CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – The accomplishments and traditions of American Indian and Alaska natives are celebrated during November, recognized as National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.
American Indian Heritage Month was officially recognized in 1990 when Pres. George Herbert Walker Bush signed it into Public Law. Though, its roots can be traced much further.
An early proponent for an American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian and 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.”
In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call for an official day of recognition. Coolidge issued a proclamation 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, 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 endorsements from 24 state governments at the White House.
“Native American Awareness Week” was celebrated in October, 1976, documented Abigail R. Kimbell, Chief of the U.S. Forest Service 2007-2009. “Since then, we have seen the observance identified in many different ways: American Indian Day, American Indian Week, the Year of the American Indian, and National American Indian Heritage Week. We also have seen it held at many different times of the year: May, September, November, and December.”
From the partners of the early settlers in America to the code talkers during World War II, to the entrepreneurs today, American Indian and Alaska Natives have left a lasting legacy on U.S. culture.
