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<br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
<br /> NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH PROCLAMATION
<br /> WHEREAS, for millennia, various nations of Indigenous Peoples with their own tribal
<br /> governments, social organizations and cultural traditions had inhabited the lands, now the United
<br /> States of America; and
<br /> WHEREAS, North Carolina is home to eight State-recognized tribes including the Coharie,
<br /> Eastern Band of Cherokee, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi
<br /> Nation, Sappony and Waccamaw-Siouan; and
<br /> WHEREAS, the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, having their own social, economic, and
<br /> political systems, made their home in this region now known as Orange County; and
<br /> WHEREAS, in the 18' century, the United States of America was founded on a purported
<br /> concept that all people are created equal, yet Native Americans and Indigenous people have
<br /> struggled and persevered to maintain their identity and their civilization despite centuries of
<br /> inhumane and unjust Federal policies focused on genocide, removal, and compulsory
<br /> assimilation; and
<br /> WHEREAS, Native Americans have served and continue to serve in the Armed Forces —
<br /> including the Native American Code Talkers in World War I and World War II — defending the
<br /> United States and continue to serve at a higher rate than any other ethnic group in the Nation;
<br /> and
<br /> WHEREAS, the United States government has now apologized for the federal government's role
<br /> in running boarding schools for Native American children, intending to force Native American
<br /> children to assimilate into Euro-American culture, while also breaking family and community
<br /> bonds and undermining tribal sovereignty within Indigenous societies, with former President
<br /> Biden calling the boarding schools a "sin on our soul"; and
<br /> WHEREAS, on August 3, 1990, then-President George H. W. Bush declared November as
<br /> National American Indian Heritage Month with a landmark bill honoring the Tribal People of
<br /> America, which began in 1976, when Jerry C. Elliott-High Eagle, a Cherokee/Osage Indian,
<br /> authored Native American Awareness Week legislation; and
<br /> WHEREAS, National Native American Heritage Month is a platform for Native Americans to
<br /> share their culture, traditions, arts, and concepts of life, as well as a time for others to celebrate
<br /> the numerous contributions of Native Americans and honor their influence on the advancement
<br /> of the United States;
<br /> NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, do hereby proclaim
<br /> November 2025 as NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, and urge all residents to observe
<br /> this month by participating in activities and ceremonies, to celebrate November 28, 2025 as
<br /> Native American Heritage Day and to honor the cultures and contributions of Native Americans
<br /> by committing to freedom, peace, and justice for all.
<br /> This 18t" day of November, 2025.
<br /> Jamezetta Bedford, Chair
<br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners
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