Native American Heritage Month
CELEBRATE NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
The characters of your life — your ancestors, your family, and your friends — add a voice to your story in ways that bring it color, laughter, and tears. The Native American story — their history — has been largely shaped and told by those who never really knew them. The real story must be told with their voice of tradition, culture, pride, and strength.
While we celebrate year-round at Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA), Heritage Month is a special time when you can celebrate culture and tradition and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native peoples.
It also provides an opportunity for you to help educate others about tribes, the unique challenges Native people have faced historically and today, and how PWNA helps Tribal citizens work to conquer these challenges.
We need your help to make this Heritage Month successful! Join us!
We have so many great things to share and talk about this month — we’ll explore different Native languages, the real story of the first Thanksgiving, Native American recipes, and much more. We’re also hosting several giveaways — you don’t want to miss these!
DOWNLOADS
Thanksgiving Lesson Plan
Children are the future. That's why it is so important that we all do our part to teach them the truth of how this country came to be, and the importance of the Native people who were here before us. Download this Thanksgiving lesson plan to help teach children the truth about Thanksgiving from a Native American perspective. Share it with a teacher, a school, or review the contents with your own children or grandchildren.
Download the Truth About Thanksgiving lesson plan today >>
Real Thanksgiving Story
Do you know what really happened during the first Thanksgiving? We think we know what happened — why it was held, how the Wampanoag were invited, and what the English ate. It is easier to believe this tale than to look at the facts. Download the real story of the first Thanksgiving, as shared by descendants of the Wampanoag Tribe and descendants of the English in Plymouth Colony — learn what really happened in 1621 and how those events have shaped the reality for Native American communities today.
Download the real story of the first Thanksgiving >>
Untold After Thanksgiving Story
How did that first harvest mark the beginning of the end of English reliance on their tribal neighbors and why did the relationship brutally change? In return for their charity and compassion, the Wampanoag and other tribes got genocide, loss of land and centuries of oppression. Download the Untold Story and reveal a past that history has chosen to ignore, and learn more about how you can help tribes now. You can’t change history—but knowing the rea history could change you.
Download the Untold Story After the First Thanksgiving >>
Boarding School Download
The 'Indian boarding school' in the USA is often an outlier of society that was largely used to follow General Pratt's theology of 'Kill the Indian, save the man' during the assimilation era of US policy. This is a very dark chapter in U.S. history, and not nearly enough attention has been given to the long-lasting impacts it has had on tribal communities. This is why we strongly believe that every youth counts. Every graduation matters. And the work we do is critically important. To learn more about the history of boarding schools and how you can be an advocate,
Download the Indian Boarding School Fact Sheet.
Latest Impact Report
With your support, we've traveled more than 88,000 miles to deliver 1.3 million pounds of supplies to Native American communities on remote reservations this year. View your latest Impact Report to see the impact you've made in Native Communities and know that none of our services would be possible without the generosity and support of friends like you.
View the latest report >>
Five Funding Facts
Many people believe the U.S. government meets the needs of Native Americans under the treaties — including free housing, healthcare, education, and food; freedom from taxes; and receipt of government checks each month. The reality is that federal treaty obligations are underfunded and many Native families are struggling. Find out what really happens to all the federal funding and benefits for Indian tribes.
Download the “Top 5 Funding Facts” >>
Ways to Support
Just as we know each of the 500+ tribes in the U.S. are as unique as the next, we recognize that each of our supporters are also unique in their own way. Some may support Native communities by joining our Circle of Friends, while others choose to make an impact shopping on Amazon. No matter how you choose to support Native Americans today, know that your gift will have an impact on the lives of the people we serve for years to come. The most important thing we deliver to the reservation is hope.
Find YOUR Way to Support >>
GIVEAWAYS
COMING SOON!
SHOPPING
Buy Native
This holiday season and throughout the year, we encourage you to #BuyNative! Check out fashion, jewelry, beauty, high-end art — we're positive you'll find something to fall in love with!
Check out the many names on this list and support Native Artists today >>
MAKE AN IMPACT
Create a Fundraiser
23% of Native Americans are affected by food insecurity. Start a fundraiser today to help provide Thanksgiving meals to an Elder and their family! You can easily create your fundraiser on Facebook or Just Giving and start raising money for Native Americans in need!
Download the Huterra app
Donate While You Grocery Shop: Download the free HuTerra App and raise funds for PWNA and it's programs when you purchase gift cards, shop at online brand name businesses, and upload receipts from local businesses.
Download the Huterra App >>
Consider a Legacy Gift
Did you know that it is possible for you to assist Native Americans without it costing you anything during your lifetime? By including PWNA in your estate plans, you make a profound and lasting impact on the future of those we serve. Visit our Planned Giving page or contact Joe Langenderfer at 214-217-2600 Ext. 111 to learn more.
RESOURCES
PWNA Youtube
Check out our YouTube channel to watch videos about food insecurity, interviews with our AIEF scholars, a reality series with Wes Studi, and much more!
Visit our Youtube channel to learn more >>
Stay up to date on Native News
We do our due diligence to provide an accurate and respectful look at the Native American people we work with and serve. A great resource for current Native news is ICT— previously known as Indian Country Today.
Learn more and see latest headlines at indiancountrytoday.com
Noteworthy Natives
There have been many notable Native Americans down through the ages and although mainstream America has not included them in most of modern day history books, Native American lore has held them in high regard. We cannot erase the omissions of the past but we can draw attention to at least a small number of the many outstanding Native Americans.
REGISTER TO BECOME MORE #NATIVEAWARE — RECEIVE EMAIL UPDATES FOR FUTURE CHALLENGES AND GIVEAWAYS, AND LEARN MORE ABOUT PWNA.
Sign the pledge today to become more #NativeAware
and help champion hope for a brighter future!
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