As most of us know, today is Columbus Day in the United States and other countries, and Indigenous People's Day in much of Latin America, marking the 528th anniversary of the Christopher Columbus expedition's first landing in the Americas (actually 12 October), on the coast of Hispaniola, the Caribbean island home to the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Of course, many of the Amerindian tribes that were already living here when the Spaniards arrived are still part of the societies that evolved in the Western Hemisphere since that fateful event (in the USA they're usually referred to as Native Americans, but I prefer Canada's term First Nations, which I feel is more accurate since they, too, were not "native" - nor "indigenous"- but they were certainly first). And from New England to the desert Southwest, and South Florida to the Pacific Northwest, there are numerous marvelous opportunities to meet them and/or explore their heritage and culture, from sites open year round to annual powwows (mass meetings) and other events. Here are a just few of the most rewarding:

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