Happy Indian Heritage month!

I grew up in Wichita, KS, where arguably the most iconic structure in our city is the statue pictured here: “Keeper of the Plains,” by Indian artist Blackbear Bosin.

A word first on language. For an EXCELLENT note on What to Call Natives/Indigenous People/First People/Indians, go to this fantastic video by (deeply entertaining) obsessive researcher CGP Grey. For a tl;dr: Every single human being who is descended in any part from the people who were on this continent before Europeans has their own opinion—and a full right to that opinion, since it describes THEM—about which word/phrase they prefer. Those who live in my hometown call themselves Indians, and that’s the word I’m going to use out of respect to them. (Fun fact, my senior prom was at the Indian Center and it was AWESOME.)

Because I grew up on the prairie (well, in a small city, but my region and soul are inarguably prairie), where Indians from all over the East Coast were shoved when my ancestors wanted their land, I grew up more aware and educated about their history AND PRESENT (Indians are not gone, yo), and I want to pass on some of that education wherever I can.

Start here: This is an interactive map where you can input your address and find out which tribes used to live on the land you call home. I highly encourage you, in honor of this month—and maybe as an addition to your Thanksgiving traditions—to check out any websites available for the tribes whose land you live on, and see how you can support one in some way. Maybe they have an online store, maybe they have a giving page to repair something on their land. Maybe their reservation is still in your local area and you can visit their museum or visitor’s center.

Another idea? Check out a Pow Wow—all of them listed on this calendar are open to the public! It’s a fantastic time, and an excellent opportunity to learn while eating delicious food and seeing all-new things! Just please be respectful.