Explore Your Ancestry
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Explore Your Ancestry

First created in 1842, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) was created to oversee the administration and the management of almost 60,000,000 acres of Native American land.  Some 40 years after its fruition, the BIA set out to create 26 non-reservation boarding schools across 15 states and territories within North America.   The first of...

Biggest Upcoming Fall Powwows
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Biggest Upcoming Fall Powwows

One of the most exciting and heritage rich celebrations that we Native Americans have is the powwow. It is our way of meeting together with each other to dance, sing, visit with each other, make new friendships, and make new ones. Powwows are our way to renew and preserve our rich heritage and culture. Here...

Top 5 Native American Museums in the United States
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Top 5 Native American Museums in the United States

There are many ways in which we can preserve our culture including oral traditions, through artifacts, powwows, and much more. One great way to preserve culture is in museums. They can house and display artifacts, hold events, and promote cross cultural understanding. Museums are also a great way to understand other native cultures either within...

Types of Native American Lands
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Types of Native American Lands

There are only three types of reserved federal land in the United States, military, public, and Native American. During the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, the United States government made a series of treaties with individual Native American nations that are indigenous to the area. These ‘contracts among nations’ recognized and established unique rights, titles,...

Artist Spotlight: James Lavadour
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Artist Spotlight: James Lavadour

Photo courtesy of: http://www.eastoregonian.com/ Born in 1951 to parents of Chinook, Walla Walla, German, Irish, and French Canadian descent, Lavadour grew up in Pendleton, Oregon on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. He discovered his love for art and painting as a child and was encouraged by his family to pursue his artwork. Primarily self-taught as an...

5 Celebrated Native American Bands
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5 Celebrated Native American Bands

Native American music is celebrated in many ways through current cultures, museums, powwows, and very prominently at Native American Music Awards which was founded in 1998. There are a lot of Native American bands, both traditional and contemporary, that have achieved commercial success throughout the years. Here are 5 celebrated Native American Bands from many...

National Eagle Repository
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National Eagle Repository

Since 1940 and 1962 when bald eagles and golden eagles were placed under protection by Federal law, it has been extremely difficult to obtain their feathers for religious or tribal use. Under the control of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), there has been an ongoing discussion between the federal government and Native American...

Artist Spotlight: Matika Wilbur and Project 562
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Artist Spotlight: Matika Wilbur and Project 562

It has been a little over a year since Native American photographer Matika Wilbur has hit the open road in her car and has embarked on an epic adventure. Her goal: to take photographs of citizens in every federally recognized tribe in the United States, originally 562 is now up to 566 in number. With...

Crowning of Miss Indian World
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Crowning of Miss Indian World

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.gatheringofnations.com/history/powwow_2014/14_15_MIW_Bio.html One of the biggest parts of the Gathering of Nations is the crowning of Miss Indian World. It is a most prestigious cultural pageant for young Native women. They compete in the different areas of dancing ability, public speaking and personality assessment, and areas of tribal knowledge.  As a part of...

Native American Authors: Indian Voices in Literature
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Native American Authors: Indian Voices in Literature

The tradition of storytelling has always been a fundamental part of Native American life.  The history of oral tradition is tricky to pinpoint.  Did it start around a flickering fire in the crags and valleys of ancient Mesopotamia?  Ancient hieroglyphics and crude etches engraved into cave walls are all what stands between us and understanding...