In honor of this year’s Native American Heritage Month, celebrated throughout the month of November, Team AgLearn is providing information and resources to encourage ongoing education and engagement with this important annual commemoration.
The information below is a portion of content quoted from President Biden's Proclamation on Native American Heritage Month, 2022 External Link.
"During National Native American Heritage Month, we celebrate Indigenous peoples past and present and rededicate ourselves to honoring Tribal sovereignty, promoting Tribal self-determination, and upholding the United States’ solemn trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations."
USDA Celebrates Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage Month, which is also referred to as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. This month provides an opportunity for us to reflect on how the cultures and traditions held dear by tribal nations continue to advance resilient economies and vibrant lands nationwide. The value and applicability of indigenous knowledge continues to be affirmed throughout our everyday life, and whose integration can have significant positive implications for our land management and agricultural programs and responsibilities.
The USDA 2022 Native American Heritage Month theme is “Three Sisters: The Intersection of Indigenous and Western Knowledge.” This intersection should serve as a guide for agriculture and our community. The intercropping method of planting corn, beans, and squash commonly called Three Sisters was developed through indigenous agricultural practices. These three plants protect and nourish each other in different ways as they grow and provide a solid diet for their cultivators. The beans provide nitrogen for the soil, including for the corn which is a nitrogen intensive plant, and the broad squash leaves reduce the pest and weed population, reducing the need for pesticides and herbicides.
The “Three Sisters” theme builds from the memorandum issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Council on Environmental Quality directing all Federal agencies to incorporate indigenous traditional ecological knowledge into our federal research projects and programming. We are proud that the USDA has sought to recognize indigenous knowledge in some of our work. The Natural Resources Conservation Service, for example, has recognized indigenous stewardship methods for over a decade. Similarly, the Forest Service issued guidance nearly five years ago on using traditional phenological knowledge.
- More information on indigenous stewardship methods from USDA NRCS External Link
- More information on traditional ecological knowledge from USDA NIFA External Link
USDA Event for Native American Heritage Month
The 2022 Native American Heritage Month observance will be held on Thursday, November 10, 2022, from 1:00pm – 2:30pm eastern time. Please register ahead of time for the USDA Native American Heritage Month observance External Link.
Selected AgLearn Resources for Native American Heritage Month
(LinkedIn Learning and Skillsoft-Percipio content is accessible for USDA Federal Employees Only)
- History of Federal Tribal Relationships Training
- Tribal Trust Responsibility Training
- Tribal Sovereignty Training
- Tribal Consultation Training
- Video: The meaning of color across cultures External Link
- Course: Empowering BIPOC through Mentorship External Link
- Book Summary: Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World External Link
- Book: Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance External Link
- Audiobook: An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States: Revisioning American History External Link