November is Native American Heritage Month

Here at the Smithsonian we will have a number of events to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush declared the month of November National American Indian Heritage Month, which thereafter came to be referred to as Native American Heritage Month. The month serves as a time to pay tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans.  So please join the Smithsonian and its National Museum of the American Indian in celebrating the culture, traditions, music, arts, dance, and ways of life of Native Americans with these events throughout the month of November. The following slideshow illustrates just a small portion of Native American related material held at the Smithsonian.

Previous Pause Next

1 of 12

Chief Joseph, by Edward Curtis, 1903 (printed 1980), orotone, National Portrait Gallery, NPG 80.325.

Kicking Bird, by William Stinson Soule, c. 1870, albumen silver print, National Portrait Gallery, NPG.95.372.

Unidentified woman, a resident of the village of Angoon, preparing sockeye salmon in the traditional manner, Larry McNeil, Tlingit/Nisga'a (Niska), c. 1984, Kodachrome, National Museum of the American Indian, P26515.

"Ten Little Choctaw Indians," c. 1960, postcard, National Museum of the American Indian, P19474.

"Jingle Dress Dancer," by Tom Jones, Ho Chunk (Winnebago), 1999, silver gelatin print, National Museum of the American Indian, P28508.

"James Hill," by Tom Jones, Ho Chunk (Winnebago), 2001, silver gelatin print, National Museum of the American Indian, P28511.

Indians of San Blas, Panama, by Carl Folke Sahlin, before 1963, oil on canvas mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1963.7.8

Yeibichai Dancers with Medicine Man and Patient, by Tom Yazzie, c. 1991-1992, oil carved and painted cottonwood, sand, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1997.124.103A-Q

Seal of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, 2002-2003, paper and ink, National Museum of the American Indian, 26/1644

Denver March Powwow souvenirs, c. 2001, metal, plastic, mirror, nylon cord, National Museum of the American Indian, 26/3021

Quilt with Denver March Powwow logo design, 2001-2002, cotton cloth, National Museum of the American Indian, 25/9621

"Reverie," by Allan Houser, 1981, bronze sculpture, National Museum of the American Indian, 25/7238

Related Resources

• National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution
• Native American Heritage Month at the Smithsonian