National Native American Heritage Month

Pretty Nose, Native American War Chief, by Laton Alton Huffman (Public Domain Image from Wikimedia Commons).

November is the National Native American Heritage Month. Throughout this month, lecture series, cultural programs, exhibits, and other kinds of programs are organized to celebrate Native Americans’ culture, traditions, achievements, and contributions to our country. Eager to learn about the American Indian tribes of Georgia? Please check out the New Encyclopedia of Georgia about the Georgia Indians. There are a number of historic Native American sites, parks, and trails to visit in Georgia such as the Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic SiteNorthwest Georgia’s Chieftains TrailTrack Rock Gap Archaeological AreaOcmulgee Mounds National Historical ParkKolomoki Mounds State ParkJohn Ross HouseMajor Ridge Home, etc. 

Besides visiting historic sites and parks, you can peruse our libraries’ holdings for materials about Native Americans/American Indians. A search in our catalog with various American Indian/Native American tribes’ names will retrieve a wide variety of materials that we have on the ApachesCherokeesCreeksHopisMohawksNavajosZunis, and so on.  We also have several books on American Indian food. In addition to these materials, you can access many of our databases, including the American Indian Histories and CulturesAmerican WestBibliography of Native North AmericansEarly Encounters in North AmericaSoutheastern Native American Documents, and Virginia Company Archives.

Hopi Pottery, Arizona. Photograph by David Monniaux (Creative Commons Image from Wikimedia Commons, GNU Free Documentation License).

You can experience the richness of the cultures of the different Native American tribes through their arts, crafts, jewelry, poetry, songs, and music. Beauty, in any form, whether in arts and crafts or music, is breathtaking and touches one’s soul. So I invite you to listen to some wonderful melodies from the various tribes – the Cherokee Morning Song, the Lakota Peyote Song, the Navajo Healing Song, and the Usti (Cherokee Lullaby)

 

 

By Chella Vaidyanathan, European/world history and Philosophy librarian

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