Native American Heritage Month

Each November, we observe Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate and honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples.

Native American women have played an important and often underrecognized role in shaping feminist thought and activism in the United States. Many Indigenous communities traditionally had social structures that were more egalitarian than European patriarchal systems.

Women in some tribes, such as the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy), held political authority, owned property, and could choose or remove male leaders. Early white feminists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Matilda Joslyn Gage explicitly cited the Haudenosaunee as examples of gender equity and drew inspiration from their social organization.

More recently, Wilma Mankiller (the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation) and Winona LaDuke emphasized intersectionality by linking environmental justice, Indigenous rights, and gender equality. Women of All Red Nations (WARN), founded in the 1970s, addressed sterilization abuse, environmental harm to Native lands, and the rights of Native mothers - all deeply feminist concerns.

Unfortunately, Native peoples' cultures, identities, and governments have often been treated not as part of the American fabric, but as a threat to it. Indigenous peoples were displaced from their ancestral homelands, pressured to assimilate, and even prohibited from practicing sacred traditions.

Today, that legacy still shapes Native life. Native communities continue to face higher rates of poverty, health disparities, and environmental injustice, while the impacts of boarding schools, land dispossession, and federal assimilation policies echo across generations.

Recent federal policies are continuing that devastating impact on Native communities. According to U.S. Senator Brian Schatz's funding tracker, the Trump administration froze or delayed more than $430 billion in federal funding, including nearly $316 billion for programs serving Indian Country.

In a related article, Representative Chellie Pingree described the human impact of those freezes:

"Indian Health Service funds that provide lifesaving care couldn't be accessed," she wrote. "Grants for housing and education. Investments in clean drinking water and reliable roads. Lead testing in schools. Environmental justice programs. All are vital to improving lives-and empowering people. Every single one of them is now in jeopardy."

As of 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 574 federally recognized tribes and 7.4 million American Indian and Alaska Native people-either alone or in combination with another race-making up about 2.2% of the U.S. population. That number is projected to grow to around 9 million by 2060.

Native-owned businesses are also among the fastest-growing sectors in the country, contributing billions annually to the U.S. economy. From renewable energy ventures and tourism enterprises to fashion, film, and fine art, Native entrepreneurs are blending traditional knowledge with modern innovation to strengthen communities and revitalize cultures.

During Native American Heritage Month, there are countless ways that NOW members can support and lift up Native communities:

• Support Native-owned businesses and artists.
• Attend local cultural events or museum exhibitions.
• Learn about the Indigenous history of the land you live on.
• Advocate for equitable policies and funding for Native communities.

Native American Heritage Month is more than a commemoration - it's a celebration of resilience, identity, and hope. It's a time for all Americans to reflect, learn, and take action to ensure that Native voices and traditions continue to thrive for generations to come.