While many people focus on shopping deals the day after Thanksgiving, Native leaders hoped Americans also used the day to honor the country’s first peoples.
The Friday after Thanksgiving is not only Black Friday, but also National Native American Heritage Day — a federal observance established in 2008 that falls within November’s Native American Heritage Month. For Indigenous communities, it’s a chance to highlight history, celebrate living cultures and encourage others to learn more.
“It started, as most things do, with the Native communities as a grassroots effort,” said Seth Fairchild, executive director of cultural preservation for the Choctaw Nation. “I think the significance across all tribes is an opportunity to educate people about our culture in particular and give people an opportunity to learn more about who we are and learn more about the tribe.”
Things to do for Native American Heritage Day in North Texas
One of the closest places for North Texans to experience those traditions firsthand is the Choctaw Cultural Center in Durant, Oklahoma, less than a two-hour drive from the Dallas-Fort Worth area…