[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 214 (Tuesday, November 5, 2019)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 59705-59706]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-24281]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 84 , No. 214 / Tuesday, November 5, 2019 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 59705]]


                Proclamation 9961 of October 31, 2019

                
National Native American Heritage Month, 2019

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                American Indians and Alaska Natives continue to make 
                immeasurable contributions to our Nation. We honor the 
                sacrifices many tribal citizens have made in defense of 
                our great Nation. We also recognize that our culture is 
                more vibrant because of the special government-to-
                government relationship between the United States and 
                Indian tribes. During National Native American Heritage 
                Month, we reaffirm our commitment to work with tribal 
                communities to address serious issues affecting them 
                and to help protect their rich and diverse heritage.

                Few acts of service better embody the intrepid spirit 
                of our country than the willingness to answer the call 
                of duty and defend our Nation's precious liberties. 
                American Indians and Alaska Natives have done so at one 
                of the highest rates of any ethnic group in the United 
                States, serving admirably in every branch of our 
                military. Their legacy of service spans the history of 
                our Nation, and includes the Indian Home Guard during 
                the Civil War and the Code Talkers during World War II. 
                Today, 31,000 courageous men and women from American 
                Indian and Alaska Native communities serve on active 
                duty in our Armed Forces.

                My Administration is committed to advancing shared 
                priorities with tribal governments and leaders to 
                address their most pressing challenges, including the 
                devastating threat posed by drugs. In 2018, the 
                Department of Interior's Opioid Reduction Task Force 
                seized more than 3,200 pounds of illegal narcotics with 
                an estimated value of approximately $9 million. In 
                addition to our efforts to address the drug crisis, we 
                are focused on healthcare access, delivery, and safety. 
                In March 2019, my Administration created a task force 
                charged with developing recommendations to protect 
                Native American children receiving care at Indian 
                Health Service clinics, and we look forward to 
                continuing these efforts.

                Additionally, my Administration began a series of 
                public safety listening sessions with American Indian 
                and Alaska Native tribal leaders and communities. These 
                sessions, which are called Reclaiming our Native 
                Communities, are focused on strategies to address the 
                trend of violence and illicit activity affecting these 
                populations and have addressed the problem of missing 
                and murdered indigenous women. So far, these sessions 
                have been held in Sacaton, Arizona; Nome and Bethel, 
                Alaska; and Rapid City, South Dakota. Through 
                collaboration with Federal, State, local, and tribal 
                partners, we will continue working to address these and 
                other issues that American Indian and Alaska Native 
                communities face today.

                My Administration has also played a role in helping to 
                preserve the proud heritage of American Indians and 
                Alaska Natives. In October, my Administration was 
                pleased to secure the commitment of President Sauli 
                Niinisto of Finland to facilitate the historic return 
                of ancestral remains and artifacts to an assembly of 26 
                pueblos and tribes in the Mesa Verde region. More than 
                600 items of cultural patrimony will be returned to 
                this region, which includes areas of Utah, Colorado, 
                and New Mexico.

[[Page 59706]]

                During National Native American Heritage Month, we 
                affirm our commitment to working toward a society that 
                fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation for the 
                diversity of culture and history of the 573 federally 
                recognized American Indian and Alaska Native nations in 
                our country. This November and every month, we 
                celebrate the culture and heritage of these remarkable 
                Americans who deeply enrich the quality and character 
                of our Nation.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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 2019 as 
                National Native American Heritage Month. I call upon 
                all Americans to commemorate this month with 
                appropriate programs and activities and to celebrate 
                November 29, 2019, as Native American Heritage Day.

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

[FR Doc. 2019-24281
Filed 11-4-19; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F0-P