Chicago has been a welcoming city for centuries

Attendees hold hands and dance in a circle while drummers sing and play their instruments during a round dance event at the American Indian Center in the Albany Park neighborhood in March 2022. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

As we celebrate Native American Heritage Month, it is important to remember that our great city began as a welcoming city.  

Chicago has been home to several Native American tribes for centuries if not for millenniums. Though the first Native American tribe to inhabit Chicago may be unknown to history, it is clear numerous Native American tribes shared the land with each other and welcomed additional Native American tribes to make their home in Chicago.