November is Native American & Alaska Native Heritage Month—an opportunity to celebrate and learn about the rich and diverse cultures, languages, and histories of Indigenous peoples across the United States. It is a time to honor Indigenous culture makers, visionaries, activists, and leaders—past and present—while amplifying the contemporary voices of Native Americans and their communities.
Originally conceived of in 1915 as a single day recognition of Native peoples’ contributions to the development of the United states, Dr. Arthur C. Parker—a Seneca Indian and the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, NY—convinced the Boy Scouts of America to host a First Americans Day. This evolved over the course of the 20th century, taking place on different dates in different states and under a variety of names, until 1990 when President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November as National Native American Heritage Month.
This annual occurrence is also a time to acknowledge the losses suffered through disease, warfare, and forced assimilation stemming from the colonization of North America by Europeans. In that same spirit, we acknowledge and honor the Haudenosaunee peoples, specifically the Kanien’keha:ka, or Mohawk tribe, on who’s ancestral land we in the North Country live, and the local communities of Ganienkeh, Akwesasne, Kahnawake, and Kanesatake in both the US and neighboring areas of Canada.
Use the classroom-ready resources, books, and activities below to learn about Native American and Alaska Native histories and cultures, past and present, this November and beyond.
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Learn About Native American History & Culture
Sesame Street: The Clutes | Celebrating Family Stories
Grades PreK-3
The Clutes, a family from the Akwesasne territory in northern New York, welcome us into their home to share the language and traditions of their Mohawk culture and community. Spend time with the Clutes as they celebrate their family story by honoring the beauty of their Indigenous identity as well as explore the honest history of being among the first people in a region now known as New York State.
Molly of Denali collection
Grades K-2
Informational text and Alaska Native culture form the basis of the groundbreaking Molly of Denali series and its educational resources. The Molly of Denali collection on PBS LearningMedia offers videos, digital games, lessons, teaching tips, and activities so that educators can utilize the series in the classroom.
Native American Flags | FIND Iowa
Grades K-5
Many different tribes have inhabited the state of Iowa over time, including the Meskwaki, and some still do. In the Iowa State Capitol visitors can see a display that shines a light on the heritage of Native Iowans: Native American flags. Who are the Native nations in your state — and how are they honored today? Invite students to explore tribal history, cultural contributions, and local recognition with curiosity and respect using this video and activity.
Native America collection
Grades 6-12
Native America reaches back 15,000 years, examining ancient city planning and early systems of science and spirituality and extends to present-day exploration of Indigenous knowledge and language preservation.
Native American Governments and Their Influences on the United States | Simple Civics
Grades 6-12
Learn about the Native American governments that existed in North America long before the first Europeans arrived in this video from Simple Civics. Explore the Iroquois, Muscogee, and Pueblo Nations, who upheld principles—from matriarchal leadership to rights for ex-convicts—for centuries, and learn how the Framers used these ideas when creating the U.S. government.
Native American Leaders & Visionaries
Elizabeth Peratrovich | Molly of Denali
Grades K-2
Elizabeth Peratrovich (Raven of the Lingít Lukaadx̱.ádi Clan) is an important figure in Alaska’s history who helped pass the country’s first Anti-Discrimination Bill in 1945. Learn more about Peratrovich’s story in the Molly of Denali episode “Molly and Elizabeth.”
Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer – Malia Kipp
Grades 6-12
Annually, nearly 5,000 high school girls basketball players earn full-ride Division I scholarships. In 1992, only one was Native American—Blackfeet Nation’s Malia Kipp. Living in two worlds presented challenges, and so did the pressure to succeed as a University of Montana Lady Griz. Through the support of her family and community, she carried the burden with resilience, grace, and grit. Described by her Chief as “a warrior,” she blazed a trail—and heroic legacy—for other Native girls to follow.
Native Americans Who Are Changing the World | Native America
Grades 6-12
Being Native American isn’t something that people can turn on and off — cultural ways, traditional values, and how they interact with the world around them are all factors that impact how they live their lives. In four video clips meet Native people from around the country—like Ruth Buffalo, the first Democratic Native American woman in North Dakota’s state legislature, and Aaron Yazzie, a Navajo engineer helping explore Mars—who are inspirational to their communities and working to make the world a better place.
Civic Leader Lily Painter: Indigenous Literacy | Youth Stand Up
Grades 6-12
Learn how Lily Painter helped raise funds and collect donations to deliver to reservations over 10,000 books by Native American authors that highlight Indigenous people and culture in this original digital video from GBH Education’s Youth Stand Up. Explore what motivated Painter, the obstacles that she faced, how she overcame them, and the lessons that she learned about the importance of civic engagement.
Activities, Books & More
12 Books to Celebrate Native American and Alaska Native Heritage
Grades PreK-5
Reading these books by Native authors is a great way to celebrate Native American and Alaskan Native Heritage Month.
Wood Carving Arts Game | Molly of Denali
Grades K-2
Create beautiful Alaska Native wood carvings with Molly at Mr. Patak’s woodshop! In this digital game, kids can choose between projects like the handle for an ulu knife, whistle, or bowl. Then learn about and use traditional tools to create their wooden artwork.
Design a Poster to Honor the Indigenous Lands You Live On
Grades K-5
Land Acknowledgements have become more widespread in recent years in schools, conferences, and buildings. They are a great way to honor tribes and how they have taken care of the land through the present day. Have you ever wondered about the Indigenous lands you live on? Spend some time as a family discovering the history and culture of the tribes who cultivated the lands you live on and design a poster to honor them.
Lesson Plan: Iroquois or Haudenosaunee? | Native America in Upstate New York
Grades 3-8
In this video, Onondaga storyteller Perry Ground speaks to students at Gowana Middle School in Clifton Park, New York about the introduction of language into meaning and purpose of others’ identities, particularly, the name Iroquois. The people who lived on this land before colonization call themselves the Haudenosaunee. What is in the name, and how can we learn a bit more about a community through the names given to the schools and streets?
An Ancestral Art: Wampum | Spotlight
Grades 3-12
Step into the rich tapestry of Indigenous culture and history by way of an interview with Iroquois artisan, Ken Maracle. Learn about the cultural and historical significance of wampum, a traditional art form of the Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern region of the United States. Wampum bead pieces are used as a memory aid in the retelling of oral traditions, as well as to symbolize one’s social status and formalize cooperative alliances. After watching the video, students can get involved with three hands-on and research based activities: “The Art of Beading”, “The Many Meanings of Wampum” and “Beading Coloring” activity sheets.
Local & Statewide Native American Cultural Organizations
Akwesasne Cultural Center
The Akwesasne Library and Cultural Center is a public library and museum that serves the people of Akwesasne, the surrounding communities and the visiting public by providing access to educational and cultural resources. Located in the heart of Akwesasne, the center provides a positive space for educational purposes and is one of the cultural hubs of the community.
The Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center
The Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center, located in the Northeastern Adirondack Mountains, provides for the viewing of 3000-plus artifacts with an emphasis on the culture of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee): Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora. The museum features story telling lectures and creates educational experiences so that visitors, teachers and students may acquire the knowledge needed to better understand the history, culture, contemporary realities, and the potential futures of Native Nations.
The Seneca Art & Culture Center
The Seneca Art & Culture Center is a year-round interpretive facility at Ganondagan, the original site of a 17th century Seneca town that existed there peacefully more than 350 years ago. The center tells the story of the Seneca and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) contributions to art, culture and society for more than 2,000 years to the present day. Designed to fit into the natural landscape, the center features an interactive, multi-media Exhibit Gallery, including a changing exhibit space, Orientation Theater, auditorium, and gift shop.
The Iroquois Museum
The Iroquois Museum is an educational institution dedicated to fostering understanding of Iroquois culture using Iroquois art as a window to that culture. The Museum is a venue for promoting Iroquois art and artists, and a meeting place for all peoples to celebrate Iroquois culture and diversity. As an anthropological institution, it is informed by research on archaeology, history, and the common creative spirit of modern artists and craftspeople.
The New York State Museum
The New York State Museum, which explores and expresses New York State’s significant natural and cultural diversity, both past and present, features the ongoing exhibition First Peoples. Indigenous people (Native Americans) have lived in what is now New York for at least 13,000 years. Learn about the long and continuous presence of Indigenous people, from the Ice Age to the present through contemporary artwork, dioramas, and archaeology artifacts, as well as a life-size reconstructed longhouse.