Native American Heritage Month quick facts
- In 1914 Red Fox James, a Blackfoot man, rode on horseback from state to state asking for a day to honour Native people.
- President George H. W. Bush signed the first heritage month proclamation on 14 November 1990, when the month was already half over.
- Native American Heritage Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, comes from a 2009 law. In 2026 it falls on 27 November.
- Native communities north of the Rio Grande once spoke at least 300 languages from 58 separate language families.
- The Native American Languages Act became law in 1990, the same year as the first national heritage month.
The first call for a day to honour Native Americans did not come from the government. It came from Native people themselves, more than a hundred years ago.
It took them 75 years to win a national month. This guide tells that story, explains the special days in October and November, and shows how you can take part with respect.
What Native American Heritage Month is
Every November, the United States sets aside a month to honour the first peoples of the land and their descendants. Heritage means the history, languages, beliefs and ways of life that pass from one generation to the next.
The month is about people who are here now. Native nations are not only history. They have their own governments, laws, schools and languages today, and their citizens live in every part of the country.
The month honours American Indian and Alaska Native peoples. Native Hawaiians, the first people of Hawai’i, take part in its events too. During the month, museums, libraries and schools run talks, exhibitions, films and performances.
The Library of Congress runs the national website for the month. Its partners include the National Archives, the National Park Service and the Smithsonian Institution. The site lists events, collections and lessons for teachers.
How the idea began in 1915
The story starts with Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca man. He ran the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, New York. Parker persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to hold a day for the “First Americans”, and they kept it up for three years.
In 1915 the American Indian Association met in Lawrence, Kansas. Its members approved a plan for an American Indian Day. They asked their president, the Reverend Sherman Coolidge, an Arapaho minister, to call on the whole country to keep it.
Coolidge issued his own proclamation on 28 September 1915. A proclamation is an official public announcement. His named the second Saturday of every May as American Indian Day. It also made the first formal appeal for Native people to be recognised as citizens.
Then there was Red Fox James, a Blackfoot man. In 1914 he rode on horseback from state to state, asking each one to support a day for Native people. On 14 December 1915 he took the backing of 24 state governments to the White House.
No national day followed. There is no record that a president proclaimed one.
States moved faster. The governor of New York declared the first state American Indian Day on the second Saturday in May 1916. Illinois passed its own law in 1919. Several states chose the fourth Friday in September instead, so the date was different depending on where you lived.
From one day to a whole month
The big change came in 1990. Congress passed a joint resolution, a decision agreed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. It became Public Law 101-343, and it named November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month”.
President George H. W. Bush then signed Proclamation 6230 on 14 November 1990. The first month was already half over when it was made official.
The proclamation named some well-known Native people. One was Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman who helped guide Lewis and Clark. Another was Sequoyah, a Cherokee leader who, it said, taught thousands of people to read and write. It also named Charles Curtis, a vice president with Native ancestors.
Bush also pointed to a new museum. A year earlier he had signed the law that created the National Museum of the American Indian, part of the Smithsonian. It would look after Native history, art, language and literature.
The name has changed over the years. Presidents have used “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”. Since 1994, a president has usually issued a new proclamation for the month each autumn.
Who Did What?
- Arthur C. Parker — Persuaded the Boy Scouts to hold a day for the First Americans
- Sherman Coolidge — Proclaimed an American Indian Day in September 1915
- Red Fox James — Rode on horseback from state to state
- George H. W. Bush — Signed Proclamation 6230 in November 1990
- Sacagawea — Helped guide Lewis and Clark
- Charles Curtis — Served as vice president
How November was chosen
Here is a surprise. Nobody wrote down why.
The 1990 law named November, and the proclamation repeated it. Neither one gives a reason. You will often read that November was picked because it is the end of the harvest season, or because of Thanksgiving. Those are popular explanations, not official ones, so treat them with care.
What we do know is that the date moved around a lot before 1990. The early American Indian Day was in May. Some states used September. November only became the national choice when Congress acted.
Native American Heritage Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving
Inside the month sits a single special day. Native American Heritage Day is the Friday after Thanksgiving. In 2026 it falls on Friday 27 November.
It comes from the Native American Heritage Day Act of 2009, which became law on 26 June 2009. You will sometimes see 2008 given as the year, but the law that set the day every year is the 2009 one.
The law lists the reasons Congress gave. It says Native Americans have served in the armed forces in every American war since the Revolutionary War. It says Native tribal governments included freedom of speech and the separation of powers, which means splitting power so no single leader holds it all.
Many families pause on Veterans Day, on 11 November, to thank people who have served. Native veterans are part of that story too.
The law also hopes schools will teach more about what Native Americans have achieved. It asks people to learn about Native cultures, traditions and languages, and about tribal governments as they are today.
One thing the law does not do is give anyone a day off. It encourages people, schools and governments to mark the day. It does not make it a public holiday.
November Dates: True or False?
- Native American Heritage Day is the Friday after Thanksgiving.
- The 1990 law explains why November was chosen.
- The first national heritage month was made official before November 1990 began.
- The early American Indian Day was held in May.
- The 2009 law makes Native American Heritage Day a public holiday.
- The 2009 law says Native Americans have served in every American war since the Revolutionary War.
- The 1990 proclamation praised Sequoyah, a Cherokee leader.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day in October
There is a third date to know. Indigenous means belonging to a place first. Indigenous Peoples’ Day honours the first peoples of the Americas, and it falls in October, a month before the heritage month.
In 2021 President Joe Biden proclaimed 11 October 2021 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. That was the second Monday of October, the same day as Columbus Day. His proclamation spoke about American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, and about tribal nations governing themselves.
Not every president has proclaimed it. Many states, cities and schools decide for themselves whether to mark it, so where you live changes what you will see.
| Name | When | How it started |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian Day | second Saturday in May | proclaimed by Sherman Coolidge in 1915; first kept by a state, New York, in 1916 |
| Native American Heritage Month | all of November | joint resolution of Congress and a proclamation by George H. W. Bush in 1990 |
| Native American Heritage Day | Friday after Thanksgiving (27 November in 2026) | Native American Heritage Day Act of 2009 |
| Indigenous Peoples’ Day | second Monday in October | proclaimed by Joe Biden in 2021; also kept by many states and cities |
The table shows how the idea grew. It started as one day asked for by Native leaders. More than a century later there is a month, a day in November and a day in October.
From One Day to a Whole Month
- The ride Red Fox James rides from state to state asking for a day for Native people.
- Coolidge's call Sherman Coolidge names the second Saturday of May as American Indian Day.
- At the White House Red Fox James brings the backing of 24 state governments to the White House.
- First state day New York holds the first state American Indian Day.
- Illinois Illinois passes its own law for the day.
- A national month Congress names November a national heritage month for the first time.
- Heritage Day A law sets the Friday after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day.
- October A president proclaims Indigenous Peoples' Day.
The nations the month honours
The United States recognises 575 tribal nations (2026). Federal recognition means the United States deals with that nation government to government. The list includes American Indian tribes in the lower 48 states and Alaska Native tribes and villages.
That number changes when another nation gains recognition, so older books give a smaller one. Each nation has its own name, its own history and its own way of choosing leaders. Tribal sovereignty is the right of a nation to govern itself, and recognised tribes keep that right.
Native Hawaiians are not on that list. They are the first people of Hawai’i. They take a full part in heritage month events, and in the work to bring Native languages back.
You can read about several nations on this site. The Miami Tribe call themselves the Myaamia. The Pawnee, the Mohawk and the Cherokee each have their own guide. For the bigger picture, start with our guide to Native American nations.
Native American, American Indian or Indigenous?
Different people prefer different words, and none of them is the one right answer.
“American Indian” is the older term. It is still used in many laws, and many Native people use it about themselves. The first heritage month in 1990 was called “National American Indian Heritage Month”.
“Native American” came into wide use in the 1970s. Over time it has grown to include Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Native peoples of the United States and its territories. “Indigenous” is the word used around the world for the first peoples of a place. In Canada, many nations are called First Nations.
The safest choice is also the most accurate one. Use the name of the person’s own nation, such as Seneca, Arapaho or Myaamia, whenever you know it. If you are not sure, it is fine to ask.
Names and Nations
- What does federal recognition mean for a tribal nation?
- Which of these is NOT on the list of federally recognised tribes?
- When did the term Native American come into wide use?
- What was the first national month called in 1990?
Living languages and the young people learning them
When Europeans arrived, Native communities north of the Rio Grande spoke at least 300 different languages. If you met one new language every day, it would take you most of a year to meet them all.
They were not dialects of one tongue. They came from 58 language families. A language family is a group of languages that grew from a shared ancestor, the way French and Spanish both come from Latin. There were also 11 language isolates, languages with no known relatives at all.
Many of these languages declined sharply in the twentieth century. Government policies pushed forced assimilation, which means making people give up their own culture and take on someone else’s.
In 1990, the same year as the first heritage month, Congress passed the Native American Languages Act. After that, Native peoples began a movement to reclaim their languages. Revitalisation is the word for bringing a language back into daily use.
Young people are now at the front of it. At the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, four groups showed how they learn and teach their languages. Visitors tried Myaamia ribbon work and lacrosse, learned Kodiak Alutiiq dances from Alaska, played Hawaiian ukulele tunes and met Mohawk basket makers.
The groups also showed how they make new words for the modern world. A language that is alive keeps growing. It needs words for phones and computers as well as for rivers and seasons.
Learning a language together links young people to their elders. The festival organisers said the young learners respect the wisdom held by elders. They want to become new speakers, so their languages pass on to the next generations.
Words Worth Knowing
- Heritage — History, languages and ways of life passed down
- Proclamation — An official public announcement
- Joint resolution — A decision agreed by the Senate and the House
- Tribal sovereignty — A nation's right to govern itself
- Language family — Languages that grew from a shared ancestor
- Forced assimilation — Making people give up their own culture
- Revitalisation — Bringing a language back into daily use
How schools and families can take part respectfully
You do not need to be Native to take part. You do need to take part in a way that treats Native people as real, living neighbours. These ideas work at home and in class.
- Learn the name of one nation whose homeland includes your town or state, and find out what that nation is doing today.
- Read books, watch films and listen to music made by Native authors and artists, so you hear people speak for themselves.
- Visit a tribal museum or cultural centre, or explore the national month’s website for talks and online collections.
- If a powwow is open to the public, go with a grown-up. Listen to the announcer, and ask before you take anyone’s photograph.
- Learn a few words of a Native language from a nation’s own teaching materials.
A powwow is a gathering with dancing, singing and drumming. Many are open to visitors. Each one sets its own rules, so follow what the organisers ask.
Some things are best left out. Skip the paper feather headdress and the dressing-up day. Those crafts squash hundreds of different nations into one cartoon. They also turn clothing that matters to living people into a costume.
Teachers can also avoid treating November as the only time Native people appear in lessons. A nation’s history does not stop at the end of the month. Neither does its language, its government or its young people.
One good question to ask of any activity is simple. Would a Native pupil in the class feel proud of it, or would they feel turned into a picture? If it is the second, try something else.
Three things people get wrong
1. “The government came up with the idea.” It did not. Native leaders asked for it first. Arthur C. Parker, Sherman Coolidge and Red Fox James called for an American Indian Day in the 1910s. Congress named the national month 75 years after Coolidge’s proclamation.
2. “The month is about people from the past.” Native nations are living peoples. The United States recognises 575 tribal nations (2026), each with its own government. Young people are bringing their languages back into homes and classrooms right now.
3. “All Native Americans are basically the same, so a feather headdress craft covers everyone.” There are hundreds of nations, which spoke at least 300 languages from 58 families. A Myaamia family in Oklahoma and an Alutiiq family in Alaska have different homelands, histories and ways of dressing. A single costume gets every one of them wrong.
Did you know? Congress gave its reasons in the 2009 law that created Native American Heritage Day. One of them: in most of America’s wars, more Native Americans per person served in the armed forces than any other group of Americans.
Try it
Make a November calendar on a sheet of paper. Mark Veterans Day on 11 November and Native American Heritage Day on the Friday after Thanksgiving (27 November in 2026). Then choose one Native nation for each week of the month. Write its own name for itself, and add one thing you learn about it today.
Knowledge check
Who first asked for a day to honour Native Americans: Native leaders or the US government?
Show answer
Native leaders. Arthur C. Parker (Seneca), Sherman Coolidge (Arapaho) and Red Fox James (Blackfoot) called for an American Indian Day in the 1910s, long before Congress named the month in 1990.
What is a language isolate?
Show answer
A language with no known relatives. Native communities north of the Rio Grande spoke 11 of them, alongside 58 separate language families.
Frequently asked questions
When is Native American Heritage Month?
Native American Heritage Month runs through the whole of November every year in the United States. Congress first named November 1990 as the month, and presidents have usually proclaimed it again each year since 1994.
Why is November Native American Heritage Month?
Congress chose November in a 1990 joint resolution, Public Law 101-343, and President George H. W. Bush proclaimed it on 14 November 1990. Neither the law nor the proclamation gives a reason for picking November, so the harvest and Thanksgiving explanations are guesses.
What is Native American Heritage Day?
Native American Heritage Day is the Friday after Thanksgiving every year. The Native American Heritage Day Act of 2009 set the date, and in 2026 the day falls on Friday 27 November.
Is Native American Heritage Day a day off school?
No federal law makes Native American Heritage Day a public holiday. The 2009 law encourages people, schools and governments to mark the day with programmes, ceremonies and lessons about Native Americans.
Who started Native American Heritage Month?
Native leaders started the idea. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca museum director, and the Reverend Sherman Coolidge, an Arapaho minister, both called for an American Indian Day. In 1914 Red Fox James, a Blackfoot man, rode from state to state for the same cause.
Is Indigenous Peoples’ Day the same as Native American Heritage Month?
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a single day on the second Monday of October, while Native American Heritage Month lasts all of November. President Joe Biden proclaimed the day in 2021, and many states and cities also mark it.
Should you say Native American, American Indian or Indigenous?
All three terms are used in the United States, and in Canada many nations are called First Nations. The most accurate choice is usually the name of the person’s own nation, such as Cherokee, Seneca or Myaamia.
Sources
- Library of Congress and partners: about National Native American Heritage Month — Arthur C. Parker, Sherman Coolidge and Red Fox James, the 1915 proclamation, New York in 1916, Illinois in 1919, the 1990 joint resolution and the month’s changing names
- The American Presidency Project (UC Santa Barbara): Proclamation 6230, 1990 — the first national proclamation, its date, Public Law 101-343 and the people it named
- US Government Publishing Office: Native American Heritage Day Act of 2009 — the Friday after Thanksgiving, the date the law was approved, and the reasons Congress gave
- US Bureau of Indian Affairs: frequently asked questions — 575 federally recognised tribes, tribal sovereignty, Alaska Native villages and how the term Native American came into use
- The White House (archived): Indigenous Peoples’ Day, 2021 — the 2021 presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival: Native language reclamation in the US — at least 300 languages, 58 language families and 11 isolates, the Native American Languages Act of 1990, and young people leading language revival
Native American Heritage Month Final Challenge
- Where did the American Indian Association meet in 1915?
- Which nation did Arthur C. Parker belong to?
- Besides naming a day, what did Coolidge's 1915 proclamation ask for?
- How many state governments backed Red Fox James when he went to the White House?
- Which new museum did President Bush mention in his 1990 proclamation?
- Before 1990, which other month did several states choose for American Indian Day?
- When Europeans arrived, how many languages did Native communities north of the Rio Grande speak?
- Which law passed in 1990, the same year as the first heritage month?
- At the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, what did Mohawk participants share?
- Which of these is NOT a respectful way to take part in the month?
