Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month is observed every November in the United States to celebrate the rich and diverse Tribal cultures, traditions, and histories of American Indians and Alaska Native people.

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans. Learn more here.

Michigan is home to more than 240,000 Native American or Alaska Native residents and 12 federally recognized Tribal Nations. Each of these tribes is a sovereign government with an inherent right to self-governance and self-determination.

The twelve federally recognized Tribal Nations are Bay Mills Indian Community, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, Hannahville Indian Community, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Southfield Public Library’s Librarians recommend these titles for youth:

• Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, edited by Cynthia Leitch Smith
• Rez Ball written by Byron Graves
• Fry Bread written by Kevin Noble Maillard

The team at Southfield Public Library also recommended a number of works for adults published this year. 

Added Note: “The Firekeepers Daughter” by Angeline Boulley is technically “YA,” a Young Adult novel that many adults have enjoyed, too, including many on our staff.