Diversity Spotlight – November 2020
Native American Heritage Month
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month by participating in activities around the state:
Western Missouri
- On November 6, Travois First Fridays hosts artist Melissa Melero-Moose as she presents a digital artist talk, The Great Basin Native Artists. Melissa Melero-Moose is a Northern Paiute enrolled with the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe with ties to Fort Bidwell Paiute, Calif. She is an accomplished artist with her own unique style. Her works consist of contemporary mixed media paintings inspired by the landscape and culture of the Numu (Northern Paiute) in Nevada, California, and Oregon — natural surroundings in the Great Basin (willow and pine nuts), and Paiute basketry and local petroglyphs. Melissa has also integrated her own green painting techniques and disciplines to her process that ensure a lighter environmental footprint. For more information or to preregister for this special event, please visit online.
- Were your ancestors Native American? Research your family tree at the National Archives, Central Plains Region, Kansas City. For information regarding hours or scheduling, please contact (816) 268-8000 or email kansascity.archives@nara.gov.
Central Missouri
- Imagine eighteenth-century life at Osage Village State Historic Site in what is now a peaceful hilltop spot that once was the home of up to 3,000 Native peoples and about 200 lodges. Print a site map and suggested walking tour to enhance your time at this state park located in Walker. Check out the site for directions or further information.
- Visit Graham State Park, located just west of Danville. A walk in Graham Cave State Park is a walk through ancient history. Artifacts uncovered in Graham Cave reveal that people occupied the cave 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. Please visit online for further information.
Eastern Missouri
- Explore Towosahgy State Historic Site in East Prairie, where visitors can view earthen mounds built by Mississippian peoples living in Missouri. Visit online for additional detail.
- Visit the only Illinois Indian Village site discovered in Missouri at Iliniwek Village State Historic Site. Visitors can pack a picnic and hike the short walking trial complete with an excavated Indian longhouse. Check out the site for directions to Wayland or further detail.
- Discover the Trail of Tears State Park, where thousands of Cherokee peoples crossed the Mississippi River in a forced migration from their native lands to the then newly created Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. For more information or directions to Jackson, visit the site.
Statewide
- The State Historical Society of Missouri houses resources for those interested in Native American history. Collections may be accessed at the SHSMO Research Centers in Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Kansas City, Rolla, Springfield, and St. Louis.
- Pay tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans specific to Missouri, including the Chickasaw, Missouri, Osage, Otoe, and Quapaw communities.
- Missouri is a Siouan Indian word defined as town of the large canoes, wooden canoe people, or he of the big canoe. Set afloat in your own canoe on one of Missouri’s many scenic waterways throughout the state.