National American Indian Heritage Month

Last updated
National American Indian Heritage Month
Also calledNative American Heritage Month
Observed by United States
Date November
FrequencyAnnual
First timeNovember 1990

On August 3, 1990, President of the United States George H. W. Bush declared the month of November as National American Indian Heritage Month, also referred to as Native American Heritage Month. The bill read in part that "The President has authorized and requested to call upon Federal, State and local Governments, groups and organizations and the people of the United States to observe such month with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities". This landmark bill honoring America's tribal people represented a major step in the establishment of this celebration which began in 1976 when a Cherokee/Osage Indian named Jerry C. Elliott-High Eagle authored Native American Awareness Week legislation the first historical week of recognition in the nation for native peoples. This led to 1986 with then President Ronald Reagan proclaiming November 23–30, 1986, as "American Indian Week". [1]

Contents

This commemorative month aims to provide a platform for Native people in the United States of America to share their culture, traditions, music, crafts, dance, and ways and concepts of life. This gives Native people the opportunity to express to their community, both city, county and state officials their concerns and solutions for building bridges of understanding and friendship in their local area. Federal Agencies are encouraged to provide educational programs for their employees regarding Native American history, rights, culture and contemporary issues, to better assist them in their jobs and for overall awareness.[ citation needed ]

History of public observances for American Indians

Current designation

Previous designations

Proclamations

In 1976, a Cherokee Indian named J.C. Elliott-High Eagle authored the historic first week of awareness and recognition for native American Indian and Alaska natives. The week of ceremonies and activities were held in October. In 2012, [2] 2013, [3] [4] 2014, [5] 2015 [6] and 2016 [7] President Barack Obama made a Presidential proclamation on the 31st of October of each year that each respective November would be National Native American Heritage Month.

In 2017 [8] [9] [10] and 2018 [11] and 2019 [12] President Donald Trump made a Presidential proclamation on the 31st of October of each year that each respective November would be National Native American Heritage Month.

Legislation

A Cherokee American Indian, J.C. Elliott-High Eagle, authored Pub. L. Tooltip Public Law (United States)  94–103 , 89  Stat.   486 (S.J. Res. 209) for American Indian Awareness Week, October 10–16, 1976, signed by President Gerald R. Ford. This became the first official week of national recognition for the American Indian (Proclamation 4468) since the founding of the nation. [13]

Controversy

On October 31, 2019, President Donald Trump also proclaimed November 2019 as National American History and Founders Month [14] to celebrate the first European founders and colonizers of America. In a similar fashion to when, on October 13, 2019, President Donald Trump issued a formal proclamation acknowledging Columbus Day as being the Federal National holiday and not Indigenous Peoples' Day, [15] some journalists suggested National American History and Founders Month is an attempt to subvert attention from National Native American Heritage Month [16] and stifle the indigenous voice [17] by announcing a celebration that can be viewed as opposing and contradictory to what National Native American Heritage Month is supposed to highlight and honor. [18] [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trade Expansion Act</span> 1962 US law on tariffs

The Trade Expansion Act of 1962 is an American trade law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minority Business Development Agency</span> US Department of Commerce division for marginalized ethnic groups

The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that promotes growth and competitiveness of the United States' minority-owned businesses, including Hispanic and Latino American, Asian Pacific American, African American, and Native American businesses. The current Under Secretary is Don Cravins Jr. and the current Deputy Under Secretary is Jessica Cavazos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriot Day</span> United States public holiday commemorating the September 11 attacks on the United States.

In the United States, Patriot Day occurs on September 11 of each year in memory of the people killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

German-American Day is a holiday in the United States, observed annually on October 6 under Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law  100–104, 101 Stat. 721. It celebrates German-American heritage and commemorates the founding of Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1683.

In the United States, a presidential commission is a special task force ordained by the president to complete a specific, special investigation or research. They are often quasi-judicial in nature; that is, they include public or in-camera hearings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish-American Heritage Month</span>

Irish Heritage Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is known as Irish-American Heritage Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada. It was first celebrated by proclamation of the President and Congress in the United States to honor the achievements and contributions of Irish Americans. The heritage month is in March to coincide with Saint Patrick's Day, the Irish national holiday on March 17. Heritage Months are usually proclaimed by nations to celebrate centuries of contributions by a group to a country.

General Pulaski Memorial Day is a United States public holiday in honor of General Kazimierz Pułaski, a Polish hero of the American Revolution. This holiday is held every year on October 11 by Presidential Proclamation, to commemorate his death from wounds suffered at the siege of Savannah on October 9, 1779, and to honor the heritage of Polish Americans. The observance was established in 1929 when Congress passed a resolution designating October 11 as General Pulaski Memorial Day. Every President has issued a proclamation for the observance annually since.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is observed in the United States during the month of May, and recognizes the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Donald Trump presidency (2017 Q1)</span>

The following is a timeline of the presidency of Donald Trump during the first quarter of 2017, beginning from his inauguration as the 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2017, to March 31, 2017. To navigate between quarters, see timeline of the Donald Trump presidency. For the Q2 timeline see timeline of the Donald Trump presidency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 National Day of Patriotic Devotion</span>

National Day of Patriotic Devotion, 2017 was the first Presidential proclamation signed by President Donald Trump.

References

  1. ↑ "What To Watch: Celebrating Native American Heritage Month 2020". PBS .
  2. ↑ Office of the Press Secretary (October 31, 2012). "Presidential Proclamation -- National Native American Heritage Month, 2012". whitehouse.gov . Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 5, 2019– via National Archives.
  3. ↑ Office of the Press Secretary (October 31, 2013). "President Barack Obama Proclaims November 2013 as National Native American Heritage Month". whitehouse.gov . Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 6, 2017– via National Archives.
  4. ↑ "National Native American Heritage Month, 2013". Federal Register . Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. October 31, 2013. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017. Alt URL
  5. ↑ Office of the Press Secretary (October 31, 2014). "Presidential Proclamation -- National Native American Heritage Month, 2014". whitehouse.gov . Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 5, 2019– via National Archives.
  6. ↑ Office of the Press Secretary (October 31, 2015). "Presidential Proclamation -- National Native American Heritage Month, 2015". whitehouse.gov . Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 5, 2019– via National Archives.
  7. ↑ Office of the Press Secretary (October 31, 2016). "Presidential Proclamation -- National Native American Heritage Month, 2016". whitehouse.gov . Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 5, 2019– via National Archives.
  8. ↑ Office of the Press Secretary (October 31, 2017). "President Donald J. Trump Proclaims November 2017 as National Native American Heritage Month". whitehouse.gov . Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 6, 2017– via National Archives.
  9. ↑ Scott, Eugene (November 3, 2017). "Trump's 'Pocahontas' jab at Elizabeth Warren draws the ire of Native Americans". The Washington Post . Washington, D.C.: Nash Holdings LLC . Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  10. ↑ "National Native American Heritage Month, 2017". Federal Register . Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. October 31, 2017. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017. Alt URL
  11. ↑ Office of the Press Secretary (October 31, 2018). "Presidential Proclamation on National Native American Heritage Month, 2018". whitehouse.gov . Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 5, 2019– via National Archives.
  12. ↑ Office of the Press Secretary (October 31, 2019). "Presidential Proclamation on National Native American Heritage Month, 2019". whitehouse.gov . Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 6, 2019– via National Archives.
  13. ↑ "Proclamation 4468—Native American Awareness Week, 1976". University of California, Santa Barbara . Santa Barbara, California: University of California. October 8, 1976. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  14. ↑ Office of the Press Secretary (October 31, 2019). "Presidential Proclamation on National American History and Founders Month, 2019". whitehouse.gov . Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 5, 2019– via National Archives.
  15. ↑ Harper, Jennifer (October 13, 2019). "Trump marks Columbus Day, praises explorer's drive for discovery as 'core of the American spirit'". washingtontimes.com . The Washington Times . Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  16. ↑ Armus, Teo (November 5, 2019). "November is Native American Heritage Month. Critics say Trump is subverting it with a new celebration of the Founding Fathers". Washington Post. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  17. ↑ The Associated Press (November 5, 2019). "Trump Honors Native Americans, US Founders in Same Month". The New York Times . New York, New York . Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  18. ↑ Connor, Jay (November 5, 2019). "Trump Gives National American Indian Heritage Month an All Lives Matter Makeover That Nobody Is Here For". theroot.com. The Root . Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  19. ↑ Lennard, Natasha (November 6, 2019). "Trump Says Native Americans' Heritage Month Is Also for the White Men Who Stole Their Land". theintercept.com . The Intercept . Retrieved November 6, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.