[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 177 (Thursday, November 20, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10709-S10710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I am pleased that the President has 
proclaimed November as National American Indian Heritage Month and the 
Congress has designated November 28, 2008, as Native American Heritage 
Day.
  This is the time when our country traditionally offers thanks for the 
bounty and protections we enjoy. This year, Congress and the President 
have chosen to specifically acknowledge and be thankful for the 
contributions and achievements of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and 
Native Hawaiians. Together, we have called on Federal, State, and local 
governments, tribal governments, and others to come together to 
celebrate and share with one another the cultures, traditions, and 
languages of more than 500 tribes.
  In my home State of Nevada, our tribes represent three distinct 
cultures and languages Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe. Throughout my 
career, I have promoted programs and education efforts to preserve 
these native languages and others and expand cultural programs for 
children, young adults and elders. Nevada's tribal leaders and youth 
tell me this cultural exchange with tribal members and with those in 
their school and local communities bridges differences and leads to 
individual successes. Nevadans can be proud of our State's diversity.
  And while Nevada's 26 tribes are distinct, they share goals common to 
nearly all sovereigns--to care for their people, to keep them safe, to 
help them prosper, to protect and use their resources wisely, to engage 
in the larger world while being mindful of their histories.
  During this session, the Senate worked with tribal leaders and 
advocates and our colleagues in the House to help tribes achieve these 
goals. Working together, we reauthorized the Native American Housing 
Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act, reauthorized the 
Special Diabetes Program for Indians, and amended laws to strengthen 
families and improve the care and development of children in foster 
care. We passed legislation that helps tribes develop their natural 
resources, expand their commercial activities, and encourage investment 
in Indian Country. During this time of war, we made it a priority to 
help our Native American veterans and their families--who continue a 
long history of serving in our Armed Forces--by expanding benefits and 
services under the G.I. bill. Under the leadership of Chairman Byron 
Dorgan and Vice Chairperson Lisa Murkowski of the Indian Affairs 
Committee, the Congress has worked to honor our first Americans and 
fulfill our promises to them.
  During this month especially, we recognize the leadership and efforts 
of tribes and others to improve the lives of Native Americans. But our 
work is not finished and we will not rest on the accomplishments of the 
110th Congress. As majority leader, I am committed to work with my 
colleagues to reform health care and reauthorize the Indian Health Care 
Improvement Act. I hope that the Senate will be able to again consider 
a package similar to one the Senate passed earlier this year.
  As we approach the end of this Congress, I am pleased that we take a 
moment to recognize and celebrate the gifts Native Americans and Alaska 
Natives share with all of us daily.
  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, each November we celebrate American 
Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month to honor the first inhabitants 
of this land and recognize the relationship this country has with 
American Indian people. In that same spirit, I would also like to 
specifically recognize the nine treaty tribes that I am honored to 
represent in South Dakota.
  American Indians are unique among other groups in this country 
because of the government-to-government relationship established 
through countless treaties--documents affirmed in article VI of our 
Constitution as the supreme law of the land. This special status and 
the strength of these age-old contracts have enabled American Indians 
to shape this country's history in profound ways, as tribal history is 
deeply entwined with America's. The continued fulfillment of our treaty 
and trust obligations along with a respect for the

[[Page S10710]]

tenets of tribal sovereignty are thus essential responsibilities of 
this country.
  South Dakota's tribes have a special place in this history due to 
their proactive leadership in the Federal-tribal relationship. For 
example, the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie was entered into by Indian 
tribes in South Dakota that desired a peaceful relationship with the 
United States and a mutual recognition of sovereignty. In this treaty, 
like many others, the United States entered an agreement to end 
hostilities and for the cession of land, in return entering into a 
contract to provide assistance with education, health care, farming and 
other necessities; these responsibilities continue today. During this 
month of recognition and remembrance it is only appropriate to 
recognize the special status of the treaty tribes.
  In addition to this unique governmental relationship, American 
Indians actively enrich the fabric of our Nation's character in many 
ways. Tribal members have courageously served to protect America in 
every conflict since the Revolutionary War, and they have served at the 
highest rate of any group in the country. Tribal educational models are 
rapidly gaining respect for an approach that stresses the importance of 
history and culture as well as the skills necessary for students to 
prosper in an increasingly global world.
  American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month falls in the same 
month as Thanksgiving and I hope this affords us with the time to give 
thanks for the sacrifices of the first Americans. Once reduced to a 
population of less than 50,000, the American Indian population is now 
some 4.5 million strong. Their story, like that of the country as a 
whole, is a proud, resilient history and I am committed to supporting 
tribes as they continue to build a strong future. Observance of 
American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month honors the unique 
heritage of this country's first inhabitants, and most importantly 
reaffirms our responsibility to honor Indian treaties.

                          ____________________