You may not know much about Native American culture or history, but it’s there, in many parts of your daily life.

There’s the name of the county we live in, of course — Kitsap, a leader of the Suquamish people during treaty times.

Perhaps you live in Illahee or Olalla — those are indigenous words meaning, respectively, “earth” and “berry.” When you catch the ferry in Bremerton, Bainbridge or Kingston, you likely drive or walk onto the Cathlamet, Chelan, Kaleetan, Puyallup, Sealth, Wenatchee — all names of indigenous peoples, individuals or places.

You or someone in your family might be one of 27,376 people employed by a Tribal government or Tribal economic enterprise in Washington state. Perhaps you’ve dined or been entertained at The Point Casino or Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort, or teed off at the Suquamish Tribe-owned White Horse Golf Club.

The next time you eat salmon or shellfish, you have Tribal governments to thank; they are co-managers of the state’s fisheries, in accordance with treaties that they signed, and are at the forefront of efforts to minimize or prevent environmental impacts that harm habitat. In fact, Tribal governments exercise cultural, environmental and political responsibility throughout their historical territories.

And the system of land ownership we enjoy? That was established by treaties too. (In 1994, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Rafeedie ruled, “A treaty is not a grant of rights to the Indians, but a grant of rights from them.”)

“People forget that non-Indians in western Washington have treaty rights too,” the late Billy Frank Jr., chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, wrote in 2007. “Treaties opened the door to statehood. Without them, non-Indians would have no legal right to buy property, build homes or even operate businesses on the millions of acres Tribes ceded to the federal government. Treaty rights should never be taken for granted — by anyone.”

So, to understand Native American culture and history is to understand the world we live in. November is Native American Heritage Month, a good time to learn about the indigenous cultures and history that shaped the place we call home.

MUSEUMS

The Suquamish Museum (www.suquamishmuseum.org) features exhibits, presentations and a gift store with items made by Native artists. The exhibit “Ancient Shores — Changing Tides” presents the story of the Suquamish people — past, present, and future. Lushootseed, the language of the Suquamish and other Coast Salish peoples, is incorporated into the exhibit. The exhibit includes the video production “Come Forth Laughing,” which features oral history voices and photographs.

Through Dec. 31, learn about traditional Native American foods of Puget Sound in the exhibit, “Salish Bounty,” comprised of historic images, map, informative text, and a 4-minute audiovisual presentation offering archaeological insight to Coast Salish food resources spanning thousands of years along the Duwamish River.

Address: 6861 NE South St., Suquamish. 360-394-8499

The Kitsap County Historical Museum in Bremerton (www.kitsaphistory.org) is featuring two exhibits: “The Tule Gatherers,” through mid-March; and “Kitsap Stories from 1889,” through mid-January.

“The Tule Gatherers” looks at the uses of native trees and plants by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. It’s mostly a photographic exhibit, with images from Edward S. Curtis’ “The North American Indian: The Complete Portfolios” (Taschen, 1997); stinging nettle and cedar fibers; and an item made with natural fiber. Northwest Coast Native peoples continue to use plant fibers in the making of clothing, textiles and fine-grained basketry.

Nina Hallett, who curated “The Tule Gatherers,” said it’s important for visitors to “understand the culture — and to understand they are still here and that they are thriving.”

“Kitsap Stories from 1889” tells the story of Washington’s statehood year through artifacts, photos and stories of people living here at that time. Among the faces and voices included: Kikisoblu, or Angeline (circa 1820-1896), daughter of Seattle, leader of the Duwamish and Suquamish and first signer of the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855.

Address: 280 4th St., Bremerton. 360-479-6226

POINTS OF INTEREST

“There are points of interest all over the state of Washington,” said state Sen. John McCoy, D-Tulalip. “Just stop and look.”

At Point No Point, a monument marks the place where indigenous leaders and representatives of the U.S. signed the Treaty of Point No Point in 1855, opening the region to non-Native settlement.

Point No Point was known by the region’s First Peoples as hahdskus, and it was important to the Suquamish and S’Klallam peoples.

Dennis Lewarch, historic preservation officer for the Suquamish Tribe, said in an earlier interview that hahdskus was the site of a village led by a Suquamish leader, Tslakum — that’s how his name was spelled in documents of the time by the missionary priest Francois Blanchet. Lewarch said Tslakum’s name appears in Hudson Bay Co. documents from 1833 through the 1840s.

“He was an important regional leader,” Lewarch said. “In 1841, his village was mapped and described by the naval exploring expedition in 1841. He had a summer village as well at Whidbey Island where Ebey’s Prairie is.”

Lewarch said Tslakum transported Catholic priests to Whidbey Island in 1840 and carried Hudson Bay Co. ledgers between Fort Langley in British Columbia and Fort Nisqually. “Hudson Bay traders used him as an emissary to invite the S’Klallam people to trade at Fort Nisqually,” he said.

Josh Wisniewski, anthropologist/archeologist for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, said hahdskus was an “active fish camp” for the S’Klallam people — chinook in the spring, coho in the summer. Lewarch agrees that the S’Klallam people camped and fished there.

Online: www.kitsapgov.com/parks/parks/pages/regionalparks/point_no_point.htm

In Little Boston, view fine S’Klallam art on exhibit at the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s Point Casino. At the entrance, you will be greeted by two large welcome figures carved by S’Klallam artist Jimmy Price. The interior is a showcase for more then 30 works of traditional art by noted artists Lloyd Fulton, Brian Perry, Price and others. Online: www.the-point-casino.com.

The House of Knowledge in the S’Klallam government center is a must-visit. A longhouse, a carved honor pole and carved story poles tell of the S’Klallam people’s culture of welcoming and teaching. Online: www.pgst.nsn.us.

In walkable Suquamish Village, explore thousands of years of Suquamish culture at the Suquamish Museum, pay respects at Chief’s Seattle’s gravesite, and breathe the sea air at Old Man House Park, former site of the largest winter longhouse in the Salish Sea.

The Suquamish Veterans Memorial features carved house posts depicting chiefs Kitsap and Seattle, by Squaxin artist Andrea Wilbur-Sigo. Within view is the stunning House of Awakened Culture longhouse overlooking Port Madison.

The Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort on Agate Pass features Native art, among them a reproduction of a reef net fishing scene with cedar canoe carved by Suquamish master artist Ed Carriere and a fishing net made of cedar fiber. Online: www.suquamish.nsn.us.

EVENTS

A good immersion into Northwest Coast Native culture is the annual Canoe Journey, a gathering of canoe cultures that takes place every July and August.

Crews — known as “pullers,” because of the pulling motion of the paddle — visit indigenous nations on the way to the host nation, with each stop filled with the sharing of traditional foods, languages, songs, dances and other teachings. Little Boston and Suquamish are usually stops on the Journey (Suquamish was the host nation in 2009).

Watch canoes land in the morning or afternoon; the canoes, many of then hand carved of cedar and featuring traditional art elements, are works of art in themselves. The canoe landings feature traditional welcomes in indigenous languages, followed by lunch or dinner of traditional foods and an evening of songs, dances and gifting, also open to the public, in the S’Klallam and Suquamish longhouses.

Chief Seattle Days takes place the third weekend of every August, in Suquamish. Participate in the 5K Fun Run/Walk, which teaks you by historic cultural heritage sites. The powwow features traditional dancers from many Native Nations. Other features of the weekend: salmon dinner, vendors, and war canoe races.