This exhibit presents a wide selection of recent and historical topics to celebrate Indigenous Heritage Month. Selected books, resources, and even TikToks are included for your reading and viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
Illustration of green and red patterned feathers against a golden background. Licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Indigenous Heritage Month is celebrated during the month of November. This commemorative month aims to provide a platform for Native people in the United States of America to share their culture, traditions, music, crafts, dance, and ways and concepts of life. President George H. W. Bush first declared November as National American Indian Heritage Month, thereafter commonly referred to as Indigenous Heritage Month, on August 3, 1990 and it was considered a landmark bill that honored indigenous tribal populations.
The Meskwaki (Tama County), Ho-chunk/Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska (Woodbury county), Ponca Tribe of Nebraska (Pottawattamie County), and Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa ( Monona County). However, the Meskwaki are the only federally recognized tribe in the state.
Iowa. Indigenous protests led by local activists, such as Maria Pearson and Don Wanatee, began in the early 1970s and raised issues of proper disposition of Indigenous burials, the defilement of Indigenous burial grounds, and equal protection under the law. Their work resulted in Iowa Burials Protection Act of 1976.
According to 2020 reports, Woodbury, Polk, Tama, Pottawattami, and Scott counties are the highest and make up about 45.2% of Iowa's total Native population combined. For more figures, check out this report published by the State Library of Iowa.
Featherwork. Indigenous people in the Americas have long used featherwork in clothing, weapons, ceremonial shields, and tapestry.
Camp Kearney in Davenport, Iowa. Originally founded as a Union training camp for the Civil War effort, President Abraham Lincoln signed off on the order that imprisoned about 265 Dakota men from 1863-66 following the US-Dakota in Minnesota.
Many Great Lakes Tribes wear Roach Headdress styles while Plains Tribes wear War Bonnets.
This exhibit was created by Hema Thulsidhos and Katie Wampole of the ISU Library's DEI Committee with contributions from UNASA.
