Native American Heritage Month

Indigenous Influence on the Constitution

10:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.; Kenneth C. Griffin Great Hall Overlook

What intellectual sources did the founders use when drafting the Constitution? Join us as we examine the influence Indigenous peoples and tribal governments like the Iroquois Confederacy had on the founders and the ideas enshrined in the Constitution.

Speaking Out with the Suffragists: Zitkala-Ša

11:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.; The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, join us in The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote to learn about Zitkala-Ša. As an author, musician, and activist, she founded the National Council of American Indians, wrote the first opera by a Native American, and fought for equality and suffrage throughout the United States.

History of Thanksgiving Show

*Offered Thanksgiving Weekend, Kenneth C. Griffin Great Hall Overlook
Visitors are invited to join in on an interactive History of Thanksgiving show, exploring the origins and importance of this national holiday. Learn about the Wampanoag people who lived in what is now New England, and the historic meal they shared with European settlers in 1621. We’ll explore more about the Wampanoag and their culture, the events leading up to the harvest feast that year, and what foods they may have eaten (it may surprise you!). Learn about the role presidents have played in creating the Thanksgiving holiday as well as popular Thanksgiving traditions, including the presidential turkey pardon. 

Lenape Language Activity

10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Kenneth C. Griffin Great Hall Lobby

The languages spoken by Native Americans are as diverse as the people themselves. Learn some words and phrases in Lenape/Delaware, the language spoken by the Lenape peoples who once inhabited this very land.

Tribal Mapping

10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Kenneth C. Griffin Great Hall Lobby 

Explore a map of the United States centuries before the founders. Can you find your hometown? Which Native American tribe lived there? 

Corn Husk Dolls

*Offered Thanksgiving Weekend, Kenneth C. Griffin Great Hall Lobby

Travel back in time to the 17th century to see how the Wampanoag people made their own toys. Join us for a corn husk doll workshop, discover how the Wampanoag children learned through play, and create your own corn husk doll to take home.

Scholar Exchange: Native Americans and the Constitution

Examine the complicated history of the relationship between Native Americans and the U.S. government. Students will explores what influence Native governments had on the Framers of the U.S. Constitution and uncover a "Triple Trilogy" of Supreme Court Cases that repeatedly consider the question of Native “Sovereignty.”

Civic Stories: Fractured Confederacy

Through a surprise artifact analysis, students explore how the American Revolution impacted Native nations. The program examines divisions within the Iroquois Confederacy, the evolving relationship between Native governments and the U.S., and the lasting questions of Native sovereignty.