November is American Indian Heritage Month and the Internet provides a wealth of information about the American Indian culture. Here are a few of the many online resources available to learn more about this rich culture.
* Native Languages of the Americas: Preserving and promoting American Indian languages at www.native-languages.org is a nonprofit organization's effort to keep the Native American languages alive. The site features more than 800 indigenous languages spoken in the Western Hemisphere. The site also includes a section made especially for kids.
* Education World has a great lesson plan featuring activities to help celebrate the Native American Heritage at www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson209.shtml. This site features a brief background about how and why the official month-long celebration began. It also offers recipes, games and word searches, oral histories and much more.
* Encyclopedia Smithsonian: American Indian History and Culture at www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/History_and_Culture/AmericanIndian_History.htm provides a wealth of information about American Indian culture. The site includes recommended reading on a variety of Native American-related topics, links to research resources, programs and more. One link in particular is a must-see: the American Indian Museum. The museum collects, preserves, studies and exhibits the living culture and history of the native peoples of the Americas. The direct link to the museum is www.nmai.si.edu.
