IIB 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. J. RES. 62 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
NOVEMBER 14, 2007 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
To honor the achievements and contributions of Native 
Americans to the United States, and for other purposes. 
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Native American Her-
itage Day Act of 2007’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) Native Americans are the descendants of 
the aboriginal, indigenous, native people who were 
the original inhabitants of and who governed the 
lands that now constitute the United States; 
(2) Native Americans have volunteered to serve 
in the United States Armed Forces and have served 
with valor in all of the Nation’s military actions 
from the Revolutionary War through the present 
day, and in most of those actions, more Native 
Americans per capita served in the Armed Forces 
than any other group of Americans; 
(3) Native American tribal governments devel-
oped the fundamental principles of freedom of 
speech and separation of governmental powers that 
were a model for those that form the foundation of 
the United States Constitution; 
(4) the Founding Fathers based the provisions 
of the Constitution on the unique system of democ-
racy of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, 
which divided powers among the branches of govern-
ment and provided for a system of checks and bal-
ances; 
(5) Native Americans have made distinct and 
significant contributions to the United States and 
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the rest of the world in many fields, including agri-
culture, medicine, music, language, and art, and Na-
tive Americans have distinguished themselves as in-
ventors, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and schol-
ars; 
(6) Native Americans should be recognized for 
their contributions to the United States as local and 
national leaders, artists, athletes, and scholars; 
(7) nationwide recognition of the contributions 
that Native Americans have made to the fabric of 
American society will afford an opportunity for all 
Americans to demonstrate their respect and admira-
tion of Native Americans for their important con-
tributions to the political, cultural, and economic life 
of the United States; 
(8) nationwide recognition of the contributions 
that Native Americans have made to the Nation will 
encourage self-esteem, pride, and self-awareness in 
Native Americans of all ages; 
(9) designation of the Friday following Thanks-
giving of each year as Native American Heritage 
Day will underscore the government-to-government 
relationship between the United States and Native 
American governments; 
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