Indigenous Heritage

"It does not require many words to speak the truth." - Chief Joseph, Nez Perce

Sitting Bull Tatanka-iyotanka

Little Bighorn Battlefield Archives/Library

There are many stories about the first people who lived on the North American continent. One tells of the Great Spirit who collected dust from the four winds to create the Comanche people. The Hopi people tell of two brothers who slashed open great swaths into the ground and sowed powerful stalks of cane so the ancient people living beneath the earth could climb above ground.

Archaeologists research migrations of peoples from north central Asia across a land bridge that stretched across the Bering Strait between modern-day Siberia and Alaska during the Pleistocene Ice Age—some 13,000 years ago. Read more »

THE STRUGGLE FOR SOVEREIGNTY

THE STRUGGLE FOR SOVEREIGNTY: AMERICAN INDIAN ACTIVISM IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL, 1968-1978

American Indian Heritage

The stories and heritage of the first peoples that inhabited this land run long and deep.

Indigenous Heritage

Places

Learn about parks and other places associated with Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian history and heritage

Indigenous Heritage

People

Learn about Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people and their role in American history.

Indigenous Heritage

Education Resources

Find education resources about Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people in the United States

Indigenous Heritage

Theme Study

Find studies about Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian history and heritage here

Indigenous Heritage

Additional Resources

Find more NPS resources about Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian history and heritage