November is Native American Heritage Month, and there are many ways to acknowledge, learn about, and celebrate the heritage and culture of the Indigenous peoples throughout the region.

D.C. sits on the ancestral lands of the Nacotchtank (or Anacostan) and Piscataway peoples, and several tribes thrived along the lands that border the current Anacostia and Potomac Rivers long before European settlers arrived. Within half a century of their arrival, most people from the tribal nations had been wiped out — just a quarter of the original occupants remained, according to the Association of Research Libraries. Still, tens of thousands of Indigenous people live in D.C. and the surrounding Maryland and Northern Virginia counties.

Below, we’ve collected some of the ways you can mark this month. If there are more you’d like to suggest, fill out our form here.

Explore Native art and film at the National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art is exhibiting the work of about 50 Native artists from across the country and from different generations through Jan. 15. The range of mediums used by the artists includes weaving, beadwork, sculpture, painting, photography, video, and more — reflecting the cultural and regional diversity among the featured artists. Guided tours for “The Land Carries Our Ancestors” take place across multiple weekends, and general admission to the NGA is always free.

The lottery has already closed for the related National Gallery Nights event on Nov. 9 — Indigenous Futures — but some first-come-first-served tickets will be available starting at 5:30 p.m. the night of the event. Pop-up talks, music, and art-making will fill the evening during a program designed by Elizabeth Rule, author of Indigenous DC.

Throughout the month, the museum will be screening short and feature-length films from Indigenous filmmakers for its Imagining Indigenous Cinema: New Voices, New Visions” series. And, on Nov. 16, 17, and 20, artist Melissa Melero-Moose (Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe) will host a virtual workshop to teach attendees how to build unique landscapes on canvas using color, shapes, and textures.

Attend a discussion at an art gallery

The Amy Kaslow Gallery in Bethesda is hosting a Nov. 8 event with Muscogee-Creek painter George Alexander (a.k.a. Ofuskie) and Diné entrepreneur Sheyenne Sky Lacy to “discuss the surging interest in Indigenous creativity.” Ofuskie is featured in the NGA’s “The Land Carries Our Ancestors” exhibit (see above), so the conversation will cover modern symbolism, Indigenous values, and the ways Native artists continue to help shape the contemporary art scene.

Honor Native dance traditions at the Museum of the American Indian

The nearly two-decade-old National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall is prepared for the month-long celebration of Native culture. As the NMAI posted on Instagram at the start of the month, “Every day is an opportunity to welcome new and old visitors alike, and together, celebrate and expand our understanding of Indigenous cultures, histories, and perspectives.”

First, on Veterans Day, the museum will host its annual ceremony to honor the military service of Native Americans at its Native American Veterans Memorial. The full day of events includes a wreath laying, a discussion with the memorial’s designer, a film screening of Why We Serve, and several family-friendly activities.

Then, from Nov. 17-24, the museum will highlight Native filmmakers in an annual showcase of films that can be screened for free online. This year’s selected films tell stories that “prevail against the judicial system, generational trauma, and cultural appropriation through love and complex relationships, self-worth, and humor,” according to a press release.

On Nov. 24, Native American Heritage Day, First Nations dancers will demonstrate the tradition of jingle dress dance with free performances throughout the day in the museum’s atrium. Throughout the month, the museum will offer guided tours of its ongoing exhibits, tribal song performances, and more. The critically-acclaimed Mitsitam Cafe on site is currently closed for renovations, but the espresso bar is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Attend a concert at the Kennedy Center

Self-described “artivist” Charly Lowry uses her strong singing voice and instruments including a guitar and hand drum to tell stories of her heritage and experiences as an Indigenous woman in the modern world. A member of the Lumbee/Tuscarora tribes, Lowry will share her artistry on the Millenium Stage on Nov. 9. Free tickets can be reserved online, and the concert will also be streamed on the Kennedy Center’s YouTube page.

Attend a discussion with Native basket weavers

The Smithsonian Museum of American Art’s Renwick Gallery is showcasing an exhibit called “Sharing Honors and Burdens” (on view through March 31, 2024) that focuses on the work of six Native American or Alaska Native artists.

Two of the featured artists — basket maker and activist Geo Neptune (Passamaquoddy) and designer/weaver Lily Hope (Tlingit) — will share their knowledge and process on Nov. 16 in the McEvoy Auditorium (and virtually, on YouTube.) In a discussion with Darienne Turner, assistant curator of Indigenous Art of the Americas at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the artists will share “the importance of cultural identity and how it informs their creative practice.”

Learn about Native American history and culture with the DCPL

At several D.C. Public Library locations throughout the District, librarians and special guests will read works related to Native American heritage and culture, screen films, and host talks all month long.

The list of events includes an evening at the MLK Jr. Memorial Library with Armand Lione, author of Native American History of Washington, DC on Nov. 13; a Nov. 9 conversation with photographer and documentarian Matika Wilbur, who photographed people from over 562 federally recognized tribes, also at the MLK Library; children’s book readings at the West End Neighborhood Library; and a Nov. 8 workshop at the Mt Pleasant Neighborhood Library that will provide research about the Piscataway people. (That last event is currently full but you can join the waitlist.)

Enjoy performance and film with the Montgomery County Public Libraries

The library branches throughout Montgomery County will showcase commemorative displays of selected books and materials related to Indigenous communities. Through the first week of December, the libraries will host events, such as a Nov. 11 event at the Twinbrook Library focused on Native American dance traditions presented by the Baltimore American Indian Center.

On Nov. 18., the Twinbrook Library will also teach attendees about the 1,000-year-old Three Sisters planting method. Other events include a reading of Molly of Denali: Little Dog Lost at the Gaithersburg Library, a screening of two short films honoring the Navajo code talkers of World War II, and a Cherokee people storytelling event with Bright Star Theater at the Germantown Library.

Participate in interactive family events with the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System

Prince George’s County has a lineup of programs dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the nearly 24,000 Native residents of the county. Sign up for the library system’s STEM and crafting events to learn about the history of Iroquois Wampum Coding at the New Carrollton branch, or create Dreamcatchers at the Upper Marlboro library.

On Nov. 21, Troi Madison Newman, a graphic designer, researcher, and Black-Indigenous citizen of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe, will give a presentation about reconnecting with one’s Native ancestry at the South Bowie branch. Then, on Nov. 28 at the Accokeek branch, John Scott-Richardson, of the Haliwa-Saponi Nation of North Carolina, will use drumming, dance, and storytelling to help kids engage with Native history. Other branches will host book club meetings and film screenings.