NOVEMBER 1999
(click on the blue text to go to that Note)
For Immediate Release November 1, 1999
NATIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH, 1999 - - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Ours is a nation inextricably linked to the histories of the many peoples who first inhabited this great land. Everywhere around us are reminders of the legacy of America's first inhabitants. Their history speaks to us through the names of our cities, lakes, and rivers; the food on our tables; the magnificent ruins of ancient communities; and, most important, the lives of the people who retain the cultural, spiritual, linguistic, and kinship bonds that have existed for millennia. As we reflect on the heritage of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, we also reaffirm our commitment to fostering a prosperous future for native youth and children. At the foundation of these efforts is our work to provide a quality education to all Native American children. In particular, we have sought significantly increased funding to support Bureau of Indian Affairs school construction and 1,000 new teachers for American Indian youth. My 1998 Executive order on American Indian and Alaska Native Education sets goals to improve high school completion rates and improve performance in reading and mathematics. And we are working to get computers into every classroom and to expand the use of educational technology. We are also seeking ways to empower Native American communities and help them prosper. My Administration is expanding consultation and collaborative decision-making with tribal governments to promote self-determination. We also support tribal government economic development initiatives, particularly those that increase or enhance the infrastructure necessary for long-term economic growth. My New Markets Initiative seeks to leverage public and private investment to boost economic development in areas that have not shared in our recent national prosperity. In July, I visited the Pine Ridge Reservation of the Oglala Sioux, as part of my New Markets Tour, to explore opportunities for economic development in Indian Country. Among the most serious barriers to economic growth facing tribal communities is a lack of housing, physical infrastructure, and essential services. My Administration is working with tribal leaders to build and renovate affordable housing on tribal lands, bring quality drinking water to economically distressed Indian communities, and improve public safety. We are moving to assist tribal governments in developing the physical infrastructure needed for economic development, including roads, fiber-optic cabling, and electric power lines. In working together to shape a brighter future for Indian Country, we must not lose sight of the rich history of Native Americans. Just weeks ago, the Smithsonian Institution broke ground on the National Mall for the National Museum of the American Indian. This wonderful facility will preserve and celebrate the art, history, and culture of America's indigenous peoples. It is also fitting that the first U.S. dollar coin of the new millennium will bear the likeness of Sacajawea and her infant son -- an image that captures the importance of our shared history. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 1999 as National American Indian Heritage Month. I urge all Americans, as well as their elected representatives at the Federal, State, local, and tribal levels, to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON # # #
Nov. 5, 1999
During November, American Indian Heritage month, it is my pleasure as American Indian Special Emphasis Program manager to send out to you what I call Notes From Native America. For those who may be new to this, they are short articles, historical information, and other items of interest having to do with Indian issues. Sometimes I may refer you to a website for further reading if you like. While I will not say these all will necessarily be through Native eyes, my hope is that you may begin to get a picture of our world and the things that affect us, our ways of life and the future of our children.
First, a short update. Last year, I attended a Dept. of the Interior summit on the Tribal College Initiative, attended by federal and tribal representatives, dealing with methods of approaching the Executive Order on Tribal Colleges and Universities. I was able to return to Denver and work with our area Federal Executive Board group, the American Indian Program Council, ( www.aipc.osmre.gov) in developing a training seminar for Federal Employees on the Executive Order. I am happy to say that OSM/WRCC sent nine people to the training on Sept. 21. There were over 140 people from diverse agencies from many different parts of the country, as there have been no other trainings on this topic.
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On July 7, Bill Clinton became the first U.S. President to visit an Indian reservation since Franklin Roosevelt. There the President emphasized the importance of education in improving economic conditions in Indian Country, including of course, tribal colleges.
On July 9, he announced the members he had chosen as his board of advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities. Four of the members are part of our coal producing tribal partners, the Crow and the Navajo Nations.
Ms. Janine Pease-Pretty on Top, of Crow Agency, Montana, is the President of Little Big Horn College. She was named Indian Educator of the Year by the National Indians Education Association in 1990 and received a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant in 1994. Dr. Pease-Pretty on Top received an Ed. D. degree from Montana State University in 1994 and is the first Crow woman to earn a doctorate.
Dr. Tommy Lewis, Jr., of Tsaille, Arizona, is the President of Dine College, the largest and oldest of the 31 Tribal Colleges in the United States. Prior to serving as president of Dine College, he was on the faculty for the Center for Excellence in Education at Northern Arizona University. He received B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from Northern Arizona University.
Ms. Faith Ruth Roessel, is a member of the Navajo Nation. She served as Special Assistant to Secretary Babbitt from1995-1997, and previously was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. She serves on several national boards, including the Child Welfare League of America, Americans for Indian Opportunity, and is a former board member of the American Bar Association's Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession, during which time she also chaired the Multicultural Women Attorneys Network. Ms. Roessel received a B.A. degree from Fort Lewis College and a J.D. degree from the University of New Mexico Law School.
Ms. Debora Norris, of Sells, Arizona, is one of the first two Native American women to serve in the Arizona House of Representatives and is its youngest member, currently age 27. In the Arizona legislature, she is a member of the Commerce, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs committees. Ms. Norris, a Navajo, lives on the second largest Indian reservation in the United States. She received a B.A. degree in history from Stanford University in 1993.
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