Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 196 / Thursday, October 12, 2023 / Presidential Documents 70573 

Proclamation 10649 of October 6, 2023 

Indigenous Peoples’ Day, 2023 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor the perseverance and courage of 

Indigenous peoples, show our gratitude for the myriad contributions they 

have made to our world, and renew our commitment to respect Tribal 

sovereignty and self-determination. 

The story of America’s Indigenous peoples is a story of their resilience 

and survival; of their persistent commitment to their right to self-governance; 

and of their determination to preserve cultures, identities, and ways of 

life. Long before European explorers sailed to this continent, Native American 

and Alaska Native Nations made this land their home, some for thousands 

of years before the United States was founded. They built many Nations 

that created powerful, prosperous, and diverse cultures, and they developed 

knowledge and practices that still benefit us today. 

But throughout our Nation’s history, Indigenous peoples have faced violence 

and devastation that has tested their limits. For generations, it was the 

shameful policy of our Nation to remove Indigenous peoples from their 

homelands; force them to assimilate; and ban them from speaking their 

own languages, passing down ancient traditions, and performing sacred ceremonies. Countless lives were lost, precious lands were taken, and their 

way of life was forever changed. In spite of unimaginable loss and seemingly 

insurmountable odds, Indigenous peoples have persisted. They survived. 

And they continue to be an integral part of the fabric of the United States. 

Today, Indigenous peoples are a beacon of resilience, strength, and perseverance as well as a source of incredible contributions. Indigenous peoples 

and Tribal Nations continue to practice their cultures, remember their heritages, and pass down their histories from generation to generation. They 

steward this country’s lands and waters and grow crops that feed all of 

us. They serve in the United States military at a higher rate than any 

other ethnic group. They challenge all of us to celebrate the good, confront 

the bad, and tell the whole truth of our history. And as innovators, educators, 

engineers, scientists, artists, and leaders in every sector of society, Indigenous 

peoples contribute to our shared prosperity. Their diverse cultures and communities today are a testament to the unshakable and unbreakable commitment of many generations to preserve their cultures, identities, and rights 

to self-governance. That is why, despite centuries of devastation and turmoil, 

Tribal Nations continue to thrive and lead in countless ways. 

When I came into office, I was determined to usher in a new era in the 

relationship between the Federal Government and Tribal Nations and to 

honor the solemn promises the United States made to fulfill our trust and 

treaty obligations to Tribal Nations. That work began by appointing Native 

Americans to lead on the frontlines of my Administration—from the first 

Native American Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and dozens of Senateconfirmed Native American officials to the over 80 Native American appointees serving across my Administration and in the Federal courts. I 

restored the White House Council on Native American Affairs to improve 

interagency coordination and decision-making as well as the White House 


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70574 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 196 / Thursday, October 12, 2023 / Presidential Documents 

Tribal Nations Summit to bring together key members of my Administration 

and the leaders of hundreds of Tribal Nations. 

Last year, I signed a new Presidential Memorandum that creates uniform 

standards for consultation between the Federal Government and Tribal Nations. And together, we are making historic investments in Indian Country. 

That includes $32 billion from the American Rescue Plan, the largest onetime direct investment in Indian Country in American history; more than 

$13 billion to rebuild infrastructure, the single largest investment in Indian 

Country infrastructure in history; and the biggest investment ever to combat 

the existential threat of climate change, including $700 million dedicated 

to climate change response in Native communities. 

We are also working to improve public health and safety for Native Americans. That is why I signed an Executive Order that helps us respond more 

effectively to the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples. 

And when we reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act last year, 

I was proud to include historic provisions that reaffirm Tribal sovereignty 

and restore Tribal jurisdiction. I have also requested a $9.1 billion infusion 

for Indian Health Services and asked the Congress to make that funding 

a mandatory part of the Federal budget for the first time in our history. 

My Administration will also continue using all the authority available to 

it, including the Antiquities Act, to protect sacred Tribal lands. We have 

already restored protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante 

in Utah and the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument 

in New England. I have declared new national monuments at the Camp 

Hale-Continental Divide in Colorado, Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada, and Baaj 

Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni in Arizona to protect lands that are sacred to so 

many Tribes. My Administration has also signed at least 20 new co-stewardship agreements with Tribes, and we are working on many more. 

As we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, may we renew the enduring soul 

of our Nation-to-Nation relationships—a spirit of friendship, stewardship, 

and respect. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2023, 

as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I call upon the people of the United States 

to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct 

that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings 

on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous 

peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 196 / Thursday, October 12, 2023 / Presidential Documents 70575 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of 

October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the 

Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortyeighth. 

[FR Doc. 2023–22667 

Filed 10–11–23; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F4–P 


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