 |
American Indian &
Alaska Native Heritage Month
 With the theme,
Celebrating our Strengths, we acknowledge the various Tribal cultures and
the rich heritage, art, history, and traditions of the American Indian and Alaska
Native People. This year is particularly exciting with the opening of the National
Museum of the American Indian. The opening of the museum offers an opportunity for
the public to learn more about the cultures and traditions of the Native Americans
from North, Central, and South America.
What began at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition
for the significant contributions the First Americans made to the establishment
and growth of the United States has resulted in the month of November being designated
for that purpose.
Early Proponents
One of the early proponents of an American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker,
a Seneca Indian who was the Director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester,
New York. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the "First
Americans," and for three years the Scouts adopted such a day. In 1915, at the annual
Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kansas, a plan
celebrating American Indian Day was formally approved. The Association directed
its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to set
aside a day of recognition. Rev. Coolidge issued a proclamation on September 28,
1915, which declared the second Saturday of May as American Indian Day and contained
the first formal appeal for recognition of American Indians as citizens.
The year before this proclamation was issued, Red Fox James, a Blackfeet Indian,
rode horseback from state to state, seeking approval for a day to honor American
Indians. On December 14, 1915, Red Fox James presented the endorsements of 24 state
governments to the White House. There is no record, however, of such a national
day being proclaimed.
State Celebrations
The first American Indian Day to be celebrated in a state was declared on the second
Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. Several states celebrate the fourth
Friday in September. In Illinois, for example, legislators enacted such a day in
1919. Presently, several states have designated Columbus Day as Native American
Day, but it continues to be a day we observe without any legal recognition as a
national holiday.
Heritage Months
In 1990 President George Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990
as "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations have been issued
each year since 1994.
National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month is celebrated to recognize
the intertribal cultures and to educate the public about the heritage, history,
art, and traditions of the American Indian and Alaska Native people. The Creation
of National American Indian & Alaska Native Heritage Month A Brief History Source:
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Partners in celebration:
Celebrating National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month 2004 in the
Washington, D.C., metropolitan area is accomplished through coalitions of Federal
Departments and agencies, local government offices, and national and local organizations,
as well as interested individuals. This collaboration is a way for these organizations
to network and assist one another in developing programs that can be shared and
replicated throughout the month of November to recognize American Indian and Alaska
Native contributions to the development and history of the United States of America.
Members of one of the coalitions include:
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCIES
- Office of the Secretary
- Assistant Secretary for Health
- Office of Minority Health
- Program Support Center
- Administration on Aging
- Administration for Children and
Families
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry
- Food and Drug Administration
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Health Resources and Services
Administration
- Indian Health Service
- National Institutes of Health
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Collaborating Heritage Partners
- American Indian Society of Washington, D.C.
- City of Rockville, Maryland
-
Department of the Air Force/Bolling Air Force Base
- Department of the Army/Walter
Reed Army Medical Center
- Department of Education
- Department of the Interior/Bureau
of Indian Affairs
- District of Columbia
- Department of Veterans Affairs
-
Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
-
International Broadcasting Bureau
- Montgomery County -Title 9, American Indian
Education Program
- Montgomery County Department of Public Libraries
- Montgomery
County Offices of the County Executive
- Smithsonian Institution
- United
States Small Business Administration
More Information:
|
|