[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 214 (Friday, November 4, 2011)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 68623-68624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-28844]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 76 , No. 214 / Friday, November 4, 2011 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 68623]]


                Proclamation 8749 of November 1, 2011

                
National Native American Heritage Month, 2011

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                From the Aleutian Islands to the Florida Everglades, 
                American Indians and Alaska Natives have contributed 
                immensely to our country's heritage. During National 
                Native American Heritage Month, we commemorate their 
                enduring achievements and reaffirm the vital role 
                American Indians and Alaska Natives play in enriching 
                the character of our Nation.

                Native Americans stand among America's most 
                distinguished authors, artists, scientists, and 
                political leaders, and in their accomplishments, they 
                have profoundly strengthened the legacy we will leave 
                our children. So, too, have American Indians and Alaska 
                Natives bravely fought to protect this legacy as 
                members of our Armed Forces. As service members, they 
                have shown exceptional valor and heroism on 
                battlefields from the American Revolution to Iraq and 
                Afghanistan. Native Americans have demonstrated time 
                and again their commitment to advancing our common 
                goals, and we honor their resolve in the face of years 
                of marginalization and broken promises. My 
                Administration recognizes the painful chapters in our 
                shared history, and we are fully committed to moving 
                forward with American Indians and Alaska Natives to 
                build a better future together.

                To strengthen our economy and win the future for our 
                children, my Administration is addressing problems that 
                have burdened Native American communities for too long. 
                We are working to bolster economic development, expand 
                access to affordable health care, broaden post-
                secondary educational opportunities, and ensure public 
                safety and tribal justice. In June, I signed an 
                Executive Order establishing the White House Rural 
                Council, to strengthen Federal engagement with tribal 
                governments and promote economic prosperity in Indian 
                Country and across rural America. This comes in 
                conjunction with several settlements that will put more 
                land into the hands of tribes and deliver long-awaited 
                trust reform to Indian Country.

                To bring jobs and sustainable growth to tribal nations, 
                my Administration is connecting tribal economies to the 
                broader economy through transportation infrastructure 
                and high-speed Internet, as well as by focusing on 
                clean energy development on tribal lands. First Lady 
                Michelle Obama's recently launched Let's Move! in 
                Indian Country initiative will also redouble efforts to 
                encourage healthy living for American Indians and 
                Alaska Natives. These actions reflect my 
                Administration's ongoing commitment to progress for 
                Native Americans, which was reaffirmed last year when 
                we announced our support for the United Nations 
                Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 
                Through a comprehensive strategy where the Federal 
                Government and tribal nations move forward as equal 
                partners, we can bring real and lasting change to 
                Indian Country.

                This month, we celebrate the rich heritage and myriad 
                contributions of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 
                and we rededicate ourselves to supporting tribal 
                sovereignty, tribal self-determination, and prosperity 
                for all Native Americans. We will seek to strengthen 
                our nation-to-nation relationship by ensuring tribal 
                nations have a voice in shaping national policies 
                impacting tribal communities. We will continue this 
                dialogue at the White House Tribal Nations Conference 
                held in Washington, D.C. next month.

[[Page 68624]]

                As we confront the challenges currently facing our 
                tribal communities and work to ensure American Indians 
                and Alaska Natives have meaningful opportunities to 
                pursue their dreams, we are forging a brighter future 
                for the First Americans and all Americans.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim November 2011 as 
                National Native American Heritage Month. I call upon 
                all Americans to commemorate this month with 
                appropriate programs and activities, and to celebrate 
                November 25, 2011, as Native American Heritage Day.

                 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                first day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2011-28844
Filed 11-3-11; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P