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Why is it inaccurate to portray Indigenous peoples as belonging only to the past?

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A dancer in a bright pink shawl with fringe, wearing traditional regalia adorned with blue and black accents, performs at an outdoor cultural event. — Native American November is the traditional time of harvest, gathering, and celebration in Native communities.

It is inaccurate to portray Indigenous peoples as belonging only to the past because such depictions are anachronistic and ignore the reality of contemporary Indigenous life in Canada and the United States.1

These "frozen" representations—often found in history museums—falsely suggest that Indigenous nations are culturally or biologically extinct. In reality, 21st-century Indigenous Americans are active participants in modern society: they work in every profession, live in urban areas, and engage in everyday activities like shopping and watching television.1

While Indigenous peoples continue to honor their cultural traditions through events like powwows, these practices are not routine, just as wearing formal wedding attire is not a daily occurrence for the general population. Furthermore, Indigenous communities remain vibrant, politically active entities that continue to pursue sovereignty and self-determination. Viewing Indigenous peoples as relics of the 18th or 19th century is as logically flawed as claiming people of European descent are extinct simply because they no longer live in the manner depicted in historical reenactments.1