Metropolitan area observes American Indian Heritage Month

Organizations in the Montgomery County area are hosting celebrations in honor of National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, observed every year during November.

President George H.W. Bush designated November as National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month for the first time in 1990, and the month has been celebrated every November since 1994. According to a fact sheet created by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the month is celebrated to "recognize the intertribal cultures and to educate the public about the heritage, history, art and traditions of the American Indian."

Several celebratory events are scheduled to take place in and around Montgomery County. Exhibits about Native American cultures are currently on display at the Rockville City Hall and several public libraries in Montgomery County, and the sixth annual American Indian Festival is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Nov. 15 in the Executive Office Building in Rockville.

The festival will feature Native American music, foods and artwork. In addition, Samuel Tom Holiday, a Navajo Code Talker, will speak to the audience about his experiences.

Tribes represented in the festival include the Navajo, Pueblo, Kiowa, Pawnee, Piscataway, Cherokee, Ojibway, Seneca and more, according to the Montgomery County Public Libraries website.

The National Museum of the American Indian is also hosting various exhibits and events in honor of National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. Events scheduled include shows featuring the Nunamta Yup'ik Eskimo Dancers, who will present stories, songs and dances from Alaska on Nov. 12, and the Allegany River Indian Dancers, who will perform a series of dances on Nov. 15. In addition, the museum is featuring an ongoing exhibit, "The Language of Native American Baskets," which will run through Jan. 9, 2005. Other Smithsonian museums have also planned events in celebration of the heritage month.