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Every November, Native American Heritage Month invites us to learn from the stories that came before our own. The 2025 theme, “Tribal Nations: Sovereignty, Trust, and Resilience,” reminds us that Native history is not frozen in the past. It continues to grow and shape our communities today.
Sovereignty means the right to self-govern. For Native nations, it represents the authority to make their own decisions, laws, and traditions, just as other governments do.
Before Ohio became a state, it was home to thriving tribal nations with strong systems of leadership and culture. The Shawnee, Wyandot, Ottawa, Miami, Delaware (Lenape), and Seneca peoples lived across what is now Ohio. Their villages followed rivers and trade routes that still shape many of our communities today.
Teaching about sovereignty helps students see that these were, and still are, nations with their own identities and histories.
Explore more:
Ohio History Connection: American Indian History
Native Land Digital Map to discover which tribal nations first called the area where you live home.
Trust means building understanding through honesty, respect, and connection. In the classroom, it begins when we teach Native history accurately and include Native voices in what we read and study.
Many Ohio places still carry Native names that hold meaning. Cuyahoga means “crooked river,” and Scioto means “deer.” These names remind us that the landscape itself carries stories and memories.
Helpful classroom resources:
Smithsonian’s Native Knowledge 360°
PBS LearningMedia: Native American Heritage Collection
Resilience is the ability to recover, adapt, and grow in the face of challenges. It is seen every day in Native communities that preserve language, art, and tradition while leading in science, education, and environmental care.
Ohio’s Native peoples have faced centuries of change, yet their presence and contributions continue to shape the state and the nation. Resilience is not only about endurance, it is about creating a future rooted in culture, pride, and possibility.
Start here:
National Museum of the American Indian Virtual Exhibits
Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction
Native American Heritage Month provides schools and families with an opportunity to reflect, explore, and learn together. Whether it is visiting a museum, reading a Native author, or discovering the history of local tribal nations, every step deepens our understanding of the shared story we are still writing.
Native history is not just a lesson for November. It is the first chapter of who we are.