Native American Indian Heritage Month is celebrated November 1-30 of each year! According to the National Native American Indian Heritage Month website, the month-long celebration started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S. which has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose. Read more about the history of Native American Indian Heritage Month.
In honor of Native American Indian Heritage Month we worked with local Native American Indian Artist and staff member, Z, to design a bookmark. Bookmarks are available at the Library while supplies last.
About the Artwork
The artwork featured on the front of the bookmark is a demigod called The Night Jaguar. The Night Jaguar represents the Mayan culture. The red color was chosen because it represents heritage and the Indigenous peoples. Each element on The Night Jaguar represents a warrior’s markings. These markings are earned over time for each warrior and mean different things based on their lives.
The feathers on the front of the bookmark represent the three nations. The left feather comes from an American Eagle and represents the nations of North America. The middle feather comes from a Pheasant and represents nations of Mexico and Central America. The last feather featured on the right, is a Parrot feather and represents the nations of South America.
The white circle behind the Night Jaguar represents the sun. The white border with triangles represents the many patterns featured in Indigenous art.
Lastly, the book held by The Night Jaguar represents literacy and knowledge. The reason I chose a book over a traditional scroll, was to represent Indigenous peoples in the modern era.
-Chief Night Jaguar
Artist