Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month, observed throughout November, is a time to honor and celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and contributions of Native Americans. This month provides an opportunity for reflection, education, and appreciation, acknowledging the historical significance and undeniable resilience of Native communities. Celebrating Native American Heritage Month is not only an acknowledgment of Utah's past but also a commitment to building a more equitable and culturally informed future.

Utah is home to approximately 60,000 Native Americans, representing more than 50 Tribal Nations, with eight being federally recognized. These Tribes are the Northwestern Band of Shoshone Nation, Confederated Tribes of Goshute, Skull Valley Band of Goshute, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah and Navajo Nation.  Native history in Utah goes back even further to Ancestral Puebloans who inhabited the Four Corners region from approximately 200 to 1300 CE and left a significant archaeological and cultural footprint. Cedar Mesa, Hovenweep, and Bear Ears National Monument are all notable, can't-miss sites for this. 

The Utah Microloan Fund has a commitment to empowering Native and rural entrepreneurs through providing access to funding, free virtual business education classes, and connection to resources. A big part of our efforts is connecting directly with business owners where they are, and we participated in two awesome events to further this goal.

The first of these was San Juan County Economic Development's Business Bootcamp in the beautiful small town of Blanding, Utah. Here, we engaged with local business owners, sharing insights and fostering connections within the community. The goal of the event was to connect businesses, entrepreneurs & those in start-up phases to the educational & financial resources they need to succeed. In attendance were organizations like the Governor's Office of Economic Development & Tourism, Utah MEP, Southeastern Regional Development Agency, economic development from Grand and San Juan counties, chamber representatives and government officials + more all to share our expertise.

The UMLF was also invited to participate in the National Center for American Indian Development's Native Edge Institute. This institute, dedicated to fostering economic development in Native communities, provided attendees with valuable information on unlocking their exporting potential, leadership, cyber security, the APEX accelerator program, technical assistance, lastly loan programs and access to capital. 

Held in downtown Salt Lake City, it was an awesome day of learning and connection thanks to the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED). For over 50 years, NCAIED has been helping Native tribes and businesses gain access to economic opportunity and growth. NCAIED is now the largest national Native-specific business organization in the nation.

Thank you to both organizations for inviting the UMLF to participate in your essential events and giving us the chance to learn, teach, and participate. 

To learn more visit the below links: 

• Native American Heritage Month
• Utah's Native Nations & Places to Visit
• Ancestral Puebloans 
• National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED)