The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) proudly observes November as Native American Heritage Month as proclaimed by Gov. Tim Walz. There is a deep and rich Native American history in Minnesota, with these communities making essential contributions to the culture and economy of our state.

The area known today as the State of Minnesota is located on ancestral and contemporary lands that have been called home by Native Americans since time immemorial. This land is home to many Tribal Nations, including the Anishinaabe, Dakota, Ojibwe, Ho-Chunk, Cheyenne, Oto, Iowa, Hidatsa, Arikara, A’aninin, Cree, Blackfeet, Assiniboine, and the Sac and Fox peoples.

During Native American Heritage Month, MDVA joins the State of Minnesota in honoring our vibrant and diverse Native American cultures as we reconcile with the hostility of the past; and commit to appreciation, tolerance, reconciliation, understanding, friendship, and continued partnerships among all Minnesotans and the Native Peoples of this land.

In Minnesota, our Native American Veterans comprise 1.3 % of our Veteran population. Native Americans have one of the highest records of military service per capita of any ethnic group. Yet less than 50 percent of eligible American Indian Veterans apply for benefits they have earned. The MDVA Tribal Veterans Service Officer initiative operates in partnership with the Governmental and Tribal agencies, the Governor's Office, Minnesota State Legislators and the Minnesota Native American Nations. MDVA is here to support all Veterans and our Field Operations team directly supports all 11 Native American Tribes in Minnesota through Tribal Veteran Service Officers.

Want to know more about Native American history in the U.S. Military?

• U.S. Army
• U.S. Coast Guard
• U.S. Marines
• U.S. Navy
• The National Guard
• Why we serve, Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces, National Museum of the American Indian
• The Remarkable and Complex Legacy of Native American Military Service, Smithsonian Magazine
• Navajo Code Talkers, Inventors of the Unbreakable Code, National Intelligence

To get connected to Veteran and community resources and arts/cultural organizations, check out these sites:

• MN Tribal Veteran Services Officers
• MN Indian Affairs Council
• MN Indian Tribes index
• University of Minnesota American Indian Studies (Resources and Links)
• Learn about Minnesota’s Native American poet laureate Gwen Westerman.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Center for Minority Veterans (CMV)
  • CMV’s quarterly newsletter – The Voice
• Media: Minnesota Native News, The Circle, Twin Cities PBS
• Museums: MN Historical Society – Native Culture and History, Minneapolis Institute of Art, National Museum of the American Indian, Heard Museum (Advancing American Indian Art)
• Learn about the land you occupy