Native American Heritage History Month

Each year during the month of November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month. There are 574 federally recognized tribes within the US, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, not including the ones recognized on a state level. In Arizona, there are 22 federally recognized tribes and the state has a population of over 332,000 Indigenous people.

The very first idea of an American Indian Day was created by Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian. He was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He convinced the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the “First Americans”. Later.. the first American Indian Day was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. The first proclamation for Native American Heritage Month was in 1990 from President George H.W. Bush. Later, Congress passed a resolution in November 1990 as National American Indian Heritage Month.

In 1991, Congress passed another resolution indicating that every November will be proclaimed as “American Indian Heritage Month,” and since then, every president has signed a proclamation.

If you are interested in events in Phoenix view these resources below:

ASU PHOENIX EVENTS
PLACES TO EXPERIENCE NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE