How to Invite an Indigenous Guest Speaker to Your School

A teacher wants students to hear Native history from Native people instead of a textbook, sends a hopeful email to the nearest tribal office, and hears nothing back for three weeks. Inviting an Indigenous guest speaker to your school is one of the most valuable things a classroom can do, but the way most schools ask makes it hard for the right person to say yes.

I have been on both sides of these requests, as a teacher planning lessons and as a speaker fielding invitations. The schools that get it right treat the visit as a professional engagement with a person who has expertise, not as a favor or a cultural performance. Here is what that looks like in practice.

Start with why you want an Indigenous guest speaker

Before you send anything, write two or three sentences describing what students are studying and what you hope they gain. "We are doing a unit on treaties in grade 8 and want students to understand what treaty rights mean for the nation whose land our school is on today" is a request someone can answer. "We would love someone to come and talk about Native culture" is not.

Being specific helps in three ways. It lets the community find the right person, since a language teacher, a tribal historian and an environmental officer have very different expertise. It shows you have done some preparation. And it avoids the trap of asking one person to represent hundreds of distinct nations.

It also helps to know where your current curriculum falls short. Our article on what schools still get wrong teaching this history lists the gaps that a visit can fill well.

Who to contact and how

Start local. A speaker from a nation connected to the land your school stands on will have the most relevant knowledge, and students learn that Indigenous people are part of their own community today, not only in the past.

• Tribal or First Nation education departments: many nations have an education or cultural office that handles school requests.
• Your district's Indian education program: in the United States, many districts receive federal Title VI Indian Education grants and have a coordinator who already has community relationships.
• Indigenous education leads: in Canada, most school boards employ an Indigenous education lead or consultant.
• Urban Indian centers and Friendship Centres: these serve Native people living in cities and often have speakers' contacts.
• University Native studies departments: faculty and graduate students sometimes visit schools.

Write a short, clear email. Include the grade level, number of students, topic, preferred dates, length of the session, and the honorarium you are offering. Then give people time. Four to six weeks of notice is the minimum; eight is better.

Pay properly and plan the practical details

Pay your speaker. This is the single biggest thing schools get wrong. Indigenous speakers are asked to share their knowledge for free far more often than other experts, and repeated unpaid requests are a real burden on small communities.

On top of the honorarium, cover mileage, parking and a meal. Have the payment ready on the day or within a week; asking someone to wait 90 days while a district processes an invoice is a poor return for their time.

Some nations have protocols for asking an Elder to share knowledge, such as offering tobacco or a small gift. These practices vary widely between nations, so do not guess. Ask the community contact what is expected, and follow their guidance.

Why November is the wrong month to ask

A lot of guidance for teachers suggests inviting a speaker during Native American Heritage Month in November. I would push back on that. November is the month every school asks at once. Speakers can receive dozens of requests in a few weeks, and many end up turning down most of them. The schools that get a speaker in November often get someone exhausted from a dozen visits that same week.

There is a deeper problem too. A single November visit reinforces the idea that Indigenous people are a seasonal topic. Invite speakers in February, April or the first week of school instead, and connect the visit to what students are already studying, whether that is science, literature or local government. If your school does plan a heritage month program, our guide to planning a Native American Heritage Month event covers how to do it without overloading the same few people.

Prepare students before the visit

A guest speaker should not have to spend half the session correcting basic misconceptions. Spend one or two lessons beforehand on the nation your guest belongs to: its name in its own language, where its land is, and one or two facts about its present day government or work.

Help students prepare questions in advance. Good questions are specific and respectful. Questions to steer away from include anything about blood quantum, "how Native" someone is, whether they live in a tipi, or requests to see regalia worn as a costume. Share the questions with your speaker ahead of time so they can decide which ones to answer.

Check the logistics a week before. Confirm the room, the start time, whether the speaker needs a projector or a table for objects, and who will meet them at the front office. If your guest is bringing cultural items, ask whether students may handle or photograph them, and tell the class the answer before the visit. A clear parking spot and a glass of water waiting on arrival say more about respect than any welcome speech.

On the day, introduce your guest properly by name, nation and role, and stay in the room. You are still responsible for the class. Afterwards, ask students to write a short reflection, and send your speaker a thank you note that includes a few of their comments.

Frequently asked questions

How much should you pay an Indigenous guest speaker?

For a single class session, $150 to $300 is a common starting point, rising to $500 to $1,000 or more for a full day. Cover travel, parking and a meal on top of that. For Elders and knowledge keepers, ask the community what is appropriate rather than assuming.

Is it appropriate to offer tobacco to an Indigenous speaker?

Offering tobacco is a respected protocol in some nations, especially in parts of the Great Lakes and Plains, but it is not universal. Ask your community contact whether a tobacco offering or another gift is expected. Never assume that one nation's protocol applies to all.

What should students not ask a Native American speaker?

Avoid questions about blood quantum, appearance, or whether the speaker is "really" Native. Steer students away from questions that treat Native people as historical, such as asking about tipis or headdresses as everyday items. Prepare questions with students in advance and share them with the speaker first.