indian Health Service).
This year’s Native American Heritage Month theme at the Bureau of Indian Affairs is “Celebrating Tribal Sovereignty and Identity.” Tribal sovereignty ensures that any decisions about Tribes with regard to their property and citizens are made with their participation and consent. Furthermore, the National Congress of American Indians defines tribal sovereignty as the ability to govern, protect, and enhance the health, safety, and welfare of tribal citizens within tribal territory.
Learn more about Tribal Sovereignty by watching the What is Tribal Sovereignty video created by the Native Governance Center and the Minnesota Humanities Center.
Educational Resources to Explore this Month and Beyond
Recognize Native American Heritage Month by learning about Native American histories and cultures:
- Read a Native American Novel
- Watch North American based Indigenous Movies
- Learn about the ongoing project, Stolen Relations: Centuries of Native Enslavement in the Americas
- Explore Upcoming Powwows and Virtual Book Discussions at the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness
- Access additional resources through the DEIA Team’s Supporting Indigenous People page.
Upcoming Local Events
54th Annual National Day of Mourning
Thursday, November 23, 12:00 p.m.
Cole's Hill (above Plymouth Rock), Plymouth, MA or Virtual Livestream
Since 1970, Indigenous people & their allies have gathered at noon on Cole's Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the US Thanksgiving holiday. Many Native people do not celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims & other European settlers. Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands and the erasure of Native cultures. Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Indigenous ancestors and Native resilience. Anyone can attend in person or attend via the National Day of Mourning Live Stream.
National Day of Mourning Event Information
Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers Perform at JFK Library
Friday, November 24, 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Smith Center, JFK Presidential Library and Museum
Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers share stories of both their history and modern culture in an educational program that culminates with a full-audience dance in honor of Native American Heritage Month. During this annual program, the whole family can learn new movements and words in this participatory experience.
Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers Event Registration Page
Native Links: The Surprising Connections between Our First Peoples and the Game of Golf
Thursday, November 30, 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Jacob Edwards Library, 236 Main St, Southbridge, MA
Dr. Mark Wagner will consider the philosophies of the earth that Tribal Cultures bring to golf course design, and consider some of the key Native figures in the game, which indisputably begins with Oscar Smith Bunn, who was born about 1875 on the Shinnecock Reservation on Long Island and went on to become a Shinnecock tribal trustee, a Hall of Fame caddie, a professional golfer and teacher, and a woodcarving artist.
Native Links Event Information
Ruth Attean Memorial Pow-wow & Toy Drive
Saturday, December 2, 11:00 a.m.
North Reading Moose Lodge, 140 North St, North Reading, MA
The event will be MC'd by Justin Beatty and host drums will be performed by Split Feather Singers. Special Guest Drums will be provided by Pomham Singers. Doors open at 11:00 with signing starting at 12:00 p.m. and wrapping up at 5:00 p.m. Admission is one unwrapped toy that will be taken to the children of the Penobscot reservation and to Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness.
Communication developed by Jacob Sturtz.