November is Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month. The celebration of Indigenous cultures began as a week-long celebration in 1986, when President Reagan proclaimed the week of November 23-30, 1986 as "American Indian Week." Every President since 1995 has issued annual proclamations designating the month of November as the time to celebrate the cultures, accomplishments, and contributions of Native American and Alaska Native communities.
We celebrate by listening and learning to Indigenous and native voices from across the continent. You can learn more about the diverse experiences of Native Americans and Alaska Natives with this collection of documentaries. You can stream these films and shows and more on PBS.org or on the PBS App.
What to watch this Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month
Little Bird | Now Streaming
The American Buffalo | Now Streaming
Embracing Duality: Modern Indigenous Culture (Next at the Kennedy Center) | Now Streaming
Native America Season 2 | Now Streaming
Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer | Now Streaming
Town Destroyer (America ReFramed) | Now Streaming
Generations Stolen (Local, USA) | Streaming with Passport
ATTLA (Independent Lens) | Streaming with Passport
Home From School: The Children of Carlisle (Independent Lens) | Streaming with Passport
Scenes from the Glittering World (Independent Lens) | Streaming with Passport
Lily Gladstone: Far Out There
American Masters brings us closer to Lily Gladstone, star of "Killers of the Flower Moon." Filmmaker Brooke Pepion Swaney profiles independent film actress Lily Gladstone as she prepares for the release of "Killers of the Flower Moon." Drawing from her childhood on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana and her peripatetic life as a professional actor, Gladstone learns to stand on her own two feet in order to make her voice heard.
If you want to learn more about the true story that inspired the Hollywood movie, you can watch the documentary short film "Osage Murders" from the 2022 PBS Short Film Festival.
Rise of the Bison
From our partners at Agency Mabu:
In the heart of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, where the winds whisper ancient tales and the land cradles secrets, lies the Hans Creek Bison Company. This tribally operated ranch, nestled in the rugged Twin Buttes region of central North Dakota, is more than just a place—it’s a testament to the indomitable spirit of a people.
Meet Cory Spotted Bear, a Councilman from the Twin Buttes segment, who becomes our guide through this remarkable saga. In 2017, the Hans Creek herd began with a humble gift: 10 bison, generously donated by the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. These majestic creatures, once on the brink of oblivion, now roam free across 12,000 acres of pristine, natural grasslands. As the sun sets over the rolling hills, we hear the refrain: “Their fate is our fate.” In those words, the essence of this story unfolds—a reminder that our destinies are entwined. “Rise of the Bison” invites you to witness this primal dance—a celebration of life, land, and legacy. For in the heart of the Twin Buttes, something extraordinary stirs—a tale of survival, stitched together by the threads of time.
Rise of The Bison from Agency MABU on Vimeo.
Watch episodes of Alter-NATIVE: Kitchen
In this series from Independent Lens, see how cooking connects three Native chefs to their own histories. Watch as they teach others in their communities with mouth-watering delicacies.
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What is the Land Back movement?
The Land Back movement aims to reclaim ancestral lands in order to restore Indigenous governance over them. In other words, it is an effort to get Indigenous land back to Indigenous people. The concept has existed for generations, and current efforts have caught more attention on social media in the last five years, particularly after the No Access Dakota Pipeline protests on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
These three stories explore the Land Back movement in different ways. This episode of Above the Noise explores how can inform environmental and climate change conversations. The documentary Groundworks is a film about some creative practices of California Natives within the movement. In Their Element, from Local, USA, spotlights Indigenous leaders rising up to meet the challenge of the climate crisis. For people whose existence is inseparable from their native land, climate change is not a tale of the future - it is the present.
Time Has Many Voices: The Excavation of the Muwekma Ohlone Village
In the Bay area of San Francisco is an ancient village site where Native peoples long ago lived and prospered. Now, in a once in a lifetime event, the descendants of those people, the Muwekma Ohlone, have partnered with archeologists to conduct one of the most intensive studies ever undertaken at an early pre-contact site in California.
Indigi-Genius
We love this series from New Mexico PBS! Here's the latest episode, but you can stream all of them on PBS app!
Indigi-Genius is devoted to telling the scientific & cultural impact of Indigenous creations & knowledge of the past and present. Written & hosted by Dr. Lee Francis, pueblo & self described Indigi-Nerd, & funded in part by VisionMaker Media. The series covers a range of global Indigenous topics & breaks down the science, culture, history, & “Indigi-Genius” knowledge.
Conscience Point | Independent Lens
Conscience Point tracks the fractured history of the Shinnecock tribe on Long Island alongside the spirited path of one Native woman determined to make a stand: activist Rebecca Hill-Genia who, together with other determined tribal members and allies, has waged a relentless, years-long battle to protect the land and Shinnecock cultural heritage from the ravages of development and displacement.
Full documentary is streaming with Passport
A Qayaq to Carry Us
Get to know the Sugpiat community as they come home to Kodiak Island in Alaska to learn and build Indigenous knowledge.
Merging Indigenous knowledge with western science, Dr. Sven Haakanson and other Sugpiat people in Akhiok pass along the ingenuity of traditional knowledge in a living context to young Sugpiat while building a kayak from wood gathered on the treeless beaches of Cape Alitak.
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