2007 Websites and information regarding American Indian Heritage Month From Indian Health Service November is National American Indian Heritage Month. This year's theme at Indian Health Service is: ”Revitalizing Health-Energizing Our Mission In The Era Of Change” http://www.ihs.gov/PublicAffairs/Heritage/ Celebrating Tribal Nations: America's Great Partners The Creation of A Brief History 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________________________________________ Dr. Arthur C. Parker What started 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 U.S., has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose. Early Proponents: One of the very 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, N.Y. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the "First Americans" and for three years they adopted such a day. In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kans., formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. It directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to observe such a day. Coolidge issued a proclamation on Sept. 28, 1915, which declared the second Saturday of each May as an American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens. The year before this proclamation was issued, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, rode horseback from state to state seeking approval for a day to honor Indians. On December 14, 1915, he presented the endorsements of 24 state governments at the White House. There is no record, however, of such a national day being proclaimed. State Celebrations: The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of N.Y. 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 recognition as a national legal holiday. Heritage Months: In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations have been issued each year since 1994. The theme for 2005 is "Respecting Tradition, Embracing a Healthy Future" (From http://www.ihs.gov/) ******* Additional Resources ***Society for American Indian Government Employees (SAIGE) is a national non-profit organization that serves the needs of American Indian (AI), and Alaska Native (AN), federal employees, promoting the recruitment, hiring, retention, development, and advancement of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the government workforce. SAIGE's 2006 conference will be held in Anchorage, AK ***The National Museum of the American Indian ***American Indian website - Phil Konstantin has a website with lots of links--especially to books on American Indians. We regularly send out Phil's newsletter when we receive it. http://www.americanindian.net/ ****The National Park Service has historical information in The National Register of Historic Places which promotes awareness of and appreciation for the history and culture of American Indians and Alaska Natives during National American Indian Heritage Month. This month is dedicated to recognizing the intertribal cultures, the events and life ways, the designs and achievements of American Indians and Alaska Natives. As part of the observance, this site showcases historic properties listed in the National Register, National Register publications, and National Park units. http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/feature/indian/ ***Rod Enterprises, Inc has posters for special observances *** The Diversity Store has posters for special observances. Their posters for Amerian Indian Heritage have several different themes. http://www.diversitystore.com/ ***American West - This site has sections on General Native American Resources, Education, Leaders of the Past, Messages & Personal Home Pages, Native American Nations Homepages, Images, Organizations & Government Resources, Ghosts from the Past, Native Peoples' Web Ring, Native Languages, and Movies. http://www.americanwest.com/pages/indians.htm ****For a listing of federally recognized American Indian Tribes and a listing of Native entities within the state of Alaska (there are 227 of them!), go to http://www.indiancircle.com/links.shtml ****Association of American Indian Affairs is an 80-year-old organization with offices in Maryland and South Dakota, with an active cultural preservation program. AAIA was an integral part of the advocacy effort that led to the enactment of NAGPRA, has facilitated repatriation of almost 2,000 human remains to the Dakota people, plays a leading role in sacred sites preservation, and operates a small Dakota language program in South Dakota. AAIA's other programs focus on tribal sovereignty, sacred lands protection, youth, scholarships, and health. http://www.indian-affairs.org/ ***Frontier Heritage Alliance --Our goal is to bring together a variety of organizations, government agencies, Indian tribes and cultural committees, educational institutions, businesses, and individuals working for the preservation, interpretation, and development of our shared heritage on the Northern Plains. http://www.frontierheritage.org/ ****The American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES) is a national, nonprofit organization which nurtures building of community by bridging science and technology with traditional Native values. Through its educational programs, AISES provides opportunities for American Indians and Native Alaskans to pursue studies in science, engineering, and technology arenas. The trained professionals then become technologically informed leaders within the Indian community. AISES' ultimate goal is to be a catalyst for the advancement of American Indians and Native Alaskans as they seek to become self-reliant and self-determined members of society. *****Activities to Celebrate Native American Heritage! November is National American Indian Heritage Month. This week, Education World offers 12 lessons to help students learn about Native American history and cultures. Included: Activities that involve students in dramatizing folktales, learning new words, preparing traditional foods, and much more! http://www.education-world.com/a_special/native_americans.shtml More general websites about American Indian Programs: http://www.nmai.si.edu/ National Museum of the American Indian- Opened in September 2004 http://clarke.cmich.edu/nativeamericans/treatyrights/treatyintro.htm Information about treaties with American Indian Tribes http://www.americanindian.net - Look up dates in North American Indian history. Links to numerous other web sites dealing with Tribal Peoples. http://www.americanindiantribe.com. Gives you a head start in research on the historical background of many American Indian Tribes. http://www.ammsa.com/windspeaker/. Canada's national aboriginal news source. http://www.cherokee.org. Official website for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. http://www.indiancountry.com. Website of "Indian Country" magazine. Current news articles about tribes, laws and lifeways. http://www.indianz.com. Headline news of current events affecting American Indians and mainstream USA. http://www.iaiancad.org. Institute of American Indian Arts. Established by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1962. In 1975 it became a 2-year college in Santa Fe, NM. http://www.nativepeoples.com. The forum is packed with interesting topics. http://www.indiancraftshop.com Location of Indian Art work from around the US at Department of Interior Building at Washington, DC http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aihm1.html Lots of links, American Indian Quotes, History, Indian Loan Words Indian Wars, Language, Music, Church. http://www.tolerance.org/teach/expand/act/activity.jsp?ar=46 National American Indian Heritage Month: Righting Wrongs Includes an insightful article on the use of native names for sports teams. http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/nativeamerican01/inner.html Native Americans in the Military http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmai/start.htm Native American History and Culture - lots of links to a variety of issues related to native peoples http://www.indians.org/ The American Indian Heritage Foundation, sponsor of this website has a two fold mission, serving the tribes and sharing the culture. Our programs include national emergency relief to the needy, scholarships for young American Indian women and Indian student Eagle Awards given through Indian elementary, middle and high schools throughout the United States http://www.indians.org/Resource/FedTribes99/fedtribes99.html a complete listing of Federally recognized tribes, state by state http://www.diversitystore.com/ great source of posters American Indian Employee & Student Associations: http://www.aianea.com/- NRCS employees http://www.aises.org. American Indian Science and Engineering Society. This professional organization nurtures building of community by bridging science and technology with traditional Native values. Glossary of terms in Indian Country:
National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month
Source: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs