H.J.RES.40 Native American Heritage Day Act of 2009

I personally am Happy with this bill as being a Native I am glad to here "We" finally get a day for recognition

Native American Heritage Day Act of 2009 - Makes specified findings, including that the Friday immediately succeeding Thanksgiving Day of each year would be an appropriate day to designate as Native American Heritage Day. Encourages the people of the United States, as well as federal, state, and local governments and interested groups and organizations, to honor Native Americans with appropriate activities to observe Native American Heritage Day, including regarding:
(1) the historical status of Native American tribal governments and the present day status of Native Americans;
(2) Native American cultures, traditions, and languages; and
(3) the rich Native American cultural legacy that all Americans enjoy today.

HJRes40 open Congress

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that--

(1) Native Americans are the descendants of the aboriginal, indigenous, native people who were the original inhabitants of and who governed the lands that now constitute the United States;

(2) Native Americans have volunteered to serve in the United States Armed Forces and have served with valor in all of the Nation’s military actions from the Revolutionary War through the present day, and in most of those actions, more Native Americans per capita served in the Armed Forces than any other group of Americans;

(3) Native American tribal governments included the fundamental principles of freedom of speech and separation of governmental powers;

(4) Native Americans have made distinct and significant contributions to the United States and the rest of the world in many fields, including agriculture, medicine, music, language, and art, and Native Americans have distinguished themselves as inventors, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and scholars;

(5) Native Americans should be recognized for their contributions to the United States as local and national leaders, artists, athletes, and scholars;

(6) nationwide recognition of the contributions that Native Americans have made to the fabric of American society will afford an opportunity for all Americans to demonstrate their respect and admiration of Native Americans for their important contributions to the political, cultural, and economic life of the United States;

(7) nationwide recognition of the contributions that Native Americans have made to the Nation will encourage self-esteem, pride, and self-awareness in Native Americans of all ages;

(8) designation of the Friday following Thanksgiving of each year as Native American Heritage Day will underscore the government-to-government relationship between the United States and Native American governments;

(9) designation of Native American Heritage Day will encourage public elementary and secondary schools in the United States to enhance understanding of Native Americans by providing curricula and classroom instruction focusing on the achievements and contributions of Native Americans to the Nation; and

(10) the Friday immediately succeeding Thanksgiving Day of each year would be an appropriate day to designate as Native American Heritage Day.

HJRes 40 GovTrack

Yes, it is a day overdue but don't be surprised if the day is spent hiring white reenactors to put on the educational programs. There are quite a few that make their living at it.

After I had posted the topic,
I realized it wouldn't matter to most because it's
"Black Friday" the biggest shopping day of the year

But that doesn't stop me from going " Yippie "

I never liked Black Friday never looked to it coming
but now I can.

I'm just picturing the sales papers saying N.A.Heritage Day sale in stead of thanksgiving day sale.

I do agree that it will be messed up by others for their own personal gain but I don't have to follow them.

I know what that day will be for now and can celebrate my own way.

After I had read that I knew for tonight all my troubles where put away for at least one night when I got to bed from the joy of reading that "We get a day"

A day is a start of what can happen in the future.

Originally posted by EvilBat
(9) designation of Native American Heritage Day will encourage public elementary and secondary schools in the United States to enhance understanding of Native Americans by providing curricula and classroom instruction focusing on the achievements and contributions of Native Americans to the Nation; and

(10) the Friday immediately succeeding Thanksgiving Day of each year would be an appropriate day to designate as Native American Heritage Day.

Hope they tell the truth and nothing but the truth...this is a pretty cool bill but I can see where some of my family and friends would see this in a slightly condescending way.

I personally believe this is a great gesture on behalf of the US, however Im not too sure of the motive behind it. We have a day honoring native heritage and thanking them for their contributions etc etc but we condone the consistent destruction of many reservations across the country.

The Peabody Coal Company, and, with the Arizona Public Service Company, constructed the Four Corners Power Plant. At the time most tribal council members did not know how much environmental damage strip mining and coal-fired plans would eventually cause. As coal deposits were exhausted, only a vast, barren, pit remained. Burning the coal at the power plants also generated severe air pollution. Aside from a concern for damage to the tourist industry, the Navajos feared that their land would be forever destroyed. In recent years, the Navajo Nation has taken legal action against these companies for non-payment of income as well as the destruction of the natural environment. Today, some Navajos are even seeking to shut The Peabody Coal Company down as its processes have depleted ground water on the reservation.

pbs.org

this pbs article hits the tip of the iceberg. check out Bush's Parting Gift...

I happened to be out there when things went down before 9/11 and its some really messed up stuff to bear witness to. This goes on all around the country; sacred land being desecrated in the name of the love of power. Sacred land that really means something. If a church was bulldozed and it happened to be of the catholic persuasion, all hell would break loose. Literally, but these native americans who have valuable land (now that we have the technology to tell us its valuable, after what was originally thought to be crappy land that could be handed off to the natives as a frugal consolation.) are being subjected to slavery and death....like the rest of us.

Its easy to honor or set a day aside for someone...like licoln, or mlk, or the constitution, or columbus, or veterans et c but as long as the facts remain obscure to the laymen and noncurious who partake in the celebration of these ''holidays'', that don't do the research and simply don't care about the truth of the matter, we will remain in the rut that we dig deeper for ourselves and further bind ourselves to the chains of our ''masters''

How many consecutive generations of a family tree need to be born in America to suddenly be bestowed the title of "native?"

Seriously, I get so sick and tired of America's infatuation with labeling groups of people. Everybody wants "equality" and equal opportunities and treatment, well, hey equality starts with eliminating the belief that you somehow deserve special recognition purely based on your heritage. EVERY American already has a "special day," it's falls on the 4th of July and it is called "Independence Day." That's the only heritage that matters because, prior to that day all of us would have been held as British subjects and citizens, origin of birth be damned.

Originally posted by burdman30ott6
How many consecutive generations of a family tree need to be born in America to suddenly be bestowed the title of "native?"

Seriously, I get so sick and tired of America's infatuation with labeling groups of people. Everybody wants "equality" and equal opportunities and treatment, well, hey equality starts with eliminating the belief that you somehow deserve special recognition purely based on your heritage. EVERY American already has a "special day," it's falls on the 4th of July and it is called "Independence Day." That's the only heritage that matters because, prior to that day all of us would have been held as British subjects and citizens, origin of birth be damned.

America is not infatuated with labeling groups of people. Human beings do this all over the world.

This is mindless rhetoric I've heard before, usually from people who know little about native history and the many injustices handed to them, as a people. Im willing to bet that more than 80 percent of americans have no clue as to the many details of The American Holocaust