This November, the United States will observe its 35th annual Native American Heritage Month, honoring the culture, contributions and history of American Indians and Alaskan Natives. Established in August 1990 through a Congressional joint resolution and signed by President George H.W. Bush, Native American Heritage Month has been proclaimed by the sitting President each year since its inception.
The commemoration of Native American Heritage Month presents a unique learning opportunity: Indigenous history in the land we now call the United States spans thousands of years, intersecting and shaping history at every turn. A full American story includes Native American history and heritage. Put simply: for Ohio students, understanding Native American history is key to understanding our broader state and national history.
Need a starting place to integrate American Indian history in your classroom this November and year-round? The educators at the Ohio History Connection have put together resources for the elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, including best practices, reliable sources, and more. Check out resources and best practices below!
Best practice #1
Make sure to always flag for students that American Indians are not one large cultural group, but a myriad of different cultures. Each culture has its own unique beliefs and practices.
Best practice #2
Use proper names and current tense pronouns when discussing tribes, particularly Historic American Indian tribes. For example, try not to refer to people who lived in the prehistoric era as "prehistoric American Indians," but rather by the name of the specific group of people to whom they belonged (e.g., use Haudenosaunee rather than Iroquois, which was a name given by the French and is now considered a derogatory name).
Best practice #3
As well, be aware that many American Indian prehistoric names, places, and dates are either estimates or creations of archaeologists, often from a Eurocentric perspective. For example, the names "Adena" and "Hopewell" are names given by archaeologists for those groups as we do not know what they referred to themselves by name. The best practice is to refer to the people associated with archeologic sites like the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks as the people who build and kept the sites, not the Hopewell people. If you don't know the answer to a question about a particular tribe, reach out to the tribe to ask that question!
Best practice #4
American Indians are entitled to tell their own story and should be trusted sources of their own narrative. Thus, make sure to honor what the tribes say about themselves. At the same time, contemporary non-native American scholars are doing great work on American Indian history, and you can trust our sources page for good non-native scholarship on American Indian history.
Want more information about American Indian Pedagogy, including reliable sources, best practices and more? Check out our American Indian Pedagogy Document!
Resources
Put these practices and more into action with the Ohio History Connection’s K12 resources on American Indian history and heritage.
- Check out our Virtual Learning Experience centering American Indian history and culture. Bring Indigenous artists into your classroom with Indigenous Voices Through Art. Explore the world-famous Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, built by Indigenous peoples 2000 years ago in Indigenous Wonders. Check out our award-winning, live and interactive programs here.
- Interested in hands-on learning with real artifacts from the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks? Consider our Indigenous Wonders: Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks Museum in a Box, available here.
- Want to help your students research Indigenous histories? Check out our research guide created for Ohio History Day participants. See the American Indian Research Guidelines for tips, topic ideas, and more.
Blog Images Citations: (Left) Wagner, Robert E. American Indian soldier photograph. Chillicothe: June. 14, 1918. State Archives Series 2728 AV; Box 1, Folder 19. World War I Photograph Collection, Ohio Memory. https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll51/id/5459/rec/92 (accessed Oct. 9, 2025).
(Center) Ohio History Connection. Serpent Mound. Columbus: Ohio History Connection, 2025. https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/browse-historic-sites/ (accessed Oct. 9, 2025).
(Right) Jim Thorpe at desk photograph. Columbus: Columbus Dispatch, ca. 1920-1929. P 245; Box 3, Folder 6.
Columbus Dispatch Photograph Collection, Ohio Memory. https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/10405/rec/1 (accessed Oct. 9, 2025).
