Google Doodle opens Native American Heritage Month with beadwork
“Native American Heritage Month”
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Native American Heritage Month began Sunday, Nov. 1, with a new Google Doodle built around beadwork. The November observance recognizes Indigenous peoples’ histories, cultures and contributions in the United States.
The Doodle turns the two “O”s in Google’s name into circular beaded ornaments made by the Plains Apache. The ornaments date from 1890 to 1909 and are part of the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
Other objects highlighted alongside the Doodle include a beaded silk sash made by the Coushatta in 1875 and a Kickapoo hair ornament from 1900, made with cotton, silk and glass beads. The objects connect the month’s opening to particular makers and communities, rather than treating beadwork as a single, uniform tradition.
Beadwork has served as a form of cultural expression and identity. Indigenous artists continue to carry it into contemporary jewelry, sculpture, apparel and mixed-media work, the Doodle’s description notes. The museum collection places historical objects alongside a living art form.
The monthlong observance grew out of decades of efforts to recognize Native people nationally. In 1976, Cherokee and Osage citizen Jerry C. Elliott-High Eagle authored legislation for Native American Awareness Week. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed American Indian Week in 1986. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush designated November as National American Indian Heritage Month.
The 1990 resolution called on federal, state and local governments, organizations and the public to observe the month with programs, ceremonies and activities. The recognition reflects Indigenous peoples’ contributions to the country’s culture and society, while the observance also draws attention to continuing challenges facing Native communities.
Google’s Doodle marks the first day of this year’s November observance. Its description does not lay out a calendar of events for the rest of the month; it focuses on beadwork, the communities behind the featured objects and the art’s continued presence in contemporary work.