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<br /> 1 Native Americans have contributed greatly to the advancement of the United States, from
<br /> 2 environmental stewardship and land care to their roles in government, education, the arts, and
<br /> 3 military service — including the famed Native American Code Talkers who served with distinction
<br /> 4 in World Wars I and II.
<br /> 5
<br /> 6 Native American Heritage Month serves as an opportunity for all communities to learn about and
<br /> 7 celebrate Indigenous cultures, traditions, and enduring contributions. It calls upon residents to
<br /> 8 engage in programs, ceremonies, and educational activities that honor Native American heritage,
<br /> 9 while fostering a shared commitment to freedom, peace, and justice for all.
<br /> 10
<br /> 11 Paul Slack, Chief Civil Rights Officer, introduced the item. The Commissioners read the
<br /> 12 following proclamation in turn:
<br /> 13
<br /> 14 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
<br /> 15 NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH PROCLAMATION
<br /> 16
<br /> 17 WHEREAS, for millennia, various nations of Indigenous Peoples with their own tribal
<br /> 18 governments, social organizations and cultural traditions had inhabited the lands, now the United
<br /> 19 States of America; and
<br /> 20
<br /> 21 WHEREAS, North Carolina is home to eight State-recognized tribes including the Coharie,
<br /> 22 Eastern Band of Cherokee, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi
<br /> 23 Nation, Sappony and Waccamaw-Siouan; and
<br /> 24
<br /> 25 WHEREAS, the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, having their own social, economic, and
<br /> 26 political systems, made their home in this region now known as Orange County; and
<br /> 27
<br /> 28 WHEREAS, in the 18th century, the United States of America was founded on a purported concept
<br /> 29 that all people are created equal, yet Native Americans and Indigenous people have struggled
<br /> 30 and persevered to maintain their identity and their civilization despite centuries of inhumane and
<br /> 31 unjust Federal policies focused on genocide, removal, and compulsory assimilation; and
<br /> 32
<br /> 33 WHEREAS, Native Americans have served and continue to serve in the Armed Forces—including
<br /> 34 the Native American Code Talkers in World War I and World War II —defending the United States
<br /> 35 and continue to serve at a higher rate than any other ethnic group in the Nation; and
<br /> 36
<br /> 37 WHEREAS, the United States government has now apologized for the federal government's role
<br /> 38 in running boarding schools for Native American children, intending to force Native American
<br /> 39 children to assimilate into Euro-American culture, while also breaking family and community
<br /> 40 bonds and undermining tribal sovereignty within Indigenous societies, with former President Biden
<br /> 41 calling the boarding schools a "sin on our soul"; and
<br /> 42
<br /> 43 WHEREAS, on August 3, 1990, then-President George H. W. Bush declared November as
<br /> 44 National American Indian Heritage Month with a landmark bill honoring the Tribal People of
<br /> 45 America, which began in 1976, when Jerry C. Elliott-High Eagle, a Cherokee/Osage Indian,
<br /> 46 authored Native American Awareness Week legislation; and
<br /> 47
<br /> 48 WHEREAS, National Native American Heritage Month is a platform for Native Americans to share
<br /> 49 their culture, traditions, arts, and concepts of life, as well as a time for others to celebrate the
<br /> 50 numerous contributions of Native Americans and honor their influence on the advancement of the
<br /> 51 United States;
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