"Every November, Native American Heritage Month invites us to learn from the stories that came before our own. The 2025 theme, “Tribal Nations: Sovereignty, Trust, and Resilience,” reminds us that Native history is not frozen in the past. It continues to grow and shape our communities today.
Sovereignty means the right to self-govern. For Native nations, it represents the authority to make their own decisions, laws, and traditions, just as other governments do.
Before Ohio became a state, it was home to thriving tribal nations with strong systems of leadership and culture. The Shawnee, Wyandot, Ottawa, Miami, Delaware (Lenape), and Seneca peoples lived across what is now Ohio. Their villages followed rivers and trade routes that still shape many of our communities today.
Teaching about sovereignty helps students see that these were, and still are, nations with their own identities and histories.
Explore more:
Ohio History Connection: American Indian History
Native Land Digital Map to discover which tribal nations first called the area where you live home."
FROM: The Ohio Council of Community Schools
