Native American Heritage Month  

Image Citation:

"Indians, American. Red Fox James at White House." Photograph. Library of Congress. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.

In 1914, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, rode horseback from state to state promoting the adoption of a day to honor Native Americans. This led to the annual Congress of the American Indian Association calling for the observance of what they called American Indian Day. On Sept. 28, 1915, a proclamation was issued which declared the second Saturday of each May as American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens.

New York was the first state to declare an American Indian Day in 1916. Several states have used different dates and included the celebration with Columbus Day. In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including "Native American Heritage Month" and "National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month") have been issued each year since 1994.

Follow the tabs at the top of this page to explore Native American resources available from the LSCC library.