Presidential Document2024-24150
Indigenous Peoples' Day, 2024
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
October 17, 2024
Signed
October 11, 2024
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 201 (Thursday, October 17, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 201 (Thursday, October 17, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 83605-83607]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24150]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 201 / Thursday, October 17, 2024 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 83605]]
Proclamation 10839 of October 11, 2024
Indigenous Peoples' Day, 2024
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
On Indigenous Peoples' Day, we honor Indigenous
peoples' strength, courage, and resilience. We
celebrate the vast contributions of Indigenous
communities to the world. And we recommit to respecting
Tribal sovereignty and self-determination and working
to usher in a new era of our Nation-to-Nation
relationships.
The history of America's Indigenous peoples is marked
by perseverance, survival, and a deep commitment to and
pride in their heritage, right to self-governance, and
ways of life. Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples
have built and sustained powerful Tribal Nations,
cultivated rich cultures, and established vibrant
communities. And their discoveries and knowledge still
benefit us today. But because of our Nation's failed
policies of the past, generations of Native peoples
have faced cruelty, violence, and intimidation. They
were forced to leave their homelands, prohibited from
speaking their own languages and practicing their
sacred traditions, and forced into assimilation.
Indigenous lives were lost, livelihoods were ripped
away, and communities were fundamentally altered.
Despite the trauma and turmoil, Indigenous peoples have
persisted and survived. Their stories are testaments to
the bravery and resolve of generations to preserve
their heritage, cultures, and identities for those to
come after them.
Today, Indigenous peoples lead in every way, share
their histories, and strengthen their communities. They
are also stewarding lands and waters, growing our
shared prosperity, and celebrating the good of our
Nation while pushing us to tell the full truth of our
history. Indigenous peoples have long served in the
United States military, fighting for democracy. And
Indigenous communities continue to be an integral part
of the fabric of the United States, contributing so
much to our shared prosperity.
I remain committed to writing a new and better chapter
in our history. To make this new era of self-
determination a reality, we must honor the solemn
promises the United States made to fulfill our trust
and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations and work
together to rebuild Tribal economies and institutions.
From day one, I have worked to include Indigenous
voices at the table in all we do. I have appointed
Native Americans to lead across the Federal Government,
including the Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland--
America's first Native American Cabinet secretary--and
so many others serving in key roles in my
Administration. I was proud to re-establish the White
House Council on Native American Affairs to help
coordinate policy. Together, we have taken historic
steps to improve the consultation process between
Federal agencies and Tribal Nations.
I also believe that Tribal Nations know best what is
right for their communities, and they do better when
they make their own decisions. That is why I signed an
Executive Order to respect the Nation-to-Nation
relationship by ensuring Federal agencies respect the
autonomy of tribes, cutting red tape so Tribal leaders
can deliver for their communities. At the same time, we
are strengthening the Buy Indian Act so that Federal
agencies get more goods and services from Native-owned
businesses. These initiatives will
[[Page 83606]]
help grow Tribal economies while respecting Tribal
sovereignty and Tribal Nations' right to build a future
on their own terms.
Since I came into office, the Federal Government has
made record investments in Tribal Nations. My American
Rescue Plan--the largest direct Federal investment in
Tribal Nations ever--helped provide COVID-19
vaccinations to Tribal communities and got our economy
going again. My Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is the
single biggest investment in Tribal roads, bridges,
water, high-speed internet, electricity, irrigation,
environmental cleanup, and more. My Inflation Reduction
Act is the biggest investment in fighting climate
change ever, anywhere in the history of the world. It
is helping Tribal communities lead in the transition to
clean energy and mitigate the impact of droughts,
wildfires, and rising sea levels that threaten Native
lives and precious homelands. My Administration has
also provided increased resources to fight the opioid
epidemic and expand access to crisis care in Tribal
communities. Given that Native American women are two
times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes
than White women, my Administration has taken
significant steps to improve maternal health. And my
Administration also secured the first-ever advance
funding for the Indian Health Service so hospitals can
plan ahead, order supplies, and hire doctors.
When my Administration reauthorized the Violence
Against Women Act in 2022, we included historic
provisions to reaffirm Tribal sovereignty and expand
Tribal jurisdiction in cases where outside perpetrators
harm members of their Nation. And recognizing the ties
of Indigenous peoples across North America, I supported
a Trilateral Working Group with Canada and Mexico to
ensure Indigenous women and girls in all three
countries can live free from violence.
My Administration is also preserving important
ancestral Tribal lands and waters. I have protected and
conserved more than 42 million acres of our Nation's
lands and waters. I established, expanded, or restored
11 national monuments--including Bears Ears National
Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument,
Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah
Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon
National Monument, Berryessa Snow Mountain National
Monument, and others containing sites considered sacred
to Tribal Nations. We are advancing the proposed
Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, which
stretches along 116 miles of California coastline and
has been home to coastal, ocean-going Tribal Nations
and Indigenous peoples for tens of thousands of years.
My Administration has also signed over 190 co-
stewardship or co-management agreements with Tribes,
and we are working to sign more.
On Indigenous Peoples' Day, we recognize that it is
hard work to heal the wrongs of the past and to change
course and move forward, but together, nothing is
beyond our capacity. May we take pride in the progress
we have made to establish a new era of Tribal
sovereignty and Indigenous self-determination--one
grounded in dignity, respect, and friendship.
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 October 14,
2024, as Indigenous Peoples' Day. I call upon the
people of the United States to observe this day with
appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct
that the flag of the United States be displayed on all
public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our
diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who
contribute to shaping this Nation.
[[Page 83607]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
ninth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2024-24150
Filed 10-16-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 17, 2024.
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