[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 199 (Friday, November 28, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CELEBRATING NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 28, 2025

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, each November, our Nation recognizes the 
ongoing contributions and resilience of the First Americans during 
Native American Heritage Month. This is a time to celebrate the vibrant 
and diverse cultures of Native people across this country and to honor 
the role that sovereign tribal governments play in making the United 
States of America great.
  Minnesota is home to eleven Ojibwe and Dakota nations, and those 
nations and their people are a vital part of our state's heritage and 
our future. This year Minnesota's tribal leaders raised the flags of 
all 11 nations for the first time on our state capitol grounds, where 
they will fly permanently at the new Tribal Flag Plaza. I am incredibly 
proud of this historic commitment to recognizing the original 
governments of this land and the thriving nations they still represent. 
Governor Walz and our state legislature have worked hard to improve and 
strengthen tribal-state relationships, and this plaza is an enduring 
symbol of that respect and partnership.
  American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have played a 
foundational role in America's success. Native Americans formed the 
first participatory democracies that inspired the U.S. Constitution, 
and they are the population with the highest rates of service in our 
country's armed forces. The government-to-government relationships 
between the United States and the 574 diverse, federally recognized 
tribal nations have shaped our Nation since its founding. Native 
communities have continued to contribute to our national fabric over 
the last 250 years through their traditions, indigenous environmental 
knowledge, languages, and countless other ways. Native cultures and 
nations have endured despite centuries of violence, injustice, and 
discrimination. That legacy must never be buried or ignored, but I am 
committed to working with tribal leaders to moving forward in a new era 
of respect and self-governance throughout Indian Country.
  I am honored to have collaborated with tribal leaders throughout my 
career on local issues like restoring trust land and upholding treaty 
rights to fish and gather, and on major national legislation to better 
meet our federal trust responsibility, uphold tribal sovereignty, and 
support Native families. Yet even with the progress we have made, 
tremendous work remains to fulfill our trust and treaty obligations to 
Indian Country. Meeting the needs for health, education, public safety, 
and food security of Native Americans is our federal responsibility and 
a treaty commitment.
  As we come to the close of this month that celebrates the heritage 
and resilience of our Native American brothers and sisters, we must 
carry forward the commitment to strengthen our nation-to-nation 
relationship, honor our treaty commitments, and ensure that tribal 
sovereignty is respected.