November is Native American Heritage Month

[www.gedakina.org]

For Immediate Release

Office of the Press Secretary

November 14, 2003

National American Indian Heritage Month, 2003

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

During National American Indian Heritage Month, we honor the accomplishments and culture of American Indians and Alaska Natives and recognize their contributions to our country. To help educate Americans and illustrate the important role of these native people to our Nation, the new National Museum of the American Indian will open next year.

American Indians and Alaska Natives have a long tradition of serving with pride and accomplishment in the United States Armed Forces. Today, their patriotism is reflected in the more than 13,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives serving on active duty and the more than 6,400 reservists.

In Iraq, Specialist Lori Piestewa of the Army's 507th Maintenance Company and a member of the Hopi tribe, was the first American servicewoman killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the only known American Indian woman killed in action in any conflict. Her bravery, service, and sacrifice are an inspiration to our men and women in uniform and to all Americans.

To ensure the future success of America's tribal communities, my Administration is committed to improving education, increasing employment and economic development, and ensuring better access to health and human services for all American Indians and Alaska natives. Government-wide, we proposed in the 2004 Budget to spend over $11 billion on Native American programs. The Department of Education's Office of Indian Education is working to implement the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 within the Native American community. Indian tribes, schools, and local education agencies that serve American Indian and Native Alaska children will have access to nearly $122 million in grants to improve education opportunities. In addition, the Department of the Interior's 2004 program includes over $49 million for America's tribal colleges and universities. This investment will help American Indian students reach their full potential and achieve their dreams. We are also working to address the healthcare needs of American Indians, particularly the rising incidence of diabetes.

The United States has a strong relationship with American Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities. By continuing to work on a government-to-government basis with these tribal governments, we are fostering greater understanding and promoting tribal self-determination and self-governance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, 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 2003 as National American Indian Heritage Month. This month, I encourage citizens to learn more about the rich heritage of American Indians and Alaska Natives and the role they have played in building and sustaining our Nation and to commemorate this month with appropriate programs and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-eighth.

GEORGE W. BUSH
www.whitehouse.gov

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November is Native American Heritage Month

http://www2.ihs.gov/heritage/

October 30, 2003

NATIVE AMERICAN ARTWORK HAS UNIVERSAL THEME

The quiet, majestic presence of a work of Native American art, called the
Turtle Shield, magnetically draws people to explore its universal message
during its exhibition at the Norman Williams Public Library in Woodstock,
VT for the month of November, which is Native American Heritage Month.

"In addition to our regular patrons, dozens of visitors and tourists have
been enjoying the piece. It is a great addition to the Library because
people ask questions about the artwork and then want to read. It
inspires their curiosity," says Deb Spackman, director of the Norman
Williams Public Library.

Library patrons, often on their way to check e-mail or surf the web on
public computers, immediately experience the impressive presence of the
Turtle Shield, a birchbark sculpture that stands 9 feet tall by 4 feet
wide. The Turtle Shield is composed of 13 individual plates, trimmed
with sweetgrass and spruceroot, that fit together to form a turtle shell.
Imagery engraved and painted on the plates portray the story of the
Abenaki in pictographic terms representing "seasons, geography, cultures,
ceremony, and relationships." Specific depictions of traditional Abenaki
ways of life include maple sap-gathering and ash basket-making as well as
healing imagery such as sweat lodge and a medicine dance. Although it
may sound like a contrast to view the Turtle Shield in the midst of the
information technology age, this seemingly "antique" artwork is a
contemporary sculpture that was created seven years ago by the renowned
Penobscot artist, ssipsis.

The Turtle Shield was created after ssipsis spent time in Vermont
organizing Native American art exhibits and attending Vermont Law School.
She spoke with many Abenaki people about their cultural survival and
contemporary life and was so moved by their story that she created the
Turtle Shield. Although based on the story of the Abenaki, the Turtle
Shield is a very inviting and accessible work of art that communicates an
important, universal message for all people. Much of its imagery centers
on our relationship with the land, waterways, seasons, and wildlife; the
cooperation and celebration of community; and honoring the
interconnectedness of all life and people--values that people in our
region embody and can easily relate to. The Turtle Shield is a
celebration of community, traditions, and unity among people and our
relationship with the natural world.

This exhibition is a collaboration between the Norman Williams Public
Library and Gedakina, a regional Native American nonprofit organization
based in Woodstock, VT. Due to the initial attention and avid interest
of the general public, the Turtle Shield exhibit has been extended until
the end of November. Gedakina representatives have been conducting
educational programs for elementary school classes and local youth
organizations in conjunction with the exhibit and are available to
schedule additional programs.

The Norman Williams Public Library is located at 10 South Park Street,
Woodstock, VT and is open Mon. 10-5PM, Tues., Wed., and Thurs. 10-7PM,
Fri. and Sat. 10-5PM. For more information or to schedule interviews,
please contact: Stephanie Morgan, Gedakina, (802) 457-2644,
gedakina@valley.net, <www.gedakina.org> or Angela Day, Norman WilliamsPublic Library, (802) 457-2295 x126, angela@normanwilliams.lib.vt.us

[http://www.usccr.gov]

U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS OBSERVES NATIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE HERITAGE MONTH

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is pleased to join the nation in observing National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, November 2003. "Since 1976, when presidential and congressional resolutions proclaimed a day, week, or month during which the United States would celebrate the cultures, contributions, and heritage of American Indians and Alaska Natives, the Commission has shown its deep respect and appreciation for American Indians and Alaska Natives by marking this observation," said Mary Frances Berry, Commission Chairperson.

According to the 2000 census, almost 2.5 million people in the United States identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, and 1.6 million identify as part American Indian or Alaska Native. Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the U.S. population of American Indians and Alaska Natives increased 26 percent, 110 percent among those who are part Native American or Alaska Native. During that period, the U.S. population as a whole increased 13 percent.

Many Native Americans are members of the 562 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and despite their history of achievement, typically face crushing poverty, discrimination, and associated problems. The national poverty rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives was 24.5 percent between 1999 and 2001, according to the latest national information available, compared with 11.6 percent for the entire U.S. population. For individuals living on reservations, 31.2 percent lived in poverty. Over this same period, 72.9 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives had health insurance coverage. By contrast, 80.8 percent of African Americans, 81.5 percent of Asian American and Pacific Islanders, and 90.2 percent of non-Hispanic whites had health insurance coverage. The number of uninsured American Indians and Alaska Natives is especially alarming since the population is 650 percent more likely to die from tuberculosis and 318 percent more likely to die from diabetes compared with other groups.

http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/na0703/na0731.pdf

This year, the Commission released A Quiet Crisis: Federal Funding and Unmet Needs in Indian Country, a report that the National Congress of American Indians called "the most comprehensive look at the state of Indian Country funding and need on a broad scale . . . in the last decade." In October, the Commission traveled to New Mexico to examine the disparate health status and outcomes for Native Americans. They met with frontline medical staff who provide health care to reservation residents and also held a forum with local tribal leaders and health advocates discussing concerns, including infrastructure development.

Since the early 1980s, per capita spending on general population federal programs has been far above that for Native American programs. According to Chairperson Berry, "federal programs fail to provide the services and funding equal to that which other groups receive, denying equal opportunity to Native Americans." Furthermore, inadequate funding is "historic. It's a matter of the fabric of American history, where there's a reluctance to deal with Indian issues. The government must act immediately to reverse this shameful and unjust treatment."

11/03/03
http://www.usccr.gov