{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","contentId":"00000175-8a6d-d2d8-a9fd-effd5f240002","url":"https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/honoring-native-cultures-traditions-and-histories-at-amazon","headline":"Honoring Native cultures, traditions, and histories at Amazon","description":"Untitled","datePublished":"2020-10-30T21:01:54.184Z","dateModified":"2020-10-30T21:01:54.184Z","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amazon Staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/08549ff/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1125x1125+438+0/resize/84x84!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F47%2F6d%2F7fe296e642859c7ba2a629eda3ba%2Famazon-logo-hero-images-2024.jpg","width":"84","height":"84"}}],"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/577dfb2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1333+0+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fca%2F14%2F5582e2e044f39c3bb35b6ff26392%2Fnahm-hero.jpg","width":"300","height":"200"},"articleBody":"![An image of three leaders of the Indigenous@ affinity group at Amazon.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/577dfb2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1333+0+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fca%2F14%2F5582e2e044f39c3bb35b6ff26392%2Fnahm-hero.jpg)\n\n# Honoring Native cultures, traditions, and histories at Amazon\n\n*Each November, Amazon celebrates Native American Heritage Month, a time to recognize the rich cultures, traditions, and histories of Native American people.*\n\nHow much do you know about Native Americans in the U.S. today? Did you know there are more than 500 federally recognized tribes, and the culture is as prevalent today as it was centuries ago?\n\n“I wish that people knew that Native American culture is alive and well. We speak our language and live our traditions today, even those of us living in cities away from our homelands,” said Fawn Sanchez, an Army Veteran and AWS Enterprise Support Training Manager.\n\nNative American Heritage Month is an opportunity for education, and to recognize the culture, experiences, and history of Native peoples.\n\n“To me, being Native American means having an interconnected relationship to my homeland and to my culture and traditions. This guides who I am and how I live my life,” said Sanchez, who is Shoshone Bannock from Fort Hall Idaho and Carizzo-Comecrudo from Monterrey, Mexico. “Native culture and traditions are passed down through elders, through storytelling and ceremony. I’ve been fortunate enough to grow up in a Native community and learn about my culture, and am dedicated to sharing that with others.”\n\nSharing personal experiences and traditions with others is essential for learning, according to Sharon Chiarella, Vice President of Community Shopping at Amazon. “Native Americans are a vital piece of the history of the U.S., yet many Americans know very little about the backgrounds and customs.”\n\nChiarella is the executive sponsor of an employee group called Indigenous@. Sanchez is the organization’s Vice President.\n\n## Indigenous@\n\nThe Amazon employee affinity group is dedicated to making an internal and external impact that celebrates and elevates diverse Indigenous cultures. Formed three years ago, the group’s goal is to make Amazon the premier employer for Indigenous people.\n\n![An image of a member of the Indigenous@ leadership.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/347de1b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6720x4480+0+0/resize/767x511!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F54%2F1f%2Fe8f9064d44bf9d2ee5cda80f144d%2Fs2-4490-copy.jpg)\nMichael Running Wolf, Lakota and Cheyenne, Co-Founder of the Indigenous@ affinity group, and a Software Development Engineer with Amazon’s Business Data Technologies Team.\n\n![An image of a member of the Indigenous@ leadership.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/a6a480f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2100x1400+0+0/resize/767x511!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fa7%2Ff0%2F067f8b234fe28c76f21eebac815b%2Fjb.jpg)\nJohn Bailey, member of the Muckleshoot Nation, Indigenous@ affinity group Board Member and Co-Founder, and Executive Assistant at Amazon.\n\n![An image of a member of the Indigenous@ leadership.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/eb3ac73/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2100x1400+0+0/resize/767x511!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fed%2Fd3%2F06b8ba9b4f96997a8e1c01c15f93%2Ffs.jpg)\nFawn Sanchez, Shoshone-Bannock and Carizzo-Comecrudo, AWS Training Manager, and Vice President of the Indigenous@ affinity group.\n\n“Support from a leader like Amazon has outsized impact,” said Michael Running Wolf, Lakota and Cheyenne, Co-Founder of Indigenous@, and a Software Development Engineer with Amazon’s Business Data Technologies Team.\n\nWith three established chapters and more than 800 members, Indigenous@ recently participated in the company’s first-ever Represent the Future career enrichment summit designed to uplift individuals in Black, Latinx, and Native American communities.\n\n“I am so proud of what our group has accomplished,” said Carla Corl,Fernandeño Tatavíam Band of Mission Indians,Amazon Software Development Engineer and Co-Founder of Indigenous@. “We have made our voices heard, and seen our heritage celebrated in impactful ways. It has made me even more proud of my heritage and the resiliency and perseverance it engenders.”\n\n## Supporting Native communities\n\nThe Indigenous@ group works with a variety of nonprofit organizations to support the growth and development of Indigenous Peoples and communities across the nation. This support ranges from donations to tribal communities impacted by current events to offering coding camps for Native Americans. The Indigenous@ group recommends supporting these nonprofit organizations:\n\n- [AISES](https://www.aises.org/support)\n- [Potlatch Fund](http://www.potlatchfund.org/)\n- [American Indian Graduate Center](https://www.aigcs.org/aigc-donation-form/)\n- [First Nations’ COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund](https://www.firstnations.org/covid-19-emergency-response-fund/)\n\n## Fast facts\n\nTo mark Native American Heritage Month, [the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Indian Affairs](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2020/aian-month.html) compiled this data:\n\n**6.9 million**—The nation's American Indian and Alaska Native population alone or in combination with other race groups is 6.9 million.\n\n**324—**The number of distinct federally recognized American Indian reservations in 2019, including federal reservations and off-reservation trust land.\n\n**574—**The number of federally-recognized tribes in 2020.\n\n**142,972—**Thenumber of single-race American Indian and Alaska Native veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces in 2019.\n\n## Honoring Indigenous cultures\n\nTo learn more about the histories and contributions of Indigenous communities, browse through our [curated book list on Native peoples](https://blog.aboutamazon.com/working-at-amazon/honoring-indigenous-peoples-day), and watch the films included in the gallery below.\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/f8caa29/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Ff6%2F36%2F5efd76854e1f8b65a8582ec7d65d%2Fturquoise-rose.jpg)\nWatch [Turquoise Rose](https://www.amazon.com/Turquoise-Rose-Natasha-Kaye-Johnson/dp/B088G1B4KD/) on Prime Video\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/4937161/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fce%2Fde%2Ff11973a94e7192fa5ea6cb694410%2Flittle-wounds-warriors.jpg)\nWatch [Little Wounds Warriors](https://www.amazon.com/Little-Wounds-Warriors-Seth-McClellan/dp/B07CNX7K1J/) on Prime Video\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/253c6e8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F7a%2F7c%2F252b452141f090acaf0d07f8959a%2Fpow-wow-highway.jpg)\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/881d7a1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fa0%2F38%2Fb83dde034d89a3f523b6ad41c13b%2Fedge-of-america.jpg)\nWatch [Edge of America](https://www.amazon.com/Edge-America-James-McDaniel/dp/B07BJFBZNF) on Prime Video\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/415a860/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F14%2F51%2Fb4544eaf44bb8bfb9b1cc1ed639b%2F7th-generation.jpg)\nWatch [7th Generation](https://www.amazon.com/7th-Generation-Jim-Warne/dp/B07BFW14CZ) on Prime Video\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/0a9aa78/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fd9%2Ff7%2F69487791484e8bd3d8a541a518e9%2Feducation-of-little-tree.jpg)\nWatch [The Education of Little Tree](https://www.amazon.com/Education-Little-Tree-James-Cromwell/dp/B08F784JVF) on Prime Video\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/43f4a82/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F7a%2Fe8%2Fcc6da30c4faf9aca5d2a337c451c%2Frumble.jpg)\nWatch [Rumble](https://www.amazon.com/Rumble-Indians-Who-Rocked-World/dp/B075F9QBW1) on Prime Video\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/7e0f2ff/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F8b%2F6a%2F9e09b42e43aaaa819e2bc5a6ed4b%2Ftushka.jpg)\nWatch [Tushka](https://www.amazon.com/Tushka-Robert-Eades/dp/B06XKS8VWN) on Prime Video\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/048e0e4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Ff6%2F7b%2Fe9b890164b799ff1046c3ffc5b6d%2Fshiloh.jpeg)\nWatch [Shiloh](https://www.amazon.com/Shiloh-Shy-LaBeau/dp/B071913J8H) on Prime Video\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/b4daf8b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F22%2F16%2F548b7fd24bc294fcee761dd02ab8%2Fskins.jpg)\nWatch [Skins](https://www.amazon.com/Skins-Eric-Schweig/dp/B07NJ27GP6) on Prime Video\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/25c2b2e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Ff0%2F54%2F3ed75ff647a0bca4593bf9609999%2Fthe-women-in-the-sand.jpg)\nWatch [The Women in the Sand](https://www.amazon.com/Women-Sand-Edward-James-Olmos/dp/B07JKJY2K4) on Prime Video\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/97b350d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F28%2F0d%2F8398df7142f89017aef2b04e97a7%2Fwhat-was-ours.jpg)\nWatch [What Was Ours](https://www.amazon.com/What-Was-Ours-Mat-Hames/dp/B076FF71MZ) on Prime Video\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/73c1bd7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F0a%2F3e%2F1c4cf2b543f4ae6a363a1b24daf6%2Fumo-nho.jpg)\nWatch [UmoNhoNlye](https://www.amazon.com/UmoNhoN-Omaha-Speaking-Tatanka-Means/dp/B086GPBVT1) on Prime Video\n\n![Promotional material for a movie about Native American culture, heritage, and history](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/d90e63b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x1086+0+0/resize/767x595!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F4f%2Fc2%2F5766873a4b5e8b5e622ab14cfd4d%2Fmore-than-frybred.jpg)\nWatch [More Than Frybread](https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Frybread-Tatanka-Means/dp/B07MG4V82B) on Prime Video","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"About Amazon","url":"https://www.aboutamazon.com","sameAs":["https://x.com/amazonnews","https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazon","https://www.instagram.com/amazonnews"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/bd/8f/88e7b0314cc2bd05b9de3155a0fe/amazon-news.svg"},"parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Amazon","url":"https://www.amazon.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3884","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company)","https://x.com/Amazon"]}}}