Presidential Document2023-24502
National Native American Heritage Month, 2023
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 3, 2023
Signed
October 31, 2023
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 212 (Friday, November 3, 2023)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 212 (Friday, November 3, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 75469-75471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24502]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 212 / Friday, November 3, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 75469]]
Proclamation 10667 of October 31, 2023
National Native American Heritage Month, 2023
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
During National Native American Heritage Month, we
recognize the invaluable contributions of Native
peoples that have shaped our country and honor the
hundreds of Tribal Nations who continue exercising
their inherent sovereignty as vital members of the
overlapping system of governments in the United States.
We also recommit to supporting Tribal sovereignty;
upholding the Federal Government's solemn trust and
treaty responsibilities; and working in partnership
with Tribal Nations to advance prosperity, dignity, and
safety for all Native peoples.
Since time immemorial, Native communities have passed
down rich cultures, knowledge, traditions, and ways of
life. But throughout our history, Native peoples'
cultures, identities, and governments were not always
seen as a part of this Nation but as a threat to it.
Native people were pressured to assimilate, banned from
practicing their traditions and sacred ceremonies, and
forced from their homes and ancestral homelands. This
violence and devastation cost countless lives, tore
families apart, and caused lasting damage to Tribal
communities and institutions.
Despite centuries of violence and oppression, Native
peoples remain resilient and proud. Today, Native
Americans are essential to the fabric of the United
States. They serve in the United States Armed Forces at
higher rates than any other ethnic group. They continue
to steward so many of our great lands. Their
contributions to science, humanities, arts, public
service, and more have brought prosperity for all of
us. Their diverse cultures and communities continue to
thrive and lead us forward.
Since the beginning of my Administration, I have been
determined to help champion a new and better chapter in
the story of our Nation-to-Nation relationships. I
started by appointing Native Americans to lead in my
Administration--including the first Native American
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, dozens of
Senate-confirmed Native American officials, and over 80
Native American appointees serving across my
Administration and in the Federal courts. I restored
the annual White House Tribal Nations Summit to advance
communication between key members of my Administration
and the leaders of hundreds of Tribal Nations. My
Administration formally recognized Indigenous Knowledge
as one of the many important bodies of knowledge that
contributes to the scientific, technical, social, and
economic advancements of the United States and our
collective understanding of the natural world.
Together with leadership from Tribal Nations, we are
making historic investments in Indian Country. Our
American Rescue Plan invested $32 billion in Tribal
Nations--the largest one-time direct investment in
Indian Country in American history. Our Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law invested more than $13 billion to
rebuild infrastructure, the single largest investment
in Indian Country infrastructure in history. Our
Inflation Reduction Act also made the largest
investment ever to combat the existential threat of
climate change, including $700 million dedicated to
climate change response in Native communities. Last
year, I signed a Presidential Memorandum that improves
consultation between the Federal Government and Tribal
Nations.
[[Page 75470]]
My Administration is also working to address the
impacts of harmful Federal policies of the past while
ensuring Native communities are safe and healthy.
Through the Department of the Interior's Road to
Healing initiative, Native language preservation,
public safety initiatives, and bold new investments, we
are supporting Native American families and their
communities as they heal. We are also working to
improve public health and safety for Native Americans.
I signed an Executive Order that helps us respond more
effectively to the epidemic of missing and murdered
Indigenous peoples. Last year, when we reauthorized the
Violence Against Women Act, I was proud to include
historic provisions that reaffirm Tribal sovereignty
and restore Tribal jurisdiction. My budget for Fiscal
Year 2024 also requested a $9.1 billion infusion for
the Indian Health Service, and I have asked the
Congress to make that funding a mandatory part of the
Federal budget for the first time in our history.
We are also committed to partnering with Tribal Nations
to protect and steward their sacred and ancestral lands
and waters. Through Tribal co-stewardship agreements,
we work directly with Tribal Nations to make decisions
about how to manage those lands that are most precious
to them--recognizing and utilizing the invaluable
knowledge they have from countless generations. I
established new national monuments protecting lands
sacred to Tribal Nations at Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni
in Arizona, the Camp Hale-Continental Divide in
Colorado, and Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada. I also restored
protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts
Marine National Monument in New England and Bears Ears
and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah.
This month, we celebrate Native American history and
culture. We are reminded that with hard work and a
commitment to our founding ideals, we can address the
wrongs of our past and become a more perfect Union--one
that ensures liberty, justice, dignity, and equality
for all.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2023
as National Native American Heritage Month. I urge all
Americans, as well as their elected representatives at
the Federal, State, and local levels, to observe this
month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and
activities. Also, I urge all Americans to celebrate
November 24, 2023, as Native American Heritage Day.
[[Page 75471]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord
two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
eighth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-24502
Filed 11-2-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
</pre></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on November 3, 2023.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.