“Understanding Native American Heritage” presented by NBCU Academy explains the history behind this observance in November.
Alyssa London, NBC News and MSNBC contributor, and Chiara Sottile, former NBC News reporter and producer, break down the meaning of Native American and Indigenous identifiers. They also highlight recent and historic firsts in Native American communities.
In 1914, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Native American, rode on horseback across America, rallying state governments to approve an official day to honor Native Americans. A year later, with support from 24 states, he presented his proposal at the White House. There is no record that anything came of it.
New York State declared the first recorded American Indian Day in May 1916. It was not until 1990 that President George H. W. Bush officially designated November as Native American Heritage Month.
Some Indigenous people prefer the term Native American, while others use American Indians. Other identifiers are location-specific. Examples include Alaskan Natives, which refers to the Indigenous peoples of Alaska, and First Nations, meaning Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Many Indigenous people like to be identified by their tribal affiliations. Since there are 574 federally recognized tribes across the country and 229 in Alaska alone, and even more tribes seeking federal recognition, the best thing to do is ask Indigenous individuals how they choose to identify.
In 2021, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland became the first Native American Cabinet secretary. She later swore in the first Native American director of the National Parks Service, Charles F. Sams III. Other recent Indigenous firsts in government include Mary Sattler Peltola, the first Alaskan Native elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and Mohegan Chief Marilynn Malerba, the first Native American to serve as U.S. treasurer. Astronaut Nicole Mann became the first Native American woman in space in 2022.
For more information, check out the Indigenous Journalists Association’s reporting guidelines.
More NBCU Academy Resources
• Reporting on Native American Communities
• Indigenous Communities Deserve Better Coverage. Here’s How To Do It.
• The Growing Need for Indigenous-Language Journalism
• More “Indigenous Voices” stories
