Celebrating American Indian heritage
November is National American Indian Heritage Month. It is a time to reflect on the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of American Indians and Alaskan Natives, the first people of the United States.
In 1924, Congress enacted the Indian Citizenship Act. In 1986 Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed the proclamation authorizing American Indian Week. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush designated November as National American Indian Heritage Month. After 100 years of efforts to establish it, National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month is celebrated to recognize native cultures and educate the public about the heritage, history, art, and traditions of the American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
The theme for 2019 National American Indian Heritage month, as provided by the Society of American Indian Government Employees (SAIGE) is, “Honoring Our Nations: Building Strength Through Understanding”
The observance month recognizes American Indians for their respect for natural resources and the Earth, having served with valor in our nation’s conflicts and for their many distinct and important contributions to the United States.
American Indians and Alaskan Natives have served our nation valiantly and with distinction in times of peace and war for over 200 years.
They serve at a high rate, with nearly 50 percent of all American Indians and Alaskan Natives in the military serving in the U.S. Navy. The Navy also has the highest concentration of female Service members when compared to other ethnic groups.
During the Civil War, American Indians served on both sides of the conflict. Among the most well-known are Brigadier General Ely S. Parker (Seneca), an aide to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, who recorded the terms of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia that ended the war
Starting in World War I and again in World War II, the U.S. military employed a number of American Indian service members to use their tribal languages as a military code that was unable to be broken by the enemy. These “code talkers” came from many different tribes, including Chippewa, Choctaw, Creek, Crow, Comanche, Hopi, Navajo, Seminole, and Sioux. During World War II, the Navajos constituted the largest component within that elite group.
On Nov. 20, 2013, American Indian code talkers from 566 tribes were honored with Congressional Silver Medals, and leaders from the tribes’ 33 nations received Congressional Gold Medals as recognition for the contributions of the code talkers’ service to our Nation.
Tom Oxendine, a Lumbee Indian, became the first American Indian to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1942, and later received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his rescue of a fellow pilot who was drowning. He served the United States in both the Korean and Vietnam War.
In the Vietnam War, 41,500 Indian personnel served. In 1990, prior to Operation Desert Storm, some 24,000 Indian men and women were in the military. Approximately 3,000 served in the Persian Gulf with three among those killed in action.
American Indian service personnel have also served in Afghanistan and in Iraq, and continue to serve today.
Army Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, a Cherokee Indian, was a member of the elite Delta Force and the recipient of 11 Bronze Stars, four for valor during his military career. Wheeler died on Oct. 22, 2015, during Operation Inherent Resolve while rescuing 70 prisoners from the Islamic State (ISIS) near Hawijah in northern Iraq. He was the first known U.S. military casualty in the fight against ISIS. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart and the Medal of Patriotism.
Air Force Master Sgt. Tanna Carter is the first Alaska Native woman to serve as an aircrew member and Boom Operator/Inflight Refueling Technician on the KC-135 Air Refueling aircraft for the 168th Air Refueling Wing at Eielson Air Force Base. She has over 2500 flying hours with 286 of those hours being combat flying time over Afghanistan and Iraq.
Inspired by her grandfather’s service as a Navy Seabee, OS1 Denise
Alamo, of the Navajo tribe, has served in the Navy for the past 18 years. Currently serving aboard the USS Nimitz, Alamo says that being a Native American sailor is a position that holds distinction and honor among her peers on the reservation.
Following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Thomas Sandoval (one of the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II), Lance Cpl. Jeanette Fernando joined the Marines and works as an airframe mechanic assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169. “I’m very grateful for what [the Navajo Code Talkers] sacrificed,” Fernando said. “They had the courage and dedication to participate in the program. I’m proud to be a part of the Navajo Nation.”
As the first people to live on the land we all cherish, American Indians and Alaska Natives have profoundly shaped our country’s character and our cultural heritage and many aspects of American Indian and Alaska Native culture have remained a staple in modern-day American life.
More than half of the U.S. states trace their names to Indian origins: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Maria Tallchief, an Osage Indian, became a successful ballerina and in 1981 founded the Chicago City Ballet with her sister Marjorie. Tallchief is considered America’s first major prima ballerina, and is the first Native American to hold the rank.
In 2002, astronaut and Chickasaw Indian John Bennett Herrington became the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to orbit the Earth. He carried a ceramic Hopi pot emblazoned with three corn motifs into space, 250 miles above the surface of the planet.
Keith Harper, a member of the Cherokee Nation, became the first member of a federally recognized Indian tribe to serve at the U.S. Ambassador level when he was confirmed as United States Representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2014.
Today, American Indians are leaders in every aspect of our society—from the boardroom to the battlefield, to the classroom.