November’s Native American Heritage Month arrives with a series of stories about Indigenous art, language, food traditions and community advocacy. An Associated Press report published Oct. 31 brings together reporting from several partner newsrooms, showing experiences from Alaska to the Southwest and the Great Lakes.
In Las Vegas, Paiute artist Fawn Douglas and her partner, A.B. Wilkinson, opened Wai Gallery and an Indigenous-focused storefront to exhibit work and host free art activities. Douglas uses conduit wire in some basketmaking, combining a contemporary material with a traditional form.
The AP report also follows the Paul family, who returned to gather salmonberries near Kipnuk, Alaska, a year after Typhoon Halong damaged much of the village and displaced residents. The family’s shorter trips reflected the way displacement disrupted a seasonal practice they had maintained each year.
In Arizona, Pascua Yaqui advocate Rosa Soto Alvarez draws on her own experience in foster care to support Native children. The federal Indian Child Welfare Act gives tribal children in foster care protections intended to help them remain connected to Indigenous families and communities.
Another report follows Cherokee girls who helped win tribal recognition of rights for a river system, including the right to flow freely and remain free from pollution. Their work involved studying rights-of-nature ideas, speaking with community members and presenting a resolution to the tribal council.
In Minneapolis, an early-childhood program teaches Ojibwe and Dakota languages through everyday activities, including making maple syrup. The AP’s partner reporting describes lessons that combine language immersion with foodways and cultural practice.
The collection also profiles Muscogee tattoo artist Hodokii Johnson, who uses ancestral markings in work they describe as sacred and connected to healing. The reporting notes how colonization disrupted many Indigenous tattoo traditions.
These stories are snapshots, not a complete account of hundreds of tribal nations and Alaska Native communities. The AP’s reporting credits partner outlets including KYUK, The Imprint, Mongabay, MPR News, Crosswinds News and KOSU.
For local readers, Heritage Month is an invitation to learn about the distinct histories and present-day work of Native nations rather than treating Indigenous people as a single culture. This article is based on the AP’s collection and its credited partner reporting.
Sources: The Associated Press: Native American Heritage Month reporting collection | MPR News: Wicoie Nandagikendan language immersion program | KOSU: Indigenous tattooing and cultural tradition