What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose.
One of the very proponents of an American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the "First Americans" and for three years they adopted such a day. In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kan., formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. It directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to observe such a day. Coolidge issued a proclamation on Sept. 28, 1915, which declared the second Saturday of each May as an American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens.
The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. Several states celebrate the fourth Friday in September. In Illinois, for example, legislators enacted such a day in 1919. Presently, several states have designated Columbus Day as Native American Day, but it continues to be a day we observe without any recognition as a national legal holiday.
In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including "Native American Heritage Month" and "National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month") have been issued each year since 1994.
Five major tribes have inhabited and continue to inhabit Utah.
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READING SUGGESTIONS:
K-2: Drumbeat... Heartbeat: A Celebration of the Powwow by Susan Braine
2nd-4th: What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know about Horses? by Richard Van Camp
4th-6th: Native American Animal Stories by Joseph Bruchac
7th-12th: The Shadow Brothers by A.E. Cannon, and Crow and Weasel by Barry Lopez
RECIPE FOR AMERICAN INDIAN FRY BREAD
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 13 mins
Servings: 8-10
Ingredients
vegetable oil (for frying), 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt , 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon oil, 1 cup warm milk
Directions: Heat oil in skillet until hot over med-high heat, but not smoking. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients to make dough. Shape into round disks. Fry shaped dough in hot oil until brown and crispy. Spoon chili on top and add cheese, lettuce and tomato for a "Navajo Taco." Or for a sweet treat, top with some butter and honey.
COMMUNITY EVENTS:
Nov. 4-20: “For Colored Girls," Sorensen Unity Center
Nov. 5-6: Diwali-Festival of Lights, Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple
Nov. 11: Navajo Rug Show, Deer Valley
Nov. 12: Day of the Dead, Northern Utah Cultural Celebration Center
Visit nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov to learn more.
