[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 213 (Thursday, November 4, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 60085-60086]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-29049]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 213 / Thursday, November 4, 1999 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 60085]]


                Proclamation 7247 of November 1, 1999

                
National American Indian Heritage Month, 1999

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Ours is a nation inextricably linked to the histories 
                of the many peoples who first inhabited this great 
                land. Everywhere around us are reminders of the legacy 
                of America's first inhabitants. Their history speaks to 
                us through the names of our cities, lakes, and rivers; 
                the food on our tables; the magnificent ruins of 
                ancient communities; and, most important, the lives of 
                the people who retain the cultural, spiritual, 
                linguistic, and kinship bonds that have existed for 
                millennia.

                As we reflect on the heritage of American Indians, 
                Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, we also reaffirm 
                our commitment to fostering a prosperous future for 
                native youth and children. At the foundation of these 
                efforts is our work to provide a quality education to 
                all Native American children. In particular, we have 
                sought significantly increased funding to support 
                Bureau of Indian Affairs school construction and 1,000 
                new teachers for American Indian youth. My 1998 
                Executive order on American Indian and Alaska Native 
                Education sets goals to improve high school completion 
                rates and improve performance in reading and 
                mathematics. And we are working to get computers into 
                every classroom and to expand the use of educational 
                technology.

                We are also seeking ways to empower Native American 
                communities and help them prosper. My Administration is 
                expanding consultation and collaborative decision-
                making with tribal governments to promote self-
                determination. We also support tribal government 
                economic development initiatives, particularly those 
                that increase or enhance the infrastructure necessary 
                for long-term economic growth. My New Markets 
                Initiative seeks to leverage public and private 
                investment to boost economic development in areas that 
                have not shared in our recent national prosperity. In 
                July, I visited the Pine Ridge Reservation of the 
                Oglala Sioux, as part of my New Markets Tour, to 
                explore opportunities for economic development in 
                Indian Country.

                Among the most serious barriers to economic growth 
                facing tribal communities is a lack of housing, 
                physical infrastructure, and essential services. My 
                Administration is working with tribal leaders to build 
                and renovate affordable housing on tribal lands, bring 
                quality drinking water to economically distressed 
                Indian communities, and improve public safety. We are 
                moving to assist tribal governments in developing the 
                physical infrastructure needed for economic 
                development, including roads, fiber-optic cabling, and 
                electric power lines.

                In working together to shape a brighter future for 
                Indian Country, we must not lose sight of the rich 
                history of Native Americans. Just weeks ago, the 
                Smithsonian Institution broke ground on the National 
                Mall for the National Museum of the American Indian. 
                This wonderful facility will preserve and celebrate the 
                art, history, and culture of America's indigenous 
                peoples. It is also fitting that the first U.S. dollar 
                coin of the new millennium will bear the likeness of 
                Sacajawea and her infant son--an image that captures 
                the importance of our shared history.

[[Page 60086]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, 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 1999 as National 
                American Indian Heritage Month. I urge all Americans, 
                as well as their elected representatives at the 
                Federal, State, local, and tribal levels, to observe 
                this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
                activities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                first day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen 
                hundred and ninety-nine, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
                fourth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 99-29049
Filed 11-3-99; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P