Three-day observance of Native American Heritage Month with Indigenous artisans demonstrating traditional crafts, a talk by Cherokee elder Galen Gritts and daily book drawings.
The Missouri Botanical Garden is hosting a Native American Heritage Observance from November 6 to 8, 2026, running 9 AM to 5 PM each day. It's part of Native American Heritage Month, and the whole thing is built around Indigenous knowledge and culture.
The main draw is the artisans. You'll find Indigenous makers demonstrating traditional craft techniques throughout the weekend, and they'll have their work on display and for sale. That includes handmade stone beads, prints and paintings, silver and turquoise jewelry, pottery, handmade flutes, flint-knapped items, medicine bags, herbal products, books, and music CDs. There are daily drawings for free books, too.
There's a good bit of local history to it. The Garden acknowledges it stands on the ancestral and traditional land of the Chickasaw Nation, Illini Tribe, Ioway Tribe, Kickapoo Tribe, Osage Nation, Otoe-Missouria Tribe, and the Quapaw Nation, and the observance recognizes the ongoing relationships those Nations maintain with the land. It also looks at St. Louis's own history with the Indian Relocation Act of 1956, an assimilationist policy that encouraged Native Americans to move from reservations to urban areas like this one. Historian, elder, and Missouri National Trail of Tears Association board member Galen Gritts (Cherokee) is featured as a speaker.
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So, if you're around that weekend, you can wander through the Garden, watch the artisans work, and hear from Galen Gritts. It runs November 6 through 8, 9 AM to 5 PM daily.
Date
6 November – 8 November
09:00
Location
Missouri Botanical GardenRecommended Age
+6 years
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