Native American Heritage Month

NovemberLesson Plan& Resources

Lesson Activities& Printables

Recommended Booklist

THINK

Research, Inquire, Think Critically

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Who is considered Native American?American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians are members of the original indigenous tribes of the United States, which were considered sovereign nations from their first interaction with European settlers. 

How Did “Native American Heritage Month” Start?The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. Several states celebrate the fourth Friday in September. In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.”

What’s the Correct Term? (When in Doubt, Ask!)American Indian - A member of any of the peoples indigenous to the Americas except the Eskimo, Aleut, and Inuit. The term American Indian is still acceptable and is widely used by American Indians themselves.

First Nation - An organized aboriginal group or community, especially any of the bands officially recognized by the Canadian government. Used in Canada as a respectful alternative to Indian.

Native American - A member of any of the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. The ancestors of the Native Americans are generally considered by scientists to have entered the Americas from Asia by way of the Bering Strait. Most common used in the US.

Indigenous American - A member of any of the indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere especially : a Native American of North America and especially the U.S. — compare american indian.

NATIVE AMERICANS OF

Pomona was originally occupied by the TONGVA or GABRIELINO NATIVE AMERICANS.

POMONAIn particular, the TOIBIGNA tribe was native to this area. The city was first settled by Ricardo Vejar and Ygnacio Palomares in the 1830s, when California and much of the now-American Southwest were part of Mexico. The first Anglo-Americans arrived in prior to 1848 when the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo resulted in California becoming part of the United States.

The Tribe has been indigenous to the Los Angeles Basin for 7,000 years. This history is well- documented through 2,800 archaeological sites, in State historical records and federal archives, and Catholic church records at San Gabriel Mission and San Fernando Mission.

The Tongva were enslaved to build the San Gabriel Mission in the City of San Gabriel and the San Fernando Mission in the City of Los Angeles. Other Gabrielino village sites were discovered at Cal State Long Beach, the Sheldon Reservoir in Pasadena and in Los Encinos State Historical Park in Encino.

Archaeology delineating the historical lands of the Tongva was substantially complete by 1930, when over 100 sites had been excavated. The number of archaeological sites has grown to 2,800 locations. The new locations largely confirm the work done by 1930, long before Indian gaming made such information economically important.

Tongva Indians in LA

Exploration Task 1: Who are Native Americans?

For the following activities, create an Infographic presenting the following findings, including Venn Diagrams, Compare/Contrast, Info Sheet, etc. You can use Google Documents to create. Consider going further with programs like Canva and Piktochart with free easy-to-use professional learning programs using Google log-ins!

Activity 1: Why are Hawaiians considered Native Americans? What is a sovereign nation and how does it relate to past and present Hawaiian Native concerns over land? What are similarities and differences between the Native American tribes and Native Hawaiians?

Read Article 1 about the 2016 Recognition of a Native Hawaiian government and current fight for “sovereignty” and watching the following video. Consider going further with the look at sacred land and fighting with Facebook’s Zuckerberg Video.

Activity 2: Are Aztecs, Mayans, & Incas considered Native American if America was once part of Mexico? Who were the European settlers?

Discuss the differences and similarities between lifestyles, religious practices, and customs among the native peoples with the Article 2 and watch the following 2 minute video about the Aztecs.

CREATEDraw Conclusions, Create New Knowledge

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Is Thanksgiving Cancelled?

1. The Pilgrims Founded A Settlement on Plymouth Rock

2. The Settlers Were Called Pilgrims At All3. Thanksgiving Was A Major Historical Event4. The Pilgrims Invited The Native Americans To

A Big Feast5. There Was A First Thanksgiving At All6. The Pilgrims Were Nice To The Native

Americans7. The Pilgrims Were Also Super Nice to

"Squanto"8. Thanksgiving Immediately Became An Annual

Tradition9. Thanksgiving Was A Celebration Of People

Coming Together Full Article Here

WWII Code Talkers

Members of the 3rd and 4th Division Navajo code talker platoons of World War II, dressed in their unit's uniform.

Bilingual Navajo speakers were specially recruited during World War II by the Marines to serve in their standard communications units in the Pacific Theater. Code talking, however, was pioneered by Cherokee and Choctaw Indians

during World War I.

Modern Football & The Carlisle Indians

Did You Know?● Pop Warner Football - a term for a popular youth sports league,

was named after Glenn “Pop” Warner, the innovative coach of the Carlisle Indian Football team.

● Modern American Football rules were made in response to controversial “trick plays” made by the team who relied on them to compensate for their smaller size, inexperience, and the dangerous nature of the game. Some plays included: Single wing formation, Double wing formation - Reverses and Fakes, Football patches to confuse, Hidden ball trick. Go further with the following article.

Go further with the following NPR article and Podcast Episode

The Carlisle Indian School was one of the many famous boarding schools charged with assimilating the Native American Youth first established under the country’s response to Native Americans - “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.” In an effort towards assimilation, in 1882 the school created a collegiate football team which was a much more dangerous sport than modern football.

Click logo for more info

Jim Thorpe was the most famous American Indian Carlisle football player (Sauk and Fox descent) under coach Warner. He went on to become a decorated Olympian and the first president of the American Professional Football Association, now called the NFL. Read more here.

Exploration Task 2: Native American History & Myth

Activity 1: One of the most shameful parts of American History is the phrase “kill the Indian in him, and save the man.” Following the genocide of the Native Americans to colonize America, boarding schools were a major part of assimilating Native American children to eliminate Native tribal influence and assimilate children into European standards.

Read Article 4 about the history of Boarding Schools and the current state of boarding schools Article 5. Write a 150 essay reflection about what you learned. What was the intention of the schools? How did it affect the identity of Native Americans? How do the school of the past compare with the current schools?Consider going further with the PBS Video Unspoken.

Activity 2: The myth of Turkey and Thanksgiving food being what Native Americans traditionally ate is untrue. So, what is true?

Watch the following 20 minute video about modern Native American Cuisine. Create a Google Presentation to identify 5 traditional Native foods and research how they were used in the past (Article 6) and are used today (Article 7). Consider going further by preparing a traditional Native American dish and bringing it to your favorite librarian to try. :)

SHARE: Share and Produce Knowledge

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Dakota Access Pipeline ProtestsIn 2016, news made famous the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s fight against the opening of the Dakota Access Pipeline since first learning about plans for the pipeline in 2014. Thousands of protesters—including many Native Americans and celebrities—gathered in North Dakota in attempt to block the 1,200-mile project. The protests failed and the pipeline project continued and continues to be a source of protest.

Why were the Sioux and others protesting the project?The $3.7 billion pipeline travels underneath the Missouri River, the primary drinking water source for the Standing Rock Sioux, a tribe of around 10,000 with a reservation in the central part of North and South Dakota. They also argued that the pipeline traversed a sacred burial ground. And while the land being used for the pipeline is not technically on its reservation, tribal leaders argued that the federal government did not adequately engage the Standing Rock Sioux during the permitting process—a requirement under federal law.

What’s happened since the protest failed to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline?After news of the most recent Keystone pipeline oil spill October 2019, where approximately 383,000 gallons of oil leaked into North Dakota, leaders from four tribes of the Great Sioux Nation voiced their opposition of both the Keystone XL (KXL) and a looming expansion of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). A hearing on the proposed expansion, which could green light a new pumping station, will take place before the North Dakota Public Service Commission on Wednesday, Nov. 13. If the station is approved along with two others, the result could near double DAPL’s oil flow, from about 600,000 barrels per day to around 1.1 million.

News on Latest Oil Spill 11/5/19

Protesters of the Dakota Access pipeline encampment sits Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, on private property near Cannon, N.D., owned by the pipeline developer, Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners.

THEN

NOW

Mauna Kea Telescope ProtestsHundreds of protesters gathered at the base of a mountain in Hawaii on Monday to block the construction of a billion-dollar telescope on its peak. To Native Hawaiians, Mauna Kea is a sacred place. To astronomers, it is one of the best places on earth to observe space.

● On July 10, Ige announced the TMT project would begin construction on Maunakea on July 15. The current project, led by the University of California and significantly funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (the former is a co-founder of Intel), garnered substantial opposition from Hawaii residents throughout its development, and particularly from Native Hawaiians, who consider the site sacred.

● Native Hawaiians are lineal descendants of those who inhabited Hawaii prior to the arrival of foreigners in 1778, whereas “Hawaii residents” refers to people who reside in Hawaii but are not of native descent.

● Maunakea is considered an origin of Hawaiian cosmology, a Hawaiian equivalent to Christianity’s Garden of Eden. It is the meeting place of Earth Mother, Papahānaumoku, and Sky Father, Wākea. In turn, Maunakea is considered a piko, center, of the Hawaiian universe.Article on Mauna Kea Protest

Influential Native American Icons

California Indian Education List

Exploration Task 3: Modern Native Americans & Activism

Activity 1: Native Americans and Tribal Nations have survived and exist today. However, one of the biggest issues are topics of “erasure” and misconceptions that Native Americans are dead and have to prove their heritage.

Activity 2: Research Modern Native American Icons

Who are some modern Native American Icons? Create a Google Presentation with individual slides for 3-5 important figures in the Native American community. In groups, share to one Presentation to collect mini-biographies on key figures. NOTE: Make sure to include tribal affiliations and geographical locations for each person identified. Use the following tribal directory for more info.

From Episode 114 of "Op-Doc"The New York Times

Go further by reviewing the Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction" Guide PDF

Watch the following video and identify 3-5 challenges that Native Americans deal with in regards to “erasure” of race and their relationship to modern America. Discuss your thoughts in partners or groups. How are they similar or different to other minority groups?

GROW: Develop, Pursue Interests

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Indian Tribal Facts

Developed by NCAI, this guide seeks to provide a basic overview of the history and underlying principles of tribal governance.

Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction" Guide PDF

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Voting Native FactsThere is a need for youth and Native and Indigenous Americans to be better represented in the polls. With increasing populations in 2019, it’s important for all people and tribes to be heard.

Local Events & Initiatives Pomona/Claremont Colleges Tour - Saturday 11/09 9:30am-2pm

University of California Riverside Tour - Saturday 11/23 10am-5pm

Wear your moccasins and post to Social Media with #RockYourMocs

University of La Verne

Pomona Ebell Museum of History (1910)

585 E. Holt Ave., Pomona CA, 91767

(Holt & Caswell)Hours: Wednesday-Friday, 1-5 PM

An eclectic overview of Pomona history from prehistoric times to the

modern era, and the HSPV headquarters, located in the former

Ebell Club of Pomona. Also the location of the Ebell Ballroom, a famous spot for special events.

Casa Primera (1837)

1569 N. Park Ave., Pomona CA, 91768(Park & McKinley)

Hours: Sunday, 2-5 PM

The first home in the Pomona Valley, originally occupied by the Palomares family. A peaceful little adobe home. Popular spot for families and school

tours.

Adobe de Palomares(1854)

491 E. Arrow Hwy., Pomona CA, 91767

(Arrow & Orange Grove) Hours: Sunday, 2-5 PM

The second, larger adobe home of the Palomares family. Known as a

stopping place for hospitality on the way to Los Angeles or San

Bernardino. Popular spot for families, school tours, and special events.

WANT MORE INFO?Kara Montgomery-Roa

Librarian and Teacher Specialist Ed Services for Pomona Unified

kara.montgomery-roa@pusd.org@GareyHSLibrary

#PUSDCelebratesNativeHeritage