November is N ati ve American Heritage M onth

November is Native American Heritage Month, or as it is commonly referred to, American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. The month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. Heritage Month is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.

History of Native American Heritage Month The history of Native American Heritage Month goes back a surprisingly long time, even without considering the hundreds of years that Europeans have imposed themselves on the New World. The first inklings that such a day may come to pass occurred back in 1915 when Red Fox James, a Native American of the Blackfoot nation, took it upon himself to ride a horse from state to state seeking approval from 24 separate state governments for a day to honor the “American Indian”. In December of that year he presented it to the White House, apparently to no positive effect.

It was George H. W. Bush who officially took the steps to push forward a joint resolution that made November of 1990 the first official Native American Heritage Month. Multiple proclamations have been made since each year following 1994. Since then cultural sites, museums, and native tribal councils have organized events showcasing their rich and diverse culture and history so that it might be spread to the young and continue to thrive.

Native Americans in the Great Basin

The Great Basin American Indians, like so many other historical tribes, have a fascinating history. Here, you will find interesting information on where they lived, their traditions and customs, clothing, what weapons they used, their handmade art, and the tribal rituals of these men and woman. There is also a list of the Great Basin tribes. The high desert regions between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains make up the territory that has been home to the indigenous peoples of the Great Basin for the thousands of years. It includes all of Nevada and Utah, the southern regions of Oregon and Idaho, a small area of southwestern Montana, western Wyoming, eastern California, a portion of northern Arizona, and the majority of western Colorado.

Great Basin American Indian Tribes List

 Anasazi Tribe  Bannock Tribe  Chemehuevi Tribe  Fremont Tribe  Goshute Tribe  Kawaiisu Tribe  Mono Tribe  Navajo Tribe  Paiute Tribe  Panamint Tribe  Shoshone Tribe  Washoe Tribe  Ute Tribe

Click Here For more information on the Great Basin Native Americans

The Middle Fork of the Salmon River, home of the Shoshone-Bannock Tuka-Deka

The Middle Fork of the Salmon flows through the heart of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. As you travel the 104 miles of the Middle Fork, you will see many cultural values present on the river banks of the Middle Fork. This is the home of the Tuka-Deka Sheep Eaters Native American Tribes. The Tuka- Deka were hunter-gatherer people who lived in the river corridor area until 1879. The Sheep Eater war of 1879 ended the permanent residence of the ancestors to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, the Tuka-Deka.

The Middle Fork of the Salmon has many irreplaceable cultural resources. Many of the sites have house depressions left behind by the Sheep Eater Indian Tribes. Please respect these sites by camping in designated areas. And leave artifacts where you find them. Help us preserve the stories of the past that are all over the river corridor in the form of pictographs by not touching them.

As river users, you can be active stewards in protecting the resources for future generations to enjoy as you visit the Middle Fork of the Salmon.

Video by Charity Parks.

Native American Heritage Month

The National Archives holds extensive records created or received by the U.S. Government relating to Native Americans. We not only hold these records, we provide access to them.

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