America is a vast land with many cultures dating back thousands of years to the land's original inhabitants. All national parks today include Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Island communities' history and heritage. The month honors Native people's rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories, as well as their significant contributions. Heritage Month is also an excellent time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise awareness about the unique challenges that Native people have faced both historically and currently, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to overcome these challenges.

In the United States, there are approximately 326 Indian land areas administered as federal Indian reservations, totaling more than 56 million acres. Currently, 574 American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages are federally recognized. Today, approximately 175 Indigenous languages are spoken in the United States. Things we take for granted, such as rubber, corn, kayaks, modern farming, and even mouthwash, have their origins in Native American design. 

Go through the Native American Regions Map to visualize the different locations and tribe names. Browse The American Indian Business Alliance's directory of Native American-owned businesses—you can replace your office Starbucks brew with Native-owned and operated coffee beans. Read Moon of the Crusted Snow, Waubgeshig Rice. If you are a podcast listener, then The Red Nation Podcast is a perfect pick to know about Indigenous People. It's never too late to organize a work event or start a thoughtful conversation in honor of Native American Heritage Month. Let us know what you end up doing, or if there are any other ways to celebrate Native culture in the workplace that we missed in the comments!