|
4
<br /> Native Americans have contributed greatly to the advancement of the United States, from
<br /> environmental stewardship and land care to their roles in government, education, the arts, and
<br /> military service — including the famed Native American Code Talkers who served with distinction
<br /> in World Wars I and 11.
<br /> Native American Heritage Month serves as an opportunity for all communities to learn about and
<br /> celebrate Indigenous cultures, traditions, and enduring contributions. It calls upon residents to
<br /> engage in programs, ceremonies, and educational activities that honor Native American heritage,
<br /> while fostering a shared commitment to freedom, peace, and justice for all.
<br /> Paul Slack, Chief Civil Rights Officer, introduced the item. The Commissioners read the
<br /> following proclamation in turn:
<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 18t" century, the United States of America was founded on a purported concept
<br /> that all people are created equal, yet Native Americans and Indigenous people have struggled
<br /> and persevered to maintain their identity and their civilization despite centuries of inhumane and
<br /> unjust Federal policies focused on genocide, removal, and compulsory assimilation; and
<br /> WHEREAS, Native Americans have served and continue to serve in the Armed Forces—including
<br /> the Native American Code Talkers in World War I and World War II —defending the United States
<br /> and continue to serve at a higher rate than any other ethnic group in the Nation; 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 Biden
<br /> 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 share
<br /> their culture, traditions, arts, and concepts of life, as well as a time for others to celebrate the
<br /> numerous contributions of Native Americans and honor their influence on the advancement of the
<br /> United States;
<br />
|