November is recognized as Native American Heritage Month.

This month-long celebration honors the traditions, languages and stories of our nation’s first inhabitants, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians and affiliated Island communities, to ensure their rich histories and traditions are preserved and honored amongst generations.

For Charlize Evans, a third-year studying psychology and member of the Native American Student Association, November offers a chance to celebrate and highlight Native American culture and traditions without needing to fight for recognition.

“Throughout the year, we’re constantly trying to educate and tell people about our culture, and make our presence more known. [Native American Heritage Month] almost kind of gives us a way to be at the forefront of all of that without having a fight for it,” said Evans. “But [Native American Heritage Month] is really just a time of celebration, … celebrate the fact that we are still here.”

The History of Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month was first federally recognized in the United States in 1990, when Congress passed Pub. L. No. 101-343, authorizing and requesting President George H. W. Bush to proclaim November as “National American Indian Heritage Month.”

November was selected since the month is traditionally known to mark the end of the harvest season for many Native American tribes.

In 2023, Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed November as “American Indian Heritage Month,” within North Carolina.

North Carolina is situated on the ancestral homelands of many Native American tribes, with people beginning to live in the area at least 15,000 years ago.

According to the North Carolina American Indian Heritage Commission, starting around 700 A.D., indigenous people created more permanent settlements, and many Native American groups populated the state, such as the Cape Fear, Cheraw, Cherokee, Chowanoke, Croatoan, Meherrin, Saponi, Tuscarora and Waccamaw.

Today, North Carolina is home to the largest American Indian population east of the Mississippi River –– with more than 130,000 American Indians residing in the state, according to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau.

There are eight state-recognized tribes, including the Coharie, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Haliwa-Saponi, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, the Meherrin, the Sappony, the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation and the Waccamaw Siouan, as well as four urban Indian organizations, including the Cumberland County Association for Indian People, and the Guilford, Metrolina and Triangle Native American Associations.

November serves as a month to honor and celebrate them all.

For Evans, however, celebrating, honoring and raising awareness about Native American traditions and heritage is not confined to November — it is a year-round commitment.

“I love Native American Heritage Month, but when we constantly are celebrating our culture, it is just a sliver of the year to me,” Evans said.

Mya Lowry, fourth-year studying public administration and President of the Native American Student Association, echoes Evans’ sentiment.

“Like Charlize said, [Native American Heritage Month] is important, but it is also so important to recognize that it’s not just in November that we want to celebrate our cultures and promote awareness,” Lowry said. “But I do think with November being, you know, that month of the year that people think of as Native American Heritage Month, because it’s recognized that way, is a good time of the year for us to bring attention in and awareness to some of the other celebrations that we have.”

When asked about other Native American celebrations, both Lowry and Evans mentioned the Annual Powwow and Lumbee Homecoming.

Annual Powwow

Powwows are large gatherings where different Native American tribes come together to celebrate their heritage through traditional dancing, singing, sharing food and more.

Evans is a member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe in North Carolina, in which one of their biggest events is the Annual Powwow, celebrated every April.

In February of this year, Evans experienced a house fire in which she lost most of her personal belongings that had cultural significance — specifically, a regalia she was going to use to dance at the Annual Powwow. In the following weeks, she received support from family and community members to create a new one from scratch. According to Evans, this truly shows the purpose of a powwow — unity.

“I just think that goes to show that regardless of tribes and all that, like we are all family and we all look out for each other,” Evans said. “People understand the culture behind things, and the importance of dancing and what that means to us. So just to see so many people come together and give me things and be there for me in a time of need, just really goes to show the community aspect. … We’re different tribes, [but] we’re really not separated. We’re just one big entity, and we will always be there for each other.”

At NC State, the Annual Powwow, held in the spring semester, serves the same purpose — to unify students from diverse tribal backgrounds.

“Even though we’re all different tribes, I think that powwow specifically … as an event is something that’s really about unity, and we have so many different tribes come together,” Lowry said.

Lumbee Homecoming

As a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Lowry said, “The biggest thing that we do as a tribe is Lumbee Homecoming.”

This week-long celebration showcases the culture and history of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, primarily in Robenson, Cumberland, Hoke and Scotland counties.

“Lumbee Homecoming has been going on for over 50 years in our tribe,” Lowry said. “… One of the signature events that we have during Lumbee Homecoming is our Miss Lumbee pageant.”

Last year’s Miss Lumbee is NC State student Ashtyn Thomas, a second-year studying architecture.

“In the pageant, they pick what we call our Lumbee ambassadors. So we have a little Miss Lumbee, a teen Miss Lumbee, a junior Miss Lumbee, a Miss Lumbee, and then a senior Miss Lumbee,” Lowry said. “They act as representatives of our tribe and go to different events in the state, and sometimes even throughout the country, to educate people on Lumbee culture and Native American cultures more broadly.”

This event also serves as a celebration of Native American culture and heritage.

“People from all over, whether you live out of the state or in the state, in different parts, Lumbees come from all over to Lumbee Homecoming,” Lowry said. “It’s really just, you know, a time for us to come together and celebrate our heritage.”

Both Lowry and Evans said the true significance of these events are how they bring people together to learn and spread awareness on Native American culture and traditions, while also serving as a way so stereotypes that people often hear don’t continue to be perpetuated on campus.

“They’re just so much more important than just us having [a] celebration.” Evans said. “It is a way for us to educate and break stereotypes that have followed us for so many years.”