Solano County Library proudly celebrates Native American Heritage Month this November by sharing resources to read, watch, listen to and learn from that honor and pay tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans.
Origins of Native American Heritage Month
Native American Heritage Month has been declared each year since 1994 but the origins of the month date back to 1915 when Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the “First Americans.” This movement grew as the Congress of the American Indian Association declared an “American Indian Day” and several states joined in, declaring their own day. In 1990 the first Native American Heritage Month was declared and it became an annual celebration in 1994. Learn more about Native American Heritage Month.
History of Native Peoples in Solano
Before European settlement, Patwin Native Americans resided in Solano County for thousands of years. Some historians estimate it to be as long as 4,000 years, although no historical documentation of that time exists. The Suisunes likely hunted tule elk, grizzly bears and waterfowl, fished in the Suisun slough, and gathered plants for food and medicine. It is estimated that there were about 2,300 Patwins living in the area of Solano County in 1800, but the population soon plummeted to zero due to disease, forced moves to Spanish Missions and battles with Europeans. By 1823, there were no observed Native Americans left in the area, only abandoned and destroyed village sites.
Source: https://visitfairfield.com/rush-ranch-has-a-rich-history-in-its-land/
Below:
Navajos Loretta Yazzie, Eula M. Atene, and 3-month old boy Leon Clark pose in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, a red-sand desert wonderland on the Arizona-Utah border. Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer
Library of Congress
Stop by your local library and pick up a Native American Heritage Month activity bag that includes recipes, historical and cultural information, and activities for children. Brought to you by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.
While supplies last.
Author Caitlin Keliiaa
Saturday, November 1, 3PM-4PM
Fairfield Cordelia Library
Caitin Keliiaa is a feminist historian and Associate Professor of History at UC Santa Cruz. Her book, Refusing Settler Domesticity: Native Women’s Labor and Resistance in the Bay Area Outing Program, examines gendered Indigenous labor and highlights Native women’s voices uncovered from federal archives. She is Yerington Paiute and Washoe, and her tribal communities inform her scholarship. Book sales and signing to follow the talk.
Learn more about the author at https://caitlinkeliiaa.com/index.html.
Smoke Signals: Free Film Screening- Celebrate Native American Heritage Month
Tuesday, November 4, 6PM-7:30PM
Fairfield Civic Center Library
Smoke Signals is a 1998 comedy-drama about two Native American men from the Coeur d’Alene reservation who travel to Arizona to retrieve the ashes of one’s estranged, alcoholic father.
Charcoal Art: Drop-in Craft
Month of November
Vallejo Springstowne Library
Join us for this month’s drop in craft to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. Try your hand at charcoal art. Drop in during open hours while supplies last.
Afternoon Book Club @VTS: The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters- Celebrate Native American Heritage Month
Wednesday, November 12, 1PM-2PM
Vacaville Town Square Library
Join our monthly afternoon book club at Vacaville Town Square Library! Meet new friends and be exposed to new genres and books.
FCC Afternoon Book Club: Celebrate Native American Heritage Month
Thursday, November 13, 3PM-4PM
Fairfield Civic Center Library
For November read any book that has to do with the Native American experience, then bring it to book club to discuss with fellow attendees!
A Special Talk for Native American Heritage Month
Thursday, November 13, 6PM-7PM
Fairfield Civic Center Library
Paul Steward, Lecturer/Professor of Native American Studies at both San Francisco and Sonoma State University, will present a talk on Native American society and music.
Native American Program for Kids
Saturday, November 22, 2PM-3PM
Fairfield Civic Center Library
Join us for an afternoon of craft making activities in celebration of Native American Heritage Month! Kids of all ages are welcome to participate in creating book-based crafts from different Native American stories written by different Native American authors such as “The Gift of the Great Buffalo” by Carole Lindstorm and “Little Deer and the First Native American Flute” by Al Striplen. No registration is required.
Resources from American Library Association
From Overdrive/Libby
Teens:
https://solano.overdrive.com/library/teens/collection/1738148
Kids:
https://solano.overdrive.com/library/kids/collection/1738149
Solano County Library Catalog:
Social justice book kit : Native (Indigenous) Americans: reclaiming rights for kids.
The materials in this kit are designed to start conversations with children about Native (indigenous) Americans movement to empower their communities and have ownership of their stories, histories, lands, and cultures. We hope this kit shatters stereotypes and amplifies the lived experiences of Native (indigenous) Americans through the eyes of children.