10 Ways to Introduce Your Kids to American Indian Heritage

Show your children the valuable contributions of Native Americans by celebrating the rich cultures and traditions at museums, national parks, even restaurants.

October 20, 2021

By: Erin Gifford

Related To:

A Celebration of Native American Culture

In November, we celebrate American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. It's a wonderful time to honor the rich cultures and traditions, the foodways and other dimensions to the indigenous peoples who helped shape the United States. We can get our kids involved, too, by helping them learn about native heritage through museum visits and exploration of historic lands. Following current events impacting tribes and learning about modern-day Native Americans — like Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as the Secretary of the Interior for the United States — can continue throughout the year.

Go to a Museum Dedicated to American Indians

The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC is dedicated to fostering an understanding of Native peoples in the United States. It's also home to more than 825,000 artifacts that span 12,000 years of history. Children can learn about treaties, traditions and distinct cultures, like the Algonquin people of the Chesapeake Bay region. The museum also hosts virtual field trips on topics that range from the art of totem poles to indigenous children's games. Other museums can be found across the United States, from the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage to the Heard Museum in Phoenix.

Learn to Prepare Some Native American Foods

Kids can get deliciously hands-on in their approach to learning about Native Americans by cooking and sampling Native foods, like fry bread. Native to Navajo tribes, fry bread is a staple across hundreds of North American tribes, even Native Alaskans and Hawaiians. Fry bread can be eaten alone or as the base in a dish like fry bread tacos. Pair kitchen time with a children's book like Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, which educates on the role of fry bread in modern Native American family life.

Explore a State or National Park Dedicated to Native American Heritage

More than 120 units of the National Park Service, including national parks, national monuments and national historic sites, educate visitors about local Native American tribes and traditions through artifacts, performances and exhibits. Some units, like Aztec Ruins National Monument in New Mexico, offer Junior Ranger programs for children to learn about ancestral peoples and earn an iron-on park patch. State parks are excellent resources too, like Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park in North Dakota. A re-constructed On-A-Slant Village allows visitors to learn about the Native Mandan peoples and explore unique Earthlodges that were built into hillsides.

Make Native American Crafts That Respect Tribal Differences

School-age children may enjoy using their hands to learn to make Native American-inspired crafts to celebrate and learn more about our country's indigenous peoples. Best bets include toys, jewelry and art works, like cornhusk dolls, woven baskets, dreamcatchers and kachina dolls. Stay away from regalia and headdresses that are personal and unique to individual tribes and ceremonies. When possible, use authentic materials, like seed beads, scrap leather, shells and fur fabrics.

Seek Out Media Created by Indigenous Peoples

Kids can read books, watch cartoons and listen to music created by Native Americans. Molly of Denali is an animated children's cartoon series created for PBS Kids with the first-ever Native lead character. The series follows ten-year-old Molly Mabray, an Alaskan Native whose family runs the Denali Trading Post. There's plenty of kid-lit, too, that's written by indigenous children's authors that can be read by children or parents, including Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes, a lyrical picture book written by and about Native peoples in the United States and Canada.

Read Up on Contemporary Native Americans

It's important to study up on historical aspects of Native Americans, including culture, traditions, languages and ceremonies, but children can also learn about today's Native Americans. For example, Deb Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, serves as the Secretary of the US Department of the Interior. She's the first Native American to do so. Indigenous peoples are also modern-day style icons and fashion influencers. Portland, Oregon-based Ginew is the only Native American-owned denim line, creating stylish and indigenous-inspired garments for all. Founders Erik and Amanda Ginew have roots in the Ojibwe, Oneida and Mohican nations.

Research American Indian Cultural Traditions

To foster curiosity and understanding through project-based learning, children can research an indigenous tribe (there are 574 federally-recognized Indian Nations in the United States). Kids can do a deep dive into cultural traditions, ancestral lands, tribal history, ceremonial traditions and Native American foods and dishes. As a bonus, encourage children to investigate how tribal nations have changed over time, including their cultural traditions.

Learn About Thanksgiving from the Perspective of Native Americans

While Thanksgiving has long involved school children dressed up as pilgrims and Native Americans in a celebration of food, friendship, harvest and gratitude, that's not exactly how it went down. Children can re-think the celebration by incorporating the perspectives of Native cultures, specifically the Wampanoags, who attended the first Thanksgiving as depicted in popular American culture. Children may also want to read about what Native American students think about Thanksgiving. It's an easy way to learn about the challenges faced by Native peoples when considering the history of and present-day celebration of Thanksgiving.

Investigate Current Events Impacting Tribal Nations

Encourage students to read up on current events to examine how US policy decisions have impacted indigenous communities. As a recent example, look to the restoration of Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante as national monuments that will once more be protected by the federal government. This was cause for celebration by local tribes, including the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni and Ute nations, each of which have cultural connections with the sacred land. Bears Ears, for one, is home to more than 100,000 Native American archaeological and cultural sites of significance. Children can also research Indigenous Peoples' Day, which in 2021 was formally recognized as a national holiday (replacing Columbus Day).

Eat at a Native American Restaurant

Many of us have our favorite Italian or Chinese restaurants that we frequent a couple of times each month, but go ahead and expand your palette (and your child's palette) by eating out at a restaurant serving up Native American cuisine. Even better, look for one led by an indigenous chef. In Albuquerque, Indian Pueblo Kitchen wows with Native-inspired fare, like Navajo tacos and prime rib fry bread dip sandwiches. There are plenty of food trucks too, like Off the Rez, Seattle's first food truck dedicated to Native American eats, serving up handmade fry bread, among other tasty delights.

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