November is Native American Heritage Month and Alaska Native Heritage Month. Estimates of the population of the Western Hemisphere prior to the arrival of Europeans range from 8 million to more than 100 million. Specifically, in Oregon there are nine (9) Federally Recognized Tribes and ten (10) tribes that are not federally recognized.
Learning about tribal nations and indigenous history is important for all students and teachers. Each nation has a distinct origin, timeline of historical events and contemporary context that is unique to its language, culture and traditions.
Education has been complicit in playing a destructive role in the telling and teaching of authentic history as it happened on our soil. And in spite of the various ways colonialism has attempted to silence the indigenous voice, there are tribes and nations that are very much resilient, beautiful and strong.
As we await the widely anticipated tribal curriculum for Oregon schools, we wanted to provide a few resources to get you started. Be sure to post pics using the hashtag: PATPDX so we can follow along and share in the learning with you!
Native American & Alaska Native Heritage Curriculum:
To find culturally specific events, follow the following organizations for a calendar of events:
To learn more about the Federally Recognized Tribes in Oregon:
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