Connecting with the landscapes and the history of the Pacific Northwest is incomplete without acknowledging and honoring the Indigenous origins of the region. The region which has been built on the ancestral land of the Suquamish, Nisqually, Lummi, and Quinault tribal nations, among many others who have called western Washington home for thousands of years. 

Native American Heritage Month — observed throughout November — is a time of unlearning and relearning historical narratives. It is also a time to celebrate the Indigenous heritage of the land on which we reside. From art galleries and markets to food experiences and cultural events, here’s how to support our Indigenous communities and Native-owned businesses in Washington and Oregon in November and throughout the year.

The new 50-foot replica of the Chief-of-All-Women totem pole in Pioneer Square.

Photo by David Newman / Visit Seattle

Food

Food is a gateway to culture. It is an experiential medium that enables us to understand the story of a place or group of people. Food is also a reflection of the natural bounties of a region and a community’s connection to the land. The revival of Native American food is only at the dawn of its renaissance with a long way to go in preserving and uplifting the ingredients and flavors central to Indigenous culinary traditions of North America. 

In the Pacific Northwest, where many of our favorite foods like sockeye salmon and huckleberries are Native, there are a few spots to explore these Indigenous flavors. Stop by Off the Rez at the Burke Museum for bites like frybread bison tacos, frybread with lemon curd, and wild rice grain bowls. Keep an eye out for its food truck around town, as Off the Rez—owned by Mark McConnell who grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation — also regularly makes appearances at events in the greater Seattle area. Chef Jeremy Thunderbird, of Squamish and Chumash heritage, also hosts pop-ups around town through his business Native Soul Cuisine. He fuses flavors from different cultural traditions into comfort dishes like blue corn tamales and salmon burgers topped with wojabi berry BBQ sauce.  

Off The Rez’s food truck offers scratch-made Native cuisine with a modern twist.

Photo courtesy of Off the Rez

On the other side of the state, Indigenous Eats, which is owned by Yakama Nation member Jenny Slagle and her husband, Andrew, serves Native American-inspired food at two locations in Spokane. Enjoy dishes like three sisters soup made with squash, beans, and corn, and a burger served between frybread and topped with huckleberry sauce. 

Indigenous Eats in Spokane serves up Native-inspired dishes like three sisters soup and frybread burgers with huckleberry sauce.

Photo courtesy of Indigenous Eats

Down in Portland, Chef Alexa Numkena-Anderson, who grew up on the Yakama Reservation in Toppenish, caters and hosts pop-up dinners through her culinary business, Javelina. Her family has origins in the Yakama, Cree and Skokomish Nations of the Pacific Northwest, and her grandfather is from the Hopi Nation in northeastern Arizona. Her evolving menus place wild game, local fish, berries, and root vegetables center stage. On Nov. 24, Numkena-Anderson is hosting a six-course dinner at Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland. Looking to catch your own food? Join Littleleaf Guides on a Steelhead fishing trip this fall or winter on Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Native fishing guides Alysia and Elke Littleleaf bring guests to the Native side of the Deschutes River to fly fish. 

Chef Alexa Numkena-Anderson’s Javelina pop-ups in Portland showcase Native ingredients. Catch her six-course dinner Nov. 24 at Multnomah Whiskey Library.

Photos courtesy of Javelina

If you’re planning a trip to Willamette Valley, book a table at Newberg’s JORY Restaurant, where Executive Chef Jack Strong — a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians — heads up the kitchen at this wine country farm-to-table. During November, JORY is creating a dish reflecting native flavors of the Northwest, from which a portion of its sales will support Siletz Valley School’s culinary program. 

At JORY, Chef Jack Strong offers Northwest flavors, supporting Siletz Valley School this November.

Photos courtesy of Allison Inn & Spa

Wine lovers can also sample a range of Pinot Noirs (and a sparkling rose) produced by Yamhill-Carlton winery, Greywing Cellars. This small, family-owned winery produces wines with a story and rooted in community. To honor co-owner Brandy Grey’s Cherokee/Shawnee ancestry and support of her community, a portion of bottle sales go to various Indigenous causes, including the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women campaign. 

Storytelling through Museums and Galleries

From totem poles to cedar bark weaving, the Indigenous artistic heritage of Pacific Northwest is abundant. A great starting place to learn more about these artistic traditions is at the Burke Museum’s Northwest Native Art exhibit. Six Pacific Northwest Native artists have thoughtfully curated this exhibit with permanent and rotating displays of carvings, totem poles, baskets, and mixed media art that tell stories of historic and modern-day artistry of Pacific Northwest tribes. Seattle Art Museum also hosts Art and Life Along the Northwest Coast, an ongoing exhibit that tells stories of the Coastal Salish traditions and connection to the surrounding forests and water.

See Pacific Northwest Native art at the Burke Museum, featuring carvings, totem poles, and woven works curated by Native artists.

Photo by Dennis Wise and Mark Stone

Through the end of November, visit Luminosity, a Northwest Native glass art exhibit at Stonington Gallery in Pioneer Square. Experience the fascinating ways that regional artists have blended contemporary techniques with Indigenous tradition into works of glass sea creatures and Lummi baskets, among other things. New to town is Tidelands, which just opened in September 2024. This downtown space is part gallery, part production studio, and part boutique. The entirety of Tidelands is dedicated to authentic storytelling from Native communities through photography, music performances, rotating art exhibits, and other knowledge-sharing events. 

Crafters can kearn firsthand the art of beadwork with Ariana Griggs of the Port Gamble S’klallam Tribe. She is holding a beading workshop on Nov. 10 at the Suquamish Museum. 

Art Markets and Native Shops

If you’re interested in investing in Native art and homeware, a popular starting place is Eighth Generation, a gift shop owned by the Snoqualmie Tribe. From wool blankets and jewelry to fine art prints and kitchenware, its extensive collection represents Salish Indigenous artists and Native craftsmen across the country. Fremont is now home to a newly opened Indigenous boutique and giftshop. Yubəč — meaning “King Salmon” in Lushootseed — sells cookery, drums, wooden boards, and paintings, among various other goods crafted by Native American artists. And on your next visit to Pike Place Market, visit Kaigani Craft, where Jacinthe Demmert of Haida Nation weaves intricate baskets, hats, and bags in the Haida tradition. 

Coast Salish wool blanket from Eighth Generation, a Native-owned storefront on First Avenue near Pike Place Market, featuring Indigenous art and home goods.

Photo courtesy of Eighth Generation

Washington and Oregon both host seasonal markets featuring Indigenous art as well, just in time for investing in gifts with an impact for the holiday season. Portland Indigenous Marketplace is hosting a Winter Indigenous Pop-Up shop from Nov. 15 through the end of December. You can also find the market at Portland’s Frybread Fest—a celebration of drumming, food, and art— on Nov. 9 and at Oregon City’s Indigenous Marketplace Nov. 23 and 34. In Seattle, the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center is hosting the Native Art Market the weekends of Nov. 23 and 24 and Dec. 21 and 22. Jewelry, drums, and woodworking, among other artisanal products representing Indigenous traditions from several tribal nations, will be on sale. The Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center is also hosting its annual Native Art Market from Nov. 29 through Dec. 1.