Presidential Documents

59773

Federal Register

Vol. 62, No. 214

Wednesday, November 5, 1997

Title 3—

The President

Proclamation 7047 of November 1, 1997

National American Indian Heritage Month, 1997

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

American Indians and Alaska Natives have played a vital role in the life

of our country, and their many contributions have enhanced the freedom,

prosperity, and greatness of America today. In celebrating National American

Indian Heritage Month, we reaffirm our country’s commitment to remember

those contributions and to honor the unique heritage of our continent’s

first inhabitants.

This special observance also reflects our continuing commitment to American

Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments as an integral part of the

social, political, and economic fabric of the United States. The framers

of our Constitution incorporated Indian nations into the political and legal

framework of this country, forever joining the destiny of the tribal nations

with that of the American people. By this action, our founders charged

themselves and future generations with the moral obligation to guard the

rights and fundamental liberties of our country’s tribal peoples as zealously

as we protect the rights of all Americans.

As we enter the next millennium, we have an exciting opportunity to open

a new era of understanding, cooperation, and respect among all of America’s

people. We must work together to tear down the walls of separation and

mistrust and build a strong foundation for the future. To accomplish this,

we must strengthen tribal governments, improve the quality of education

for American Indian and Alaska Native youth, build stable, diversified economies in tribal communities, create high-wage jobs, and ensure that all our

citizens have the skills, education, and opportunities they need to reach

their full potential.

The government-to-government relationship between the tribes and the United States embodies the fundamental American belief that people of widely

varied and diverse cultural backgrounds can join together to build a great

country. Such greatness can be sustained, however, only so long as we

honor the ideals and principles upon which America is founded and abide

by our commitments to all our people. In recognition of America’s moral

and legal obligations to American Indians and Alaska Natives, and in light

of the special trust relationship between tribal governments and the Government of the United States, we celebrate National American Indian Heritage

Month.

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 1997 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.
59774 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 214 / Wednesday, November 5, 1997 / Presidential Documents

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

November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven,

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

[FR Doc. 97–29393

Filed 11–4–97; 8:45 am]

Billing code 3195–01–P

and twenty-second.

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