64FR60085 P-7247 National American Indian Heritage Month, 1999
The President of the United States
Posting-number: Volume 64, Issue 213, Page 60085
[Federal Register: November 4, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 213)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Page 60085-60086]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04no99-177]
Presidential Documents
[[Page 60085]]
Proclamation 7247 of November 1, 1999
National American Indian Heritage Month, 1999
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Ours is a nation inextricably linked to the histories
of the many peoples who first inhabited this great
land. Everywhere around us are reminders of the legacy
of America's first inhabitants. Their history speaks to
us through the names of our cities, lakes, and rivers;
the food on our tables; the magnificent ruins of
ancient communities; and, most important, the lives of
the people who retain the cultural, spiritual,
linguistic, and kinship bonds that have existed for
millennia.
As we reflect on the heritage of American Indians,
Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, we also reaffirm
our commitment to fostering a prosperous future for
native youth and children. At the foundation of these
efforts is our work to provide a quality education to
all Native American children. In particular, we have
sought significantly increased funding to support
Bureau of Indian Affairs school construction and 1,000
new teachers for American Indian youth. My 1998
Executive order on American Indian and Alaska Native
Education sets goals to improve high school completion
rates and improve performance in reading and
mathematics. And we are working to get computers into
every classroom and to expand the use of educational
technology.
We are also seeking ways to empower Native American
communities and help them prosper. My Administration is
expanding consultation and collaborative decision-
making with tribal governments to promote self-
determination. We also support tribal government
economic development initiatives, particularly those
that increase or enhance the infrastructure necessary
for long-term economic growth. My New Markets
Initiative seeks to leverage public and private
investment to boost economic development in areas that
have not shared in our recent national prosperity. In
July, I visited the Pine Ridge Reservation of the
Oglala Sioux, as part of my New Markets Tour, to
explore opportunities for economic development in
Indian Country.
Among the most serious barriers to economic growth
facing tribal communities is a lack of housing,
physical infrastructure, and essential services. My
Administration is working with tribal leaders to build
and renovate affordable housing on tribal lands, bring
quality drinking water to economically distressed
Indian communities, and improve public safety. We are
moving to assist tribal governments in developing the
physical infrastructure needed for economic
development, including roads, fiber-optic cabling, and
electric power lines.
In working together to shape a brighter future for
Indian Country, we must not lose sight of the rich
history of Native Americans. Just weeks ago, the
Smithsonian Institution broke ground on the National
Mall for the National Museum of the American Indian.
This wonderful facility will preserve and celebrate the
art, history, and culture of America's indigenous
peoples. It is also fitting that the first U.S. dollar
coin of the new millennium will bear the likeness of
Sacajawea and her infant son--an image that captures
the importance of our shared history.
[[Page 60086]]
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 1999 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
first day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-nine, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
fourth.
(Presidential Sig.)<Clinton1><Clinton2>
[FR Doc. 99-29049
Filed 11-3-99; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P