[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
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 re

[[Page 3514]]

turned to this region, which includes areas of Utah, Colorado, and New
Mexico.
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.
DONALD J. TRUMP