ShareAmerican Indian Heritage Month
General Information
Teacher ResourcesLesson PlansUtah Tribes
Videos in eMediaWeb sites for Students
November is National American Indian Heritage Month. UEN gathered the following resources to help you celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of the peoples who were the original inhabitants, explorers and settlers of the United States.
November 2nd & 3rd: 2012 UVU Pow Wow
The Native Sun Club will be sponsoring the 2012 UVU Pow Wow in the Grande Ballroom November 2nd & 3rd. Everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy two days of culturally enlightening festivities and fun! There will also be food vendors from the various Multicultural clubs, so come and support them as well. Learn more...
American Indian Heritage Month Proclamation 
U.S. Dept. of the Interior Indian AffairsIndian Affairs provides services to approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. There are 564 federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives in the United States.
National Museum of the American Indian
The Museum is the first national museum dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans. Explore the Classroom Lessons, the Index of Resources and the Collections Search.
Library of Congress: Edward S. Curtis's the North American IndianThe Library of Congress presents over 2,000 prints from the work of photographer, Edward S. Curtis, who recorded Native American dress, ceremonies, life, and culture.
American Indian Tribes
Library of Congress: American Indian HistoryCheck out some of the American Indian History resources in the Library of Congress.
Utah Division of Indian AffairsThe Utah Division of Indian Affairs support Utah's American Indian tribes. Don't miss the the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Circle of StoriesCircle of Stories uses documentary film, photography, artwork and music to honor and explore Native American storytelling.
Trail Tribes: Traditional and Contemporary Native CultureHistory with a tribal perspective, along trails followed by Lewis & Clark.
American Indian Medal of Honor RecipientsThroughout history, American Indians have been among those soldiers to be distinguished by receiving the United States' highest military honor: the Medal of Honor.
Our Mother TonguesExplore Native American language programs from Alaska to North Carolina working to save their heritage languages.
American Indian History and Culture Smithsonian Institution's extensive collection of resources related to Native American heritage and culture.
San Juan School District Media CenterResource of curriculum material centered around Indian Education. You can order books in both English and Navajo, calendars, cultural videos, educational programs, and more.
Native American Stories
Wisdom of the Elders Radio series featuring elders, historians, storytellers, artists, and leaders from thirteen American Indian Nations along the Lewis and Clark trail.
Teaching Young Children about Native AmericansThis online article discusses the prevalence of stereotypes and classroom strategies for teaching about cultural diversity among Native Americans.
Native American Leather and ClothesDetailed images of various tribes' clothing and accessories.
American Indians in Children's LiteratureDebbie Reese's blog has lists of books for various age groups that accurately portray American Indians. (Right column under the IF YOU'RE STARTING A LIBRARY... section.)
How the Miss Navajo Competition Reflects the Ingenuity and Culture of the Navajo People7th Grade
The student will be able to understand how the skills necessary to win the Miss Navajo competition reflect the ingenuity and culture of the Navajo people.
Native American Cultures Across the U.S.Grades K-2
This lesson discusses the differences between five Native American tribes within the U.S. Students learn about customs and traditions and the regions where the tribes live.
Explore Pueblo PotsGrades K-4
In this hands-on activity, students will learn the meaning of imagery on two Pueblo pots by examining images and reading short excerpts from Native American folklore.
Native Americans TodayGrades 3-5
This lesson challenges students' views of Native Americans as a vanished people by asking them to compare their prior knowledge with information they gather while reading about contemporary Native Americans.
Making Connections to Myth and Folktale: The Many Ways to Rainy MountainGrades 9-12
Following the model of N. Scott Momaday's The Way To Rainy Mountain, students write three-voice narratives based on Kiowa folktales, an interview with an Elder, and personal connections to theme.
Circle of Stories Lesson PlansGrades 6-12
Students will examine the complex and rich oral tradition of Native American storytelling, create their own stories to share, explore indigenous and Native American cultures and the issues which face them today.
Myth and Truth: The "First Thanksgiving"Grades 6-8
By exploring myths surrounding the Wampanoag, the pilgrims, and the "First Thanksgiving," this lesson asks students to think critically about commonly believed myths regarding the Wampanoag Indians in colonial America.
Ute Indians: Past and Present4th Grade
Students will become familiar with the Ute Indians both past and present.
The Fremont People4th Grade
After learning about the Fremont people, students will make their own Fremont-Style pottery.
Pourquoi Stories: Creating Tales to Tell WhyGrades 3-5
Pourquoi tales are narratives developed by various cultures around the world to explain natural phenomena. Students study three tales and learn about their cultures of origin, then work cooperatively to write and present an original pourquoi tale.
Not "Indians," Many Tribes: Native American DiversityGrades 3-5
In this unit of five lessons, students heighten their awareness of Native American diversity as they learn about three vastly different Native groups in a game-like activity using archival documents.
General Information
Native Americans in UtahAn article from the Utah History Encyclopedia about Native Americans in Utah.
Native American Indian Literacy ProjectThis project brings storybooks for the six main Utah Tribal Nations into the classroom.
Sacred Images: A Vision of Native American Rock ArtThis K-12 curriculum was developed to teach students about the culture and customs of the earliest inhabitants of Utah.
Utah We Shall RemainIn conjunction with the PBS series, KUED-Channel 7 produced a five-part companion series on Utah's five tribes.
Utah Natives Collection of History PicturesThis collection of resources and websites helps to see the similarities and differences between the different American Indian groups of Utah. A huge amount of Information about the tribes past and present, with pictures.
Goshutes
Goshute Indians
Skull Valley Goshutes Goshute Tales:
- Coyote and the Rolling Stone (pdf)
- Coyote and Frog Race (pdf)
- Coyote Loses Eyes (pdf)
- Coyote and Mouse Make Snow (pdf)
- Bear and Deer (pdf)
Navajo
The Navajo NationInformation from the Indian Health Services about the Navajo Nation, including a map.
Navajo Nation
Navajo Indians
Native Words, Native WarriorsThe National Museum of the American Indian honors American Indian Code Talkers. This is a companion website to the traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibition, Native Words, Native Warriors.
Memo Regarding the Enlistment of NavajosThis site gives more detail on the U.S. Marine Corps Navajo Code Talker program, highlighting Maj. Gen. Clayton B. Vogel's March 26, 1942, memo recommending the recruitment of Navajo men for the project.
Paiute
Paiute Indians
Utah's Paiute Indians During the DepressionAn article from the History Blazer about life as a Paiute during the Great Depression.
Shoshone
Shoshone Indians - Northwestern BandsAn article from the Utah History Encyclopedia about the Shoshone Indians.
Profile: Northwestern Band of Shoshone Tribal (doc) Utah Division of Indian Affairs
Ute
Ute Indians, Northern
Ute Indians, Southern
Ute Indians: Past and Present4th Grade
Students will become familiar with the Ute Indians both past and present.
Utah educators and students can download the following videos from UEN's eMedia
Comparing the Lives of Native PeoplesThis program compares and contrasts the lives of early Native people's of North America. The program focuses on how the geography of the land affected and shaped their lives.
Exploring Our Past: Native American LifeCome explore the history and way of life of Native Americans, their regional cultures and lifestyles.
Geronimo and the Apache ResistanceDirect descendants of the legendary Native American leader Geronimo aid in telling the story of the Apache medicine man, who, along with his followers, resisted white settlement.
History of American Indian AchievementJoin host Tyler Christopher, as he brings a new vision to the remarkable journey of the American Indians.
The Journey of SacagaweaThis program explores the life of Sacagawea from the rich oral history of the Augadika Shoshoni, Mandan Hidatsa and the Nez Perce Native American tribes.
Listening to Our AncestorsListen to the stories and traditions of Native peoples along the North Pacific Coast. Visit web page.
The Long WalkEight thousand Navajo men, women and children were marched at gunpoint through the scorched desert of the American Southwest to a barren reservation along the Texas border.
Native American Hide TanningNative American craftswomen illustrate various steps of hide tanning: hair removal, hide washing and then stretching the hide as it dries.
Native Peoples of the Great PlainsLive action video gathered at Native America village, and reenactments will assist students in learning about the history, culture, and legacy of the first People of the Plains.
Reading Rainbow: The Gift of the Sacred DogPaul Goble's Native American legend about a boy who brought the gift of horses to his people and the significance of the horse to the Plains Indian.
Reading Rainbow: Giving ThanksThis book is based on the Iroquois Thanksgiving Address, an ancient message of peace and appreciation for Mother Earth and all her inhabitants
Secrets of the Lost CanyonLearn about Range Creek Canyon, an ancient Fremont Indian site in a remote corner of Utah, from this video produced by KUED. Visit web page.
Sharing Perspectives at the National Museum of the American IndianAn introduction to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Visit web site.
Storytelling the Navaho WayStudents at the boarding school learn how storytelling explain who his people are and how that defines him, and how oral tradition passes the culture of one generation to the next.
Surviving ColumbusThis video chronicles the Pueblo Indians' 450 years of contact with Europeans and their long, determined struggle to preserve their culture, land and religion.
Ute BeadworkVarious Northern Ute beaders demonstrate the craft of beadwork and its cultural significance.
Walking in Two WorldsThis KUED production explores the complexities of Native American education - both the flaws and possibilities for change. Visit web site.
We Shall RemainThis PBS American Experience series presents a multifaceted look at Native ingenuity and perseverance over the course of more than three centuries. Visit web site.
Yesterday and Today
Stories from the Past
What Can You Make From a Buffalo?The northern Plains Indians used every part of the buffalo. In this interactive matching game, students will match objects made by Native Americans from the buffalo.
Tracking the Buffalo: You Be The HistorianIn this online interactive, students will learn about the culture of the Plains Indians by determining the meaning of stories told on a buffalo hide painting and compare their interpretations to to that of a Smithsonian historian.
American Indian Activities Coloring pages, crafts and eCards from Crayola.com.