Native American Heritage Month 2022: NAHM Information

Native American Heritage Month, or as it is commonly referred to, American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, had its official beginning with a 1990 landmark bill, where President George H. W. Bush honored America’s tribal people by designating November as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” The month is a time to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, histories, and important contributions of Native people.

Find out a bit about Delmarva's Native American history.

From The Delmarva Almanac, October 14, 2021

References:
Wicomico County History by George H. Corddry, Salisbury: Peninsula Press, 1981
Eastern Shore Indians of Virginia and Maryland by Helen C. Rountree and Thomas E. Davidson, Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1997

The official Wicomico County flag and seal pay homage to the original Native American inhabitants of the lands. The county name Wicomico derives from the Algonquin meaning for "people of (the place) where the land ends.”

Resources from the Library of Congress, National Archives, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and others

Reclaiming Native Truth is a national effort to foster cultural, social and policy change by empowering Native Americans to counter discrimination, invisibility and the dominant narratives that limit Native opportunity, access to justice, health and self-determination. Reclaiming Native Truth’s goal is to move hearts and minds toward greater respect, inclusion and social justice for Native Americans.

The first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. The event culminated an effort by Red Fox James, a member of the Blackfeet Nation who rode across the nation on horseback seeking approval from 24 state governments to have a day to honor American Indians. In 1990, more than seven decades later, then-President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating the month of November “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations have been issued every year since 1994 to recognize what is now called “American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.” This Facts for Features presents statistics for American Indians and Alaska Natives, one of the six major race categories defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

The following facts are possible thanks to responses to the U.S. Census Bureau’s surveys. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we continuously measure America’s people, places and economy.

7.1 Million
The nation's American Indian and Alaska Native population alone or in combination with other race groups in 2020. Source: Vintage 2020 Population Estimates

10.1 Million
The projected American Indian and Alaska Native population alone or in combination with other race groups on July 1, 2060. They would constitute 2.5% of the total population. Source: 2017 National Population Projections

324
The number of distinct, federally recognized American Indian reservations in 2020, including federal reservations and off-reservation trust land. Source: U.S. Gazetteer Files

574
The number of federally recognized Indian tribes in 2020. Source: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 2020

142,972
The number of single-race American Indian and Alaska Native veterans of the U.S. armed forces in 2019. Source: 2019 American Community Survey

More Stats

See a detailed profile of the American Indian and Alaska Native population alone or in combination with one or more other races from the 2019 American Community Survey. Statistics include:

• Families.
• Housing.
• Languages.
• Education
• Jobs.
• Income and poverty.
• Health insurance

Source: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2021/aian-month.html

An interview with curator Paul Chaat Smith (Comanche), from the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian exhibition "Americans."