By Chenae Bullock (Shinnecock)
Native American Heritage Month invites us to do more than celebrate history: we are called to engage in reflection, responsibility, and renewal. This month is not simply about learning the names of Tribes or attending cultural events. It is about understanding the deep resilience, diversity, and ongoing contributions of Native Nations, while also recognizing the systems of harm that continue to affect Indigenous communities today.
Why This Month Matters
In 2021, President Biden issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples Day, however he did not replace Columbu
Storytelling is an Indigenous way of knowing. A tradition rooted in listening as much as in narrating. Each year, writers bring vital stories to the world, honoring lessons, battles, and joys passed through kin and community. From searing poetry to thrilling fiction and gentle tales for children and families, these new books by indigenous authors illuminate the ever-deepening circularity of native storytelling. Every one is a testament to the resilience, humor, and imagination that keep traditions old and new very much alive.
Rematriation is an Indigenous women-led nonprofit based in Syracuse, New York, founded in 2016 by Michelle Schenandoah, a member of the Onʌyota’:aka (Oneida) Nation Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
Compiled by Indigenous Peoples Day MA and Italian Americans for Indigenous Peoples Day. Events will continue to be added as information becomes available.
Cultural Survival welcomes the newest member of our Board of Directors, Dr. Lyla June Johnston. Lyla June is an Indigenous musician, author, and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne), and European lineages. Her multi-genre presentation style has engaged audiences around the globe towards personal, collective, and ecological healing. She blends her academic work in Human Ecology and Indigenous Pedagogy with the traditional worldview she grew up with to inform her music, perspectives, and solutions.
By Phoebe Farris (Powhatan-Pamunkey)
In rural Alaska, where six months of darkness shape daily life and traditional stories lean toward horror, Indigenous filmmakers are reclaiming narrative power.
By Bobbie Chew Bigby (Cherokee)
By Phoebe Farris (Powhatan-Pamunkey)
This year’s annual Indigenous Media Conference, which took place August 13-15 in Albuquerque, NM, featured a screening of Hulu's true crime documentary, "Blood & Myth,” followed by a Zoom panel that included Executive Producer/Writer James Dommek Jr. (Iñupiaq) and Producer Jonas Bell Pasht.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
