Joe Frazier from Portland, OR, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons November is Native American Heritage Month, also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. This annual event provides the opportunity to learn about the history, achievements, contributions, and cultural legacy of the original inhabitants of the land that now makes up the United States. There are also tribes recognized by their respective state governments. Several hundred tribes have not received federal recognition, or their recognition was terminated in the 1950s and 60s.