Native American Resources
We recognize Native Americans as the the original inhabitants, explorers and settlers of the United States. We honor the rich ancestry, traditions, and culture of Native American people, and acknowledge the work that needs to be done to ensure the rights and recognition of Indigenous Peoples in America.
We encourage you to learn the traditional homelands on which you reside. We also encourage your mindfulness of the historical context of colonialism and the unique and disproportionate hardships Native Americans still currently face.
Land Acknowledgement
: American Indigenous Business Leaders is a nonprofit organization designed to support and promote the education and development of future Native American leaders while maintaining and incorporating cultural values. |
: The American Indian College Fund provides scholarships and other support for American Indian students. The Fund disburses approximately 6,000 scholarships each year for American Indian students seeking to better their lives through higher education. The Fund also provides support for tribal college needs ranging from capital support to cultural preservation activities. |
: The American Indian Higher Education Consortium is the collective spirit and unifying voice of our nation's 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs)—a unique community of tribally and federally chartered institutions working to strengthen tribal nations and make a lasting difference in the lives of American Indians and Alaska Natives. |
: Founded in 1977, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is a national, nonprofit organization focused on substantially increasing the representation of American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, First Nations, and other indigenous peoples of 麻豆社 America in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) studies, and careers. AISES has awarded over $11 million in academic scholarships to American Indian STEM students. |
: The AAIA has played an integral part in drafting a number of important laws, including the Indian Child Welfare Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and the Tribal Governmental Tax Status Act. |
: The Indian Law Resource Center is a non-profit law and advocacy organization that advocates for protecting indigenous peoples' human rights, cultures, and traditional lands. The site contains descriptions of casework, newsletter archives, and links to research resources and organizations instrumental to winning recognition of indigenous rights. |
: Initiated by Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). It has been an ally to national Native American organizations and Indian communities engaged in policy advocacy. |
: Native American Capital fosters and promotes business and economic development in Indian Country through the investment of private equity capital in promising new and developing high growth businesses in Native American and Alaskan Native communities. NAC also provides the technical assistance necessary to ensure the growth, development, and profitability of these enterprises. |
: The Law Center's mission is to advocate for the rights of Native Americans with disabilities in the Four Corners area and ensure they are enforced, strengthened, and brought in harmony with their communities. This private, non-profit works to ensure that Native Americans with disabilities have access to justice and are empowered and equal members of their communities and nations. |
: The Native American Financial Official Association’s mission is to improve the quality of financial and business management of tribal governments, their entities, and their businesses. |
: NAICJA is a national voluntary association of tribal court judges, justices, and peacemakers. Its primary mission is the support of American Indian and Alaska Native justice systems through education, information sharing, and advocacy. |
: The National Alaska Native American Indian Nurses Association’s mission is to promote a continuum of health among Native Americans; to serve the professional needs of Native American nurses; to cooperate with other professional associations, health care organizations, and governmental entities in matters affecting the purposes of NANAINA; and to recommend culturally appropriate health-service delivery solutions where barriers to Native American consumers exist. |
: The Native American Rights Fund is a non-profit organization that provides legal representation and technical assistance to Indian tribes, organizations, and individuals nationwide. |
: The Native American Journalists Association serves and empowers Native American journalists through programs and actions designed to enrich journalism and promote Native cultures. |
: Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving the broad interests of tribal governments and communities. |
: The National Indian Child Care Association is a representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving the 266 tribal CCDF grantees that represent Tribal communities across the nation. Tribal child care and early childhood programs work hard to provide children, families, and communities with high-quality child care services all across Indian Country. |
: The mission of NICOA is to advocate for improved comprehensive health, social services, and economic well-being for American Indian and Alaska Native Elders. In addition to providing service through several grants from agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, NICOA operates as a National Sponsor of the federal Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) in fourteen states through a grant from the Department of Labor. |
: The National Indian Law Library is a public law library devoted to federal Indian and tribal law. It serves both the NARF and all members of the general public including individuals and organizations working on behalf of Native Americans. |
: The NNAPC's mission statement is to eliminate HIV/AIDS and confront related health and social determinants that negatively impact American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Indigenous peoples. The Center has programs, resources, and publications dedicated to supporting prevention efforts and fostering healthy attitudes toward sexuality. |
: The National Native American Bar Association serves as the national association for Native American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. Founded in 1973 as the American Indian Lawyers Association, NNABA works to promote issues important to the Native American community and works to improve professional opportunities for Native American lawyers. |
: The mission of the National Native American Law Enforcement Association is to promote and foster mutual cooperation between Native American law enforcement officers, agents and personnel, their agencies, tribes, private industry, and the public. |
: The Resource Center assists tribes in strengthening their methods of self-government and improving the climate within tribal lands for economic prosperity by offering tools to enhance tribal justice systems. By providing a broad scope of technical assistance services, the Resource Center provides practical benefits to every American Indian and Alaska Native justice system in the United States. |
: PWNA has been serving Native Americans for more than 25 years. It is a nonprofit organization committed to championing hope for a brighter future for Native Americans living on remote, isolated, and impoverished reservations. PWNA provides aid and services for Native Americans with the highest need in the U.S. |
: The Redhawk Native American Arts Council is a small grassroots not-for-profit organization founded in 1994 and maintained by Native American artists and educators who reside in and around New York City. It is dedicated to educating the general public and breaking stereotypes by presenting the traditions and societal contributions of Native Americans through song, dance, art, crafts, and other forms of expression. |
: SACNAS is an inclusive organization of 6,000+ members dedicated to fostering the success of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans, from college students to professionals, in attaining advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership in STEM. |
: Women Empowering Women for Indigenous Nations (WEWIN) exists to provide Native women with the knowledge, support, and resources necessary to achieve success in their personal and professional lives. The WEWIN Annual Conference is an opportunity for Native women to engage in professional renewal, inspire others, and network. |
by Roni K. White, Alaina Hanks, Susan Branco, Nicola Meade, & Isaac Burt |
by Maria C. Hunt |
by Christine Hauser |
by Jane Recker |
by Elizabeth Prine Pauls |
by History.com Editors |
by Paul G |
by Mary Smith |
by David Treuer |
by Jeanette Centeno |
by Native Knowledge 360° |
: Provides news and information from a Native American perspective. |
: Indian Country Today is an independent, nonprofit, multimedia news enterprise that covers Indigenous peoples. They reach audiences through their digital platform and as a broadcast carried via public television stations. |
: The mission of the news magazine and public service website is to bring forward thought-provoking journalism while bringing people closer together by broadening perspectives of Native American peoples, marginalized by traditional stereotypical images. |
: Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) provides educators and students with new perspectives on Native American history and cultures. It also provides educational materials, virtual student programs, and teacher training that incorporate Native narratives, more comprehensive histories, and accurate information to enlighten and inform teaching and learning about Native America. |
: Pow Wows are one of the best ways to connect with your ancestral heritage and celebrate Native American culture. Check out events near you, or if you’re too far away but still want to experience the action, keep an eye out for virtual Pow Wows! |
: It is one of the leading law blogs in the country on American Indian law and policy, Turtle Talk is followed by tribal citizens; indigenous law scholars; and tribal, state, and federal leaders for its up-to-the-minute updates and analysis on Indian law and politics. |
– meaning “cold water” – is an annual festival held at Tuscumbia’s Spring Park. The Oka Kapassa festival uses storytelling, dancing, music, traditional cuisine, crafts, and demonstrations to celebrate the culture and traditions of Native Americans who once thrived in the area. |
- Indian heritage is kept alive in crafts, music, dance, ceremony, and camaraderie. Native crafts and customs came alive through actual demonstrations that included flint-knapping, basket weaving, finger-weaving, gorget carving, woodcarving, blacksmithing, pottery production, cornhusk doll making, Native American foods display, weaponry displays, Native American dancing, and music. |
- celebrates Native American culture through performers, vendors, demonstrators, living history teachers, and more. |
Why it matters |
Land is something sacred to all of us, whether we consciously appreciate it or not — it is the space upon which we play, live, eat, find love, and experience life. Acknowledging and righting the wrongs of history, and also involves a personal journey through the importance of connecting with the earth, its creatures, and its teachings. |
1028 S Court Street Florence, AL 35630 1.3 miles from UNA (5-6 minutes) |
501 Main St, Waterloo, AL 35677 24 miles from UNA (31 minutes) |
1219 Co Rd 187, Danville, AL 35619 42 miles from UNA (50 minutes) |
634 Mound State Parkway, Moundville, AL 35474 139 miles from UNA (2 hours 50 minutes) |
105 5th St NE, Fort Payne, AL 35967 140 miles from UNA (2 hours 35 minutes) |
Fort Payne, AL 35967 140 miles from UNA (2 hours 35 minutes) |
2521 W Fort Toulouse Rd, Wetumpka, AL 36093 210 miles from UNA (3 hours 50 minutes) |
The is located in Florence, Alabama. They are an educational and research facility dedicated to the preservation of the Native American Horse and other animals that were held sacred to the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. The Sanctuary lies on what was once part of the 1806 Congressional Reservation, the first Federal Indian Reservation in the United States. Also houses an Interpretive Center and Museum. Sacred Way Sanctuary 4409 County Road 200, Florence, AL 35633 Phone: 256-648-0582 Hours: Saturday, 9am – 6pm by appointment |
The stands at the base of Florence’s own Indian mound – one of the largest Woodland period mounds in the state of Alabama at forty-three feet tall. Visitors can walk to the top of the mound via stairs free of charge and pay a small museum entrance fee to view artifacts found on the property dating as far back as 10,000 years. Florence Indian Mound and Museum 1028 S Court Street Florence, AL 35630 Phone: 256-760-6427 Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm • Sunday: 1:00 - 4:00 pm |
is located in Danville, Alabama. The park consists of almost 200 acres of land and is home to almost 100 archeological sites. The museum based on the seven-sided design of a traditional Cherokee council house – displays artifacts found on the property dating as far back as 14,000 years. The most distinctive features of the park are its remaining two Woodland period mounds: a 26-foot-high, 1.5-acre-wide ceremonial mound and a 13-foot-high burial mound. Admission to the Center is free, and group tours can be purchased at a small fee per person. Oakville Indian Mounds 1219 County Road 187 Danville, AL 35619 Phone: 256-905-2494 or 256-905-2499 |
The , also known as the Tom Hendrix Wall or Te-lah-nay’s Wall, memorializes the journey of Tom Hendrix’s great-great-grandmother, Te-lah-nay. Taken from her home with the Yuchi people along the Tennessee River and forced to march to Oklahoma in the Trail of Tears, Te-lah-nay spent one winter in Oklahoma before embarking on a five-year journey back to Alabama. Taking Hendrix thirty years to construct, the wall is unique to Florence and the United States in that it is the largest un-mortared rock wall in the U.S. as well as the largest memorial to a Native American woman. Tom’s Wall Phone: 256-764-3617 Open Daily |
Updated February 2024