[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 45 (Monday, November 13, 2000)]
[Pages 2813-2814]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7372--National American Indian Heritage Month, 2000

 November 8, 2000

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians are a special 
part of the tapestry of our Nation's history. As keepers of a rich and 
ancient cultural heritage, Native Americans share with all of us the 
beauty of their art, the power of their songs, and the grace of their 
people. As individuals, they have distinguished themselves in virtually 
every field, from the arts to the sciences, from the world of sports to 
the world of commerce.
    This month, we celebrate the culture and contributions of the first 
Americans. We also remember with sorrow the suffering they endured 
because of past Federal actions and policies that had long-term and 
often devastating consequences for Native Americans and their culture. 
But, as the new millennium dawns, there is reason for optimism. During 
my 1999 New Markets tour of the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota 
and my visit to the Navajo Nation in New Mexico in April of this year, I 
saw firsthand a strength of spirit and hope sweeping through Indian 
Country. The Vice President and I have worked with tribes to foster this 
hope--through economic development initiatives and improved education 
and health care.
    We still have much to accomplish, however. While my Administration 
has worked hard to bridge the digital divide and bring the Information 
Superhighway to Indian Country, some areas still do not have telephone 
and power lines. We continue striving to provide American Indians with 
the tools they need to strengthen family and community life by fighting 
poverty, crime, alcohol and drug abuse, and domestic violence, and we 
are working with tribes to improve academic achievement and strengthen 
tribal colleges.
    We are also seeking to ensure that tribal leaders have a voice equal 
to that of Federal and State officials in addressing issues of concern 
to all our citizens. I reaffirmed that commitment to tribal sovereignty 
and self-determination by issuing this month a revised Executive Order 
on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments. This 
order builds on prior actions and strengthens our government-to-
government relationship with Indian tribes by ensuring that all 
Executive departments and agencies consult with Indian tribes and 
respect tribal sovereignty as the agencies consider policy initiatives 
that affect Indian communities.
    This year, my Administration proposed the largest budget increase 
ever for a comprehensive Native American initiative for health care, 
education, infrastructure, and economic development. Just last month, as 
part of the Department of the Interior appropriations legislation, I 
signed into law one segment of this budget initiative that includes 
significant investments for school construction in Indian Country and 
the largest funding increase ever for the Indian Health Service. These 
are the kinds of investments that will empower tribal communities to 
address an array of needs and, ultimately, to achieve a better standard 
of living.
    Back in 1994, when I first met with the tribal leaders of more than 
500 Indian nations at the White House, I saw the strength and 
determination that have enabled Native Americans to overcome 
extraordinary barriers and protect their hard-won civil and political 
rights. Since then, by working together, we have established a new 
standard for Federal Indian policy--one that promotes an effective 
government-to-government relationship between the Federal Government and 
the tribes, and that seeks to ensure greater prosperity, self-reliance, 
and hope for all Native Americans. While we cannot erase the tragedies 
of the past, we can create a future where all of our country's people 
share in America's great promise.

[[Page 2814]]

     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 
2000 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 eighth day of 
November, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence 
of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.
                                            William J. Clinton

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., November 13, 
2000]

Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on November 9, and it was published in the Federal Register on 
November 15.