The fourth Friday in September is designated Native American Day.  This day is set aside to honor and celebrate Native Americans, the first Americans to live in the United States.  The California Education Code also allows for schools to acknowledge this day by commemorating and directing attention to the many contributions that Native Americans have made to the United States of America.  Still commonly referred to as American Indians, the term "Native Americans" has been used in recent years as a sign or respect and recognition. It is believed that the first Native Americans arrived during the last ice age, approximately 20,000 to 30,000 years ago by a land bridge across the Bering Sound from northeastern Siberia into Alaska.  By the time first explorers and settlers arrived from Europe, Native Americans had populated the entire North American Continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts and from the Gulf of Mexico to the northern border of Canada.  There were approximately ten million Native Americans living in this area at the time.  Although it is commonly thought of that the Native Americans originated in India (Asia), few actually came from India.  The name "Indian" was first applied by Christopher Columbus who had mistakenly thought that the mainland and islands of America were part of India.

Famous Native American Chiefs include Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, Geronimo, Pontiac and Sequoyah.  Today, there are over 550 Native American tribes that have tribal governments that are recognized by the United States government.  There are also approximately 300 federal Native American reservations in the United States and 18 Indian Reservations in San Diego County.