Native neighbors
What Native neighbors believe, what they celebrate, and what they wish you’d just ask.
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Questions people ask
- Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day: which is it? Both fall on the second Monday in October. 2 min read
- Do Native Americans pay taxes? Yes. Native Americans pay federal income tax like other citizens. 4 min read
- What do Native traditional religions teach? There is no single Native religion. There are 575 federally recognized tribes in the United States alone, each with its own language, history, ceremonies, and relationship with the sacred. 3 min read
- What happens when we die? What do different faiths teach? Every major tradition has a teaching about death, and no two are quite the same, though many share a shape. 4 min read
- What is a reservation? A reservation is land held in federal trust for a Native nation, what remained after treaties in which tribes ceded their original territories in exchange for smaller, defined lands. 3 min read
- What is Thanksgiving like for Native families? It depends on the family. Many Native families gather, eat and give thanks like everyone else, and giving thanks is an old practice in many Native traditions. 2 min read
- Why do people say ‘Indian’ or ‘Native American’? Which is right? Both are used. Neither is perfect. ‘Indian’ was a Columbus error (he thought he’d reached India), but it has been used for 500 years, is used by many Native people themselves, and appears in the names of tribal organizations and federal agencies. ‘Native American’ came into wider use in the 1970s. ‘Indigenous’ is often preferred in academic and international contexts. 3 min read
Through time
About 2000 BC: Abraham answers God's callAbout 1500 BC: The Rig VedaAbout 1450 BC: The Exodus and the Torah at SinaiAbout 500 BC: The Buddha teachesAbout 400 BC to AD 200: The Bhagavad GitaAbout 250 BC: Emperor AshokaAbout 6 BC: Jesus is bornAbout AD 30: Jesus' death and resurrectionAD 610: The Qur'an's revelation beginsAD 622: The Hijra1469: Guru Nanak is born1699: The Khalsa is founded1787: No religious test for office1791: The First Amendment1820: The First VisionApril 6, 1830: The Church is organized1965: Immigration and Nationality Act2023–24: 29 percent unaffiliated More than 15,000 years ago: Native peoples in North America1830: The Indian Removal Act1868: The Navajo come home1883: Ceremonies punished1924: The Indian Citizenship Act1978: American Indian Religious Freedom Act2026: 575 recognized tribes
- More than 15,000 years agoNative peoples in North America. Native peoples have lived here for at least 15,000 years; many tribes teach they have always been here.
- 1830The Indian Removal Act. Congress passes the Indian Removal Act, leading to the forced removal of Cherokee and other nations from their homelands.
- 1868The Navajo come home. After the Long Walk and years at Bosque Redondo, Navajo leaders sign a treaty to return to their homeland.
- 1883Ceremonies punished. The U.S. sets up courts to punish Native people for traditional ceremonies like the Sun Dance.
- 1924The Indian Citizenship Act. A new law makes Native Americans born in the United States citizens of the country.
- 1978American Indian Religious Freedom Act. Congress passes a law meant to protect Native peoples' right to practice their traditional religions.
- 2026575 recognized tribes. The federal government's official list now names 575 tribes, after adding the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.