National American Indian & Alaska Native Heritage Month
In order 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, November has been designated as National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month in the United States. The establishment of a "heritage month" can be traced to the beginning of the 20th century, when there was 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.According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, one of the first 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.In 1990 the President of the United States approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 as "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations have been issued each year since 1994.
The following US National Parks promote the historical contributions and achievements American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
For more than 10,000 years, pre-Columbian Indians dug agatized dolomite from quarries here to make projectile points, knives, scrapers, and other tools.
Aztec Ruins National Monument
Designated a World Heritage Site, monument preserves structures and artifacts of a 12th century Pueblo Indian community.
Bandelier National Monument
The ruins of many cliff houses of 13th-century Pueblo Indians can be seen on the slopes of the Pajarito Plateau.
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
Features reconstruction of original trading post built in the early 1830's that became a major trading site for Plains Indian tribes and trappers.
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Located on the Seward Peninsula, the preserve is a remnant of the land bridge that once connected Asia with North America more than 13,000 years ago.
Big Cypress National Preserve
Area protects the watershed for the threatened ecosystem of South Florida and includes abundant subtropical plant and animal life.
Big Hole National Battlefield
Nez Perce Indians and U.S. Army troops fought here in a five month conflict that came to be called the Nez Perce War of 1877.
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Bighorn Lake, formed by Yellowtail Dam on the Bighorn River, extends 71 miles, including 55 miles through spectacular Bighorn Canyon. This dam was named after the famous Crow chairman Robert Yellowtail.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
The ruins of Indian villages built between A.D. 350 and 1300 are located at the base of sheer red cliffs and in canyon wall caves.
Cape Krusenstern National Monument
Archeological sites along a succession of 114 lateral beach ridges record an estimated 6,000 years of prehistoric human use of this coastline.
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Nation's first archeological preserve features Casa Grande, one of the largest and most mysterious prehistoric structures ever built in North America.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Features 13 major archeological sites that represent the highest point of Pueblo pre-Columbian civilization.
Colonial National Historical Park: Jamestown
Site of the first permanent English settlement (1607) on Jamestown Island and home of the Powhatan Indians.
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area: Minisink Archeological Site
Includes Minisink Island in the Delaware River, a historical landmark with 17 archeological sites related to the pre-European occupation of the area by the Minsi or Munsees and to early Colonial settlements.
Effigy Mounds National Monument
Includes outstanding examples of the prehistoric American Indian moundbuilding culture and protects wildlife, scenic and other natural values of the area.
El Malpais National Monument
Outstanding volcanic area, featuring spatter cones, a 17-mile-long lava tube system, and ice caves. Area also rich in Pueblo Indian history.
Everglades National Park
The largest subtropical wilderness in the continental U.S. was home to Native Americans dating from the Paleo-Indian Period nearly 10,000 years ago to the 20th century.
Fort Bowie National Historic Site
Established in 1862, this fort was the focal point of the military operations against Geronimo and his band of Apaches.
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Established in 1834 as a fur trading post, it later served as a major military post that guarded wagon trails to the West (1849-90).
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
The first English settlement in North America was attempted here (1585-87). The fate of Sir Walter Raleigh's "Lost Colony" remains a mystery to this day.
