November was officially designated as a heritage month in 1990 to recognize America’s original inhabitants and celebrate their rich culture and contributions, then referred to as National American Indian Heritage Month. However, efforts to pay tribute to Indigenous people started long before.
Red Fox James, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, rode horseback across the U.S. seeking approval for a day to honor Native Americans. In 1915, he presented an endorsement from 24 states to the White House. The first official American Indian Day was declared by the New York state governor in May 1916. President Joe Biden’s 2024 proclamation for this heritage month makes a commitment to work with Native communities to “write a new and better chapter in American history.”
There are 574 federally recognized nations, tribes, and pueblos within the U.S. comprising about 9 million people who identify as American Indian, Alaska Native, Native American, and Indigenous. Self-governance is at the heart of Native people’s ability to protect and enhance the health, safety, and welfare of their communities.
Wisconsin is home to 12 sovereign Native American nations:
- Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
- Brothertown Indian Nation
- Forest County Potawatomi
- Ho-Chunk Nation
- Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
- Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
- Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
- Oneida Nation
- Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
- Sokaogon Chippewa Community
- St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
- Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians
Red Fox James, one of the early proponents of a federal holiday honoring Indigenous people within the U.S. (Library of Congress)
How to Pay Tribute in Madison This Month
From Nov. 4 to Dec. 6, Madison College will present an art show featuring the work of Native American artists from Wisconsin. The theme of the show is “Indigenous Wisconsin: A Story of Resistance,” a celebration of the resilient spirit throughout the 12 Tribal Nations. The opening reception will take place on Nov. 14 with several of the artists in attendance.
Learn about (and play) Anishinaabe instruments, including hand drums, flutes, and shakers, with Dawn and Rob Moneyhan of the Kwewag Indigenous Culture Church, on Nov. 9 at Lakeview Library.
Celebrate the work of local and regional Indigenous artists at this annual market on Nov. 16. The market is a centerpiece of a weekend of Indigenous arts programming, including a porcupine quill jewelry workshop on Nov. 15 and a black ash plainted basket workshop at Nov. 17 at the Textile Arts Center of Madison.
Catch a free screening of the documentary “Bad River,” on Nov. 18, which chronicles the Bad River Band’s determined fight with a Canadian energy company over a pipeline on tribal land. The screening, sponsored by the Nelson Institute For Environmental Studies, will be followed by a Q&A featuring several of the people in the film.
✏️ Hayley Sperling and Rob Thomas contributed to this article.
