HISTORY OF NATIONAL INDIAN DAY OR NATIVE AMERICAN DAY

Native American or National Indian Day honors and celebrates Native Americans. The first Americans that lived in the United States. Native Americans were everywhere in the North American continent before the first explorers and settlers from Europe colonized the lands. Native Americans lived all the way from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from the northern reaches of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Native Americans have played and continue to play a huge role in the history of the United States. Therefore, it is only fair to set aside a date to honor them.

Native American Day was officially declared a state holiday in 1998. In 1990, South Dakota proclaimed it as a year of reconciliation between Native Americans and Caucasian populations. This was done by changing Columbus Day to Native American Day in many states. The day is celebrated in America by people learning about the different kinds of tribes and cultures of the Native Americans. They also read about the genocides of the indigenous peoples and how they persisted despite the adversities.

The observance of Native American Day focuses on the history, heritage, and culture of tribes across the country. Today is all about celebrating the irreplaceable heritage, contributions, and knowledge of the Native populations. It is also a day to remember the enduring legacy of their fortitude, energy, and strength. Native American Day is about appreciating the long history of culture and traditions that Native Americans have preserved through the centuries.

Klamath Tribes – Treaty of 1864

naanok ?ans naat sat’waYanaat ciiwapk diceew’a – “We help each other; We will live good”

We are the Klamath Tribes- the Klamath, the Modoc and the Yahooskin-Paiute people, known as mukluks and numu (the people). We have lived in the Klamath Basin of Oregon, from time beyond memory. Our legends and oral history tell about when the world and the animals were created, when the animals and Gmok’am’c – the Creator – sat together and discussed the creation of man. If stability defines success, our presence here has been, and always will be, essential to the well-being of our homeland and those who abide here.