LET’S CELEBRATE NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE

Native American Heritage Month is an important time to celebrate diverse cultures, traditions, history and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native Americans.

The month of November is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, histories, traditions, and to acknowledge the contributions of Native people. Native American Heritage Month is also an opportunity to educate the public about tribes, to raise awareness about challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.

The Edison’s Flag:

The Edson’s Flag was created to honor Native American veterans who served in both World Wars. Many Native Americans served during World War I and World War II, even though many of them were not citizens. More than 8,000 Native Americans volunteered and served during World War I, and over 24,000 served during World War II. The artwork on the flag explores the ideas of service, memory, and tradition. One of the most notable contributions during World War II was the service of the Navajo Code Talkers, a special group of volunteers who did top-secret work using a secret code in Navajo that could not be broken.

As the first inhabitants of North America, Native Americans discovered how to live off the land. Many tribes domesticated edible plants, raised animals, and discovered natural medicines. Native American innovations helped support innovation in the areas of mathematics and government and greatly influenced other cultures in Europe and Latin America.

• Plants: Native Americans introduced plants which became major staples in our diets and in our industrial needs. These staple items are utilized around the world.
• Edible Plants: Corn, Manioc, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, squashes, pumpkins, tomatoes, papayas, avocados, pineapples, guavas, chili peppers, chocolate (cacao), and many species of beans.
• Non-edible Plants: Cotton, rubber, and tobacco.
• Medicines: Quinine and vitamin C.
• Mathematics: Mayans of Mexico appear to be the first to use a zero in mathematics. The number zero is necessary to denote multiples of ten.
• Government: Native American governments in eastern North America, particularly the League of the Iroquois, served as models for democracy. The United States government is based on such a system.

Historic Native American Landmarks:

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado – Includes cliff dwellings from ancient Native American civilizations. Once inhabited by The Ancestral Puebloan peoples, formerly known as the Anasazi. These structures were mostly residential, but some were used for storage and ritual. There are over 150 rooms within this structure.

Pueblo Bonito- Located in Palo Alto, California. The Pueblo Bonito structure was constructed by the Chacoan people. The Chacoan people resided in this area in the mid-800s and lasted in the area for more than 300 years. The constructed massive stone buildings contained great houses of multiple stories containing hundreds of rooms.

Crazy Horse Monument – Upon construction completion, the Crazy Horse monument will be the largest mountain carving in the world. The face of the monument is already larger in scale then faces of the President on Mt. Rushmore. The white figure (bottom, left) is a model of what the finished sculpture should look like. The sculpture is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Native American Dwellings – Native Americans used a wide variety of homes, the most well-known dwellings are: Longhouses, Wigwams, Tipis, Chickees, Adobe Houses, Igloos, Grass Houses and Wattle and Daub houses.

Native American Change Makers:

Members of the, The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux standing in protest of the construction of Keystone XL pipeline. The protest managed to gain national attention and national support with the tribe’s efforts to protect the Missouri river and their sacred lands. The court found the engineers violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to conduct a full environmental impact review prior to construction.

The picture is titled “Original Founding Fathers” contains four important figures of Native American history, from left to right: Chief Joseph, Sitting Bull, Geronimo, and Red Cloud who resisted United States government (foreign) policies and who aided in the preservation on Native American rights to freedom. Also, pictured in this photo are the other fathers of the United States  who were political leaders who are known for participating in the American Revolution, for signing the United States Declaration, and establishing the United States Constitution.

Deb Haaland: The first Native American Cabinet secretary Deb Haaland is currently serving in the Biden administration as the Secretary of the Interior. Deb is facing pressing issues such as land rights, health care and sacred site protections

Quote of the Month:

We Are Still Here Movement:

We Are Still Here: is a Native American movement, founded in 1968 in Minneapolis. The movement was spurred by the Civil Rights movement, Native people began to protest the decades and centuries of corruption, racism, and abuse they endured. Native American’s still arguing for political, social, and cultural change.

We’re excited about the new members added to the WES team!

Bowman, Khaleelah– Behavioral Health Technician

Brown, Tamarra– Clinician

Cahoe, Jasmine– Behavioral Health Technician

Duppins, Mignon– Clinical Supervisor

Holguin, Jessica– Program Support Specialist

Jones, Shareef– Mobile Assessment Technician

Kennedy, Joi– Blended Enhanced TCM

Loka, Silvana– Director of Medical Records

Mehmood, Asif– Director of Fiscal

Morrison, Dashea– Licensed Practical Nurse

Murphy, Alexus– Intake Specialist

Perez, Lorraine– Behavioral Health Technician

Sanchez, Sencity– Behavioral Health Technician

Stinson, Albert– Teen Reach Coordinator

Torres, Jennifer– Behavioral Health Technician

Tsobgny, Josiane– Behavioral Health Technician

Valentin, Christina– Behavioral Health Technician

Williams, Nierah– Intake Specialist

Williams, Tyrell– Habilitation Support Specialist

Wimbush, Crystal– Executive Assistant to the CFO

Wright, Jamaal– Clinician