Native American Heritage Month 2025

From the Bureau of Indian Affairs:
“It is a time to celebrate the traditions, languages and stories of Native American, Alaska Native,
Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities and ensure their rich histories and
contributions continue to thrive with each passing generation. This November and every month,
we celebrate the culture and heritage of these remarkable Americans who deeply enrich the
quality and character of our Nation. We celebrate Indian Country with its remarkable diversity of
American Indian and Alaska Native cultures and peoples while remembering and honoring our
veterans who have sacrificed so much to defend our Nation. This year’s theme is "Weaving
Together Our Past, Present, and Future". We will focus on the failed policies of the past with
a focus on the Federal Indian Boarding Schools and moving into the present and the work being
done to address the intergenerational trauma Native people still face. In partnership with the
National Endowment for the Humanities and the Smithsonian Institution, we are working to
record the lasting impacts of that era and share that information with all Americans. As
Indigenous people, our past, present and future are all connected.”
Did you know? In September 1915, the president of the Congress of the American Indian
Association, Reverend Sherman Coolidge (an Arapahoe), worked toward making American
Indian Day observed across the nation, as well as fought for U.S. citizenship for Indigenous
Americans. It wasn’t until 1924 that all Indigenous Americans were granted citizenship, after
Congress enacted the Indian Citizenship Act.
In the classrooms, Children’s House students are learning about rivers and the moon while
exploring the connection between Indigenous Peoples and the land through storytelling. Upper
Elementary students are engaged in a six-week unit and research projects on Indigenous
peoples, their cultures, their societies, their relationship with the land and how they lived. They
are discovering that the values & mores shared by many Native American nations—such as
community, sustainability, respect for nature, and democratic governance principles have
profoundly influenced the American ethos. Practices like land stewardship, collective
responsibility, and early democratic systems existed long before European contact. Classroom
shelves contain authentic books by Native American authors, organized by regions across the
country, serving as valuable resources for students’ research projects, which they will present to
Lower Elementary students. Additionally, in the classroom, they listen to authentic Native
American music to enrich their learning experience. On Thursday, October 23rd, the students
visited the Harvard Peabody Museum, where they took a self-guided tour of the Hall of the
North American Indian, sketching what they observed, including dwellings, clothing, settlements,
transportation, and various artifacts. A crucial aspect of this Montessori work is understanding
how Native American People advocate for themselves today through art, dance, music, and
poetry. By recognizing that Native Americans are real, vibrant, living people, students forge a
greater connection and understanding of these communities with contemporary life. This
essential part of the Great Lessons and Cosmic Education in Montessori highlights the
interrelatedness and interconnection of all things.