November 2020 Monthly Message: Native American Heritage Month

Jicarilla Apache Mundo Dancers
Great Sand Dunes is an important place in the traditional homeland of the Jicarilla Apache people. Members of the tribe shared their cultural heritage of past and present with park visitors during a special event.

NPS / Patrick Myers

For Native American Heritage Month, we will explore the heritage, culture, and experience of indigenous peoples both historically and in American life today.

America is a vast land of many cultures dating back thousands of years. Today, programs, partnerships, and parks preserve and share the stories and heritage of indigenous peoples. For our monthly theme this month, we can highlight the history, heritage, and traditions of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiian peoples.

  • Share the connections that your park or program has to American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian heritage and history.

  • Consider connecting this theme with other events in November, including Veterans Day.

  • Use objects or artifacts in your museum collection to share the history and heritage of native peoples past and present.

  • Highlight the work that your staff does in telling the story and sharing the experience of Native American heritage or ask them to share how these histories inspired them to work with or for the National Park Service. (Parks can tag NPS.gov articles with “nps careers” to get them to show up on the Careers in the National Park Service page.)

  • Use videography, photography, storytelling, and social media to share the projects that partners do in preserving and sharing American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian heritage, including through grants and youth programs. (Parks can share this content in NPS.gov articles and tag them “partnerships” to get them to show up on the Partnerships News & Stories page.)

  • Create and share lesson plans and kids programs related to native peoples of past and present.

Featured NPS.gov Webpages

During November, the National Park Service will feature websites and webpages related to the monthly theme:

Social Media

The National Park Service, National Park Foundation, and all our partners are encouraged to use #FindYourPark or #EncuentraTuParque hashtags on park- and NPS program-related social media posts to continue to inspire everyone to find their personal connections to national parks.

When sharing posts related to this month's messaging on social media, also use the hashtag #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth.

More November Themes & Activities

Every month, the National Park Service celebrates different national holidays and initiatives that provide opportunities to share our mission through websites, social media, and other platforms. Find information on a related topic on NPS.gov, hashtags that national parks are using, and other messaging tools to use on these special days.

Last updated: August 13, 2020