National Museum of the American Indian | Smithsonian
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Native Knowledge 360° Education Initiative
Transforming teaching and learning
about Native Americans
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In the Spotlight
Increase your knowledge about Native resilience during California’s Spanish mission period with a free professional development webinar and online resources for fourth and middle and high school grades.
collage of collection items, photographs, document and illustration
Source Investigation
California Native American Survival and Resilience During the Mission Period: Middle & High School Edition
This inquiry lesson provides primary and secondary sources, maps, images, background history, and objects from the museum’s collections to offer teachers and students insight into California Native American resilience during the Spanish mission period. Grades 7–12
collage of collection items, photographs, and illustration
Source Investigation
California Native American Survival and Resilience During the Mission Period: 4th Grade Edition
This inquiry lesson on California Native American resilience during the Spanish mission period has been adapted for the fourth grade. Grade 4
a presentor with projection screes showing maps stands before a seated group of people
Online Professional Development
July 22 & 23, 2025
California Native American Survival and Resilience During the Mission Period: A Source Investigation
Learn about Native people during California’s Spanish mission period to analyze the question, How did Native Americans of California resist and persist in the face of extreme adversity?
Featured Teacher Programs
a presentor with projection screes showing maps stands before a seated group of people
California Native American Survival and Resilience During the Mission Period: A Source Investigation
July 22 & 23, 2025
Online

Learn about Native people during California’s Spanish mission period to analyze the question, How did Native Americans of California resist and persist in the face of extreme adversity?

Program Details

Native Knowledge 360° Teach-In
September 20, 2025
Onsite | National Museum of the American Indian, New York, NY

The ninth annual Native Knowledge 360° Teach-In is an opportunity for educators to strategize ways to uplift and bring Native voices directly into the classroom. Recommended for grades K–12

Program Details
Exterior facade of the enterance of the National Museum of the American Indian, NY
Explore NK360° Educational Resources
collage featuing baskets, interior of a church, sketch of two figures, man with a bow
California Native American Survival and Resilience During the Mission Period: 4th Grade Edition
collage featuring a basket, writing, a photograph of a woman, a photograph of a man, an illustration of a figure, and a woven bag with shells
California Native American Survival and Resilience During the Mission Period: Middle & High School Edition
illustration featuring panels with figures engaging in life activities
The “First Thanksgiving”: How Can We Tell a Better Story?
illustration of an adult and kids in silhouette watching a screen
What’s the Story with National Stories?
collage of photographs and articles
The Impact of the Gold Rush on Native Americans of California
photograph of the Pamunky River
Life Along the River: The Pamunkey Indian Tribe of Virginia
illustration of silhouetted figures
Lenape (Delaware) Homeland
illustrations of figures on a map
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Lands and the American Revolution
photograph of a basket filled with cranberries
Cranberry Day: Traditional Harvest Festivals
Search the museum’s collection
Bring impactful, Native-centered primary source materials into your classroom through the museum’s Collections Search.
Educators participating in teacher workshops
Professional Development
Explore workshops designed to equip teachers with critical concepts and engaging pedagogy to support a transformation in teaching and learning about Native Americans.
Children interacting with digital resources in the classroom
Group Timed Entry
Student groups interested in timed entry to the imagiNATIONS Activity Center may make a reservation.
Frequently Asked Questions about Native Americans
What is the correct terminology: American Indian, Indian, Native American, Indigenous, or Native?
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