Native American Heritage Month: Fact Sheet

October 20, 2016 (R44258)

Introduction

Native American Heritage Month (also known as National American Indian Heritage Month) celebrates the contributions and achievements of Native Americans.

November was first designated as National American Indian Heritage Month on August 3, 1990, by P.L. 101-343, To authorize and request the President to proclaim the month of November 1990, and thereafter as "Native American Indian Heritage Month." Since then, Presidents have issued annual proclamations promoting this observance.

On June 26, 2009, P.L. 111-33, Native American Heritage Day Act of 2009, designated the Friday after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day.

This guide assists congressional offices with work related to Native American Heritage Month celebrations. It provides links to sample congressional speeches and recognitions, presidential proclamations, statistical data, cultural resources, and selected federal agencies and programs that focus on Native American issues. This guide also includes links to selected educational and advocacy organizations.

CRS Report

CRS Report R41990, Federal Holidays: Evolution and Current Practices, by [author name scrubbed]

Sample Congressional Speeches and Recognitions

Members of Congress often make floor statements, issue press releases, and enter Extensions of Remarks into the Congressional Record to recognize federal holidays. The following are some recent examples that may be of assistance in preparing such statements:

Presidential Proclamations

One of the uses of a presidential proclamation is to honor a group or call attention to certain issues or events. Proclamations commemorating Native American Heritage Month include the following:

Earlier presidential proclamations are available through the Federal Digital System (FDsys) on the Government Publishing Office (GPO) website.

Statistics

Federal statistics on the American Indian population are available at

Native American Heritage Month Cultural Resources

Numerous government resources provide information on the history and culture of the holiday. Some of these include the following:

Selected Federal Agencies and Programs

Educational, Cultural, and Advocacy Organizations

Numerous nongovernmental organizations provide information on and promote advocacy for Native Americans. Some of these include the following:

Author Contact Information

[author name scrubbed], Reference Librarian ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])