For years, Indigenous communities all over the west advocated that the United States permanently designate a place on the calendar to honor the contributions, achievements, sacrifices, cultural and historical legacy of the original inhabitants of what is now the United States and their descendants: the American Indian and Alaska Native people.

 

The journey for a national honoring of Native Americans began in the early 20th Century, pioneered by several important historical figures. Dr. Arthur Caswell Parker, Reverend Red Fox (James Red Fox Skiukusha), Reverend Sherman Coolidge, and many indigenous communities and allies across the nation, repeatedly petitioned for a national spotlight or commemoration that honored the storied legacy of indigenous communities within the United States. The first time “American Indian Day” was formally designated in the United States and is commonly considered to be 1916, when Charles Seymour Whitman, then Governor of New York, commemorated the second Saturday in May for the state’s observance – several states followed suit in commemorating the day.

 

As early as 1970, Congress and subsequent presidents enacted legislation and issued annual proclamations commemorating a day, a week, or a month to celebrate and observe the nation’s American Indian and Alaska Native heritage. “In 1990 then President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 ‘National American Indian Heritage Month.’ Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1994.” In 2009, Congress passed, and the President signed, legislation that established the Friday immediately following Thanksgiving Day of each year as “Native American Heritage Day.” While these numerous proclamations and commemorations did not necessarily set a national tone for the observance, they did allow for federal departments, agencies, and state communities to create and facilitate their own ways of celebrating and honoring the nation’s Native American heritage. “Every President since 1995 has issued annual proclamations designating the month of November as the time to celebrate the culture, accomplishments, and contributions of people who were the first inhabitants of the United States.” Last year, a proclamation was issued officially designating November 2020 as National Native American Heritage Month. Currently, within many indigenous and non-indigenous communities, November is more accurately recognized as Indigenous Peoples Heritage month.