Every November, Native American Heritage Month goes by, mostly unnoticed by the majority of the citizens of the United States. However, Native American Heritage Month is important and should be celebrated due to the diminishing numbers of Native Americans in the United States. Without the preservation of Native American heritage, American citizens run the risk of losing the identity of these indigenous people forever despite the fact that Native Americans have been a part of the United States' history for as long as there have been settlers in the "New World." So, in order to prepare you for Native American Heritage Month, here is some history about the month, as well as ways that you can enjoy and celebrate Native American cultures.

In 1990, President George Bush officially declared November as "National Native American Indian Heritage Month"; however, Native Americans and others had been celebrating this month for many decades before its official declaration.

Native Americans have made several contributions to our current society, such as some of our favorite foods, including corn, pumpkins, avocados, and sweet potatoes. They were also among the first to raise turkeys for food, and they also discovered several medicinal uses for natural items that now make up to 20 percent of our pharmaceutical industry.

Folklore and stories are a huge part of every culture around the world, and Native Americans have just as many stories as the next one, so if you have the time this November, please check out some Native American literature or stories online. If you're more into modern tales, though, I'd definitely recommend reading anything by Alexie Sherman -- he's a well-renowned Native American novelist and poet.

Try a new Native American recipe, from any region! You can find all sorts of different recipes here, such as calabacitas, a vegetable dish eaten with tortillas and cheese, or even sweet potato soup. You'll never know what new recipe you might find similar to your own home cooking, or something that's entirely unfamiliar to you but may become a new favorite!

Read up on the actual Thanksgiving story -- to American students, Thanksgiving is the representation of settlers from Europe coming together to celebrate a new relationships with the Wampanoag Native Americans. However, history is much different; in actuality, the settlers and Native Americans came together many times to give thanks, there was no "one" first meal that indicated a good relationship with one another, but rather an agreement that the two groups would work to protect each other against enemies. Another interesting fact, though, is that the Wampanoag celebrate Thanksgiving almost exactly how Americans celebrate each year, except the Thanksgiving usually lasts up to four days if there is enough money for a proper celebration; however, if there isn't, they'll celebrate the same way Americans do and end their communion with a social and dance together around the drums.

So this Native American Heritage Month, don't let the culture of the Native Americans pass you by unnoticed, and make sure that you take the time to learn about your neighbors in the United States and the role that they have had in your history. Who knows, you might realize you have a lot more in common with the natives of this land than you thought, or that you would like to do more to celebrate these fading cultures throughout the whole year.