Agenda - 11-19-2024; 8-b - Native American Heritage Month Proclamation

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3 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, for millennia, various nations of Indigenous Peoples with their own tribal governments, social organizations and cultural traditions had inhabited the lands, now the United States of America; and WHEREAS, North Carolina is home to eight State-recognized tribes including the Coharie, Eastern Band of Cherokee, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, Sappony and Waccamaw-Siouan; and WHEREAS, the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, having their own social, economic, and political systems, made their home in this region now known as Orange County; and WHEREAS, in the 18t" century, the United States of America was founded on a concept that all people are created equal, yet Native Americans and Indigenous people have struggled and persevered to maintain their identity and their civilization despite centuries of inhumane and unjust Federal policies focused on genocide, removal, and compulsory assimilation; and WHEREAS, Native Americans have served and continue to serve in the Armed Forces — including the Native American Code Talkers in World War I and World War II — defending the United States and continue to serve at a higher rate than any other ethnic group in the Nation; and WHEREAS, President Joseph R. Biden signed a Presidential Memorandum committing his Administration to fulfilling Federal trust and treaty responsibilities, respecting Tribal self- governance, and conducting regular and robust consultations with Native American Nations on a range of policy issues; and WHEREAS, President Biden recently apologized for the federal government's role in running boarding schools for Native American children intending to force Native American children to assimilate into Euro-American culture, while also breaking family and community bonds and undermining tribal sovereignty within Indigenous societies calling the boarding schools a "sin on our soul"; and WHEREAS, Deb Haaland of the Pueblo of Laguna now serves as United States Secretary of the Interior, becoming the first Native American in United States history to serve in the Cabinet; and WHEREAS, on August 3, 1990, then-President George H. W. Bush declared November as National Native American Heritage Month with a landmark bill honoring the Tribal People of America, which began in 1976, when Jerry C. Elliott-High Eagle, a Cherokee/Osage Indian, authored Native American Awareness Week legislation; and WHEREAS, National Native American Heritage Month is a platform for Native Americans to share their culture, traditions, arts, and concepts of life, as well as a time for others to celebrate the myriad of contributions by Native Americans and honor their influence on the advancement of the United States;