» Global Engagement » Heritage Month
In 1990, Congress passed Pub. L. No. 101-343 authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating November 1990 as National American Indian Heritage Month. Congress chose the month of November to recognize the American Indians, as this month concluded the traditional harvest season and was a time of thanksgiving and celebration for American Indians. Native American and American Indian are terms used to refer to individuals living within what is now the United States before European contact. American Indian has a specific legal context because the branch of law, Federal Indian Law, uses this terminology—however, the term Indigenous has been used to identify people in recent years. Indigenous refers to those peoples with pre-existing sovereignty who were living together as a community before contact with settler populations.
Northwest Land Acknowledgement
Set in 1920s Oklahoma, it focuses on a series of murders of Osage members and relations in the Osage Nation after oil was discovered on tribal land. The tribal members had retained mineral rights on their reservation, but a corrupt local political boss sought to steal the wealth.
November 14Eric Michael Hernandez is a Native American hoop dancer affiliated with the Lumbee Tribe.
He performed as the lead character/dancer in Cirque du Soleil’s production of TOTEM, which toured over 17 countries. After eight years of touring, he continues to share, educate, inspire, heal, and entertain through the mesmerizing Hoop Dance.
Dream Catchers is one of the most enduring and widespread symbols associated with Native or Indigenous culture. It’s commonly believed that the iconic hoop-and-web form is meant to protect sleepers from bad dreams by “catching” them while letting good dreams pass through, hence the name. Join ODI to make your dream catcher on this activity night.
