NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — This November kicks off Native American Heritage Month.
The Native American Indian Association of Tennessee (NAIATN) said this month and every month, they want to embrace their culture and educate others about it.
Shayna Hobbs, part of the organization, adds Native people may be connecting to people now more than ever.
"We don't have to be ashamed of who we are. We don't have to hide who we are," said Hobbs.
Young Native Americans are using TikTok, Instagram, and various other apps to show their traditions and celebrate who they are.
Hobbs, of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican tribe, said although Tennessee does not have any reservations, Native people are still in your cities, on your screens, and involved in the community.
"I think it's really, really important for Native people to reclaim our narrative and tell our story from our perspective," she said.
She added that another way they are hoping to connect is through a future cultural center in Southeast Nashville along Bell Road.
NAIATN has owned the land near Antioch for decades, and it's a place where they hope to one day gather as a group, celebrate their own and educate non-Natives.
"To actually have a space for Native people for the first time in history since they were removed is really huge."
They say with donations and increased awareness, they can make it happen.
"People are curious and they want to do the right thing. They want to help, they want to be made aware, they want to educate themselves," she said.
You can donate, volunteer, or learn more about their vision for the land here.
