Diversity & Inclusion Spotlight - November 2026
Native American Heritage Month
Celebrating Native nations, cultures, histories, and contemporary voices
Images from New Museum Los Gatos programming created in collaboration with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Photography associated with the exhibitions includes work by tribal photographer Kike Arnal. (NUMU | New Museum Los Gatos)
Each November, Native American Heritage Month provides an opportunity to recognize the histories, cultures, achievements, and continuing contributions of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples. Here in the Bay Area, that recognition has particular resonance: the region is home to living Indigenous communities whose cultures, languages, governments, and relationships to the land continue today.
For our ALA Community, the month also invites us to deepen our understanding of tribal sovereignty, federal Indian law, treaties and Indigenous rights, and Native representation within the legal profession—subjects that demonstrate how law can shape not only individual rights but also the relationship between governments and sovereign nations.
WHY IT MATTERS TO THE LEGAL PROFESSION
Tribal nations are sovereign political entities, and the legal framework governing relationships among tribal, federal, and state governments presents distinctive questions of jurisdiction, authority, treaty rights, self-determination, and federal Indian law.
Representation matters as well. The American Bar Association notes that increasing the presence of Native attorneys, judges, and scholars can strengthen advocacy and judicial decision-making on laws affecting tribal nations, sovereignty, and Indigenous rights. (American Bar Association)
Consider this month an invitation to learn—not only about Native history, but about Native peoples, governments, cultures, and legal issues today.
WATCH
Smoke Signals — Written by Sherman Alexie and directed by Chris Eyre (Cheyenne/Arapaho), this landmark feature centers on contemporary Native characters, friendship, family, grief, and identity.
Gather — A documentary exploring Native American efforts to reclaim Indigenous foodways and food sovereignty.
Reel Injun — A documentary examining how Hollywood has constructed—and distorted—images of Native people on screen.
Barking Water — Sterlin Harjo’s intimate road film follows two Seminole characters through Oklahoma and offers an alternative to stereotypical portrayals of Native life.
READ
There There — Tommy Orange
A multigenerational novel following Native characters converging on a powwow in Oakland—a particularly relevant selection for Bay Area readers.
Braiding Sweetgrass — Robin Wall Kimmerer
A botanist and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation brings Indigenous knowledge and scientific inquiry into conversation.
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee — David Treuer
A sweeping history that deliberately shifts the narrative from disappearance and tragedy toward Native survival, adaptation, and contemporary life.
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States — Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
A reconsideration of U.S. history through the experiences of Indigenous peoples, useful for readers interested in the relationship among law, government, land, and colonization.
ATTEND | BAY AREA
Reawakening Community Day — Saturday, November 7, 2026, noon–4 p.m.
At New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU), 106 E. Main Street, Los Gatos. The free, registration-required community day celebrates the museum's two Reawakening exhibitions through activities and exhibition-inspired programming honoring the culture and experiences of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. (NUMU | New Museum Los Gatos) Event details and registration.
Reawakening: Muwekma Ohlone Culture and Connection in Pursuit of Recognition — through November 29
Also at NUMU, this exhibition explores Muwekma Ohlone cultural practices and the Tribe's advocacy to restore federal recognition, including its “Trail of Truth” journey to Washington, D.C. It was developed with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and San José State University's Department of Anthropology. (NUMU | New Museum Los Gatos) Exhibition information
Reawakening: Reciprocity of Land, Sea, and the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe — throughout November
The companion NUMU exhibition focuses on cultural and practical land stewardship, native plants, cultural burning, Chochenyo language revitalization, dance, music, song, ceremony, and cultural revival. It remains on view through January 3, 2027. (NUMU | New Museum Los Gatos) Exhibition information
Native American & Indigenous Heritage Celebration — San Francisco
The San Francisco Public Library's 2026 celebration recognizes November as Native American Heritage Month and offers Indigenous-focused programming including films, workshops, presentations, and other activities. The Library also acknowledges that San Francisco occupies the ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone. (San Francisco Public Library) Explore SFPL's 2026 programming.
LEARN • LISTEN • RECOGNIZE
Native American Heritage Month is an opportunity to move beyond historical narratives and engage with living Native nations and communities. As legal professionals, we can use the month to better understand tribal sovereignty and self-determination, examine the legal systems that have affected Indigenous peoples, seek out Native authors and filmmakers, and listen to Native communities speaking for themselves.
For an additional law-focused resource, the American Bar Association's 2026 Native Voices in Law program examines Native representation in the profession and its relationship to tribal nations, sovereignty, Indigenous rights, advocacy, and judicial decision-making. (American Bar Association)
Celebrate. Learn. Listen. Engage.
