The City School District of ʿ is proud to recognize National Native American Heritage Month this November and the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of lands that now make up the United States.
The first national acknowledgement of these contributions came about when President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations have been issued each year since 1994.
However, the creation of Native American Heritage Month traces its roots back to New York State at the turn of the twentieth century, and specifically to Seneca archaeologist Arthur C. Parker.
As director of the Rochester Museum and Science Center, Parker fought for a federal recognition day for Native Americans throughout the early 1900s. Due to his advocacy, New York became the first state to recognize “American Indian Day” in May 1916 – a first step on the path to the month-long recognition we have today.
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