Native American Heritage Day
Act of 2008 – H.J. Res. 62

A link is provided at the end of this website’s published version of the bill so you can obtain additional information and research options.

Native American Heritage Day Act of 2008 (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate) --H.J.Res.62--
One Hundred Tenth Congress of the United States of America AT THE SECOND SESSION

     Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday, the third day of January, two thousand and eight 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 Heritage Day Act of 2008'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) Native Americans are the descendants of the aboriginal, indigenous, native people who were the original inhabitants of 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 Americans have made distinct and significant contributions to the United States and the rest of the world in many fields, including agriculture, medicine, music, language, and art, and Native Americans have distinguished themselves as inventors, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and scholars;
(4) Native Americans should be recognized for their contributions to the United States as local and national leaders, artists, athletes, and scholars;
(5) 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 admiration of Native Americans for their important contributions to the political, cultural, and economic life of the United States;
(6) 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;
(7) designation of the Friday following Thanksgiving of each year as Native American Heritage Day will underscore the government-to-government relationship between the United States and Native American governments; and
(8) designation of Native American Heritage Day will encourage public elementary and secondary schools in the United States to enhance understanding of Native Americans by providing curricula and classroom instruction focusing on the achievements and contributions of Native Americans to the Nation.

SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE DAY.

Congress--
(1) designates Friday, November 28, 2008, as `Native American Heritage Day'; and
(2) encourages the people of the United States, as well as Federal, State, and local governments, and interested groups and organizations to observe Native American Heritage Day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities, including activities relating to--
(A) the historical status of Native American tribal governments as well as the present day status of Native Americans;
(B) the cultures, traditions, and languages of Native Americans; and
(C) the rich Native American cultural legacy that all Americans enjoy today.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.

More Resourses about this bill; an interactive site from www.govtrack.us.

H.J. Res. 62 was originally passed by the House of Representatives on November 13, 2007. The bill was passed with technical adjustments by unanimous consent in the U.S. Senate on September 22, 2008. Then, on September 26, 2008, the House of Representatives unanimously voted to pass the legislation again, this time including the adjustments from the Senate. The legislation was signed into public law by the President on October 8, 2008.
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Released: Cloudburst, June 2008

"Cloudburst" has just been released and is available for sale. Effective as of June 30, 2008. You can order direct from the publisher and save. All othe rmajor book sellers will soon be able to list it in their inventory if they have not done so already.


Click the blue lines for the following features: No updates have been provided for Pebble Mine distruction in Native Alaskan communities, but please read my message to not buy Alaskan gold, a message for those supplying Churches with Gold vessels and art. Watch Rev. Kevin Annett's video Unrepentant about the 50,000 children that never made it home from school in Canada. See the eye witness news report on missing children, CBC news - May 14, 2008.
Video & News links . . . .Video & News links . . . .Video & News links . . . .Video & News links . . . . Video & News links . . . .Video & News links . . . .Video & News links . . . .Video & News links . . . .Video & News links . . . . Video & News links . . . .Video & News links . . . .Video & News links . . . .Video & News links . . . .Video & News links . . . .

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Video and Links to News

This page hosts videos and news links of interest to Native issues. Some dated materials remain because the issues have not been resolved.

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Free Leonard Peltier
Leonard Peltier's next parole meeting is in Decmber 2008, President Bush's final month of office. Please pray for his release and petition the President and your local senators or representaives to encourage the parole of Elder Leonard. Pass on the word that this political victim, political prisoner has one last chance in this decade to be released from prison. His next hearing, should this one fail, will be in 2017, when he will be 73 years old. He has been in prison since he was 31 years old.
    Those of you searching for reliable updated information can visit the Who Is Leonard Peltier information web site. There are many web sites that speak about him, but this is the more recent and officialy sanctioned site approved by Elder Leonard Peltier.
     He is a leader of A.I.M. who was called upon to help protect Lakota land owners and their rights to work thier lands. The governmetn at that time rented out much of the Native American lands for only a dollar and acre in the late 1960's and early 1970's. That was not by any strectch of the imagination a fair and going price. Besides, it was not the Government's land to take from the rightful teaty approved owners and rent it out.
     That is but one of many issues that caused blood shed to Lakota and other Native People during those terrible times. The case and unsubstantiate evidence that imprisoned Leonard has been declared a farce, a kangaroo court by leading judges and lawyers at the time and ever since.
     He was imprisoned becasue the FBI and other government entities of the time were too proud to admit their errors, and were afraid and covering up their own crimes against humanity and government violation of basic USA constitutional rights and protections. He remines in jail because of the government is still afraid to admit error. This is akin to Churches that cover up clergy crimes agains children. The innocent victim should not be blamed.

     I have had the honor to meet Leonard Peltier. He still directs or influences many humane reforms for reservations and other Indigenous concerns, such as housing improvement, health and education. He is a gifted painter, and a strong spiritual leader giving hope to other prisoners. His incarceration has been very difficult, yet he always was and continues to be a Man who looks out for the needs of others. Our nation is losing out by keeping this great spiritual an humane leader imprisoned.

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Children of Attawapiskat have a message for us

(Presented to this site, Feb 26, 2008) -- Their old school was built over a diesel dump. They got sick. Their new school is a colleciton of temporary trailor styled blocks. See and listen to their message


Please - if you have a web site or blog spot, embed this video -- let these kids be heard around the world. This should never happen in Canada, but it does. It happens in many ways in many places in the aboriginal Communities. Schools are not the place to dump poisons.

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Photo below by Bro. Joshua Seidl, SSP


Gaa win daa-aangoshkigaazo ahaw enaabiyaan gaa-inaabid.
(Anishinabe: You cannot destroy one who has dreamed a dream like mine.)

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More on Pebble Mine:
A special Appeal to All Churches,
Temples and other Faith Communities:
BOYCOTT ALASKAN GOLD

Saturday 8 January 2008: -- I AM ASKING ALL PRIESTS, CLERGY, RABBIES, BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN VOWS to consider boycotting gold from Alaska. Email me if you wish to support the cause of protecting the sovereign rights and health of Native Alaskans. Send me your letters or testimonies of support that you want me to post here on this site. Visit my guest book on the home page and leave a message of support for native Alaskans. I’ll forward the messages of support to my relatives or to whom those relatives direct me to forward the messages.
     Do not buy gold chalices or gold items for your sanctuaries and other ministry needs if that gold is from Alaska. Demand certified proof from your supplier that the gold is not from Alaska. You all know how a corrupt business can claim compliance by simply shifting the shipments around to another state or some such deceitful trickery.
     Post notices in your Church paper each week. We all know some of the terrible things our predecessors in ministry did in taking over this land. Here is our chance rectify those wrongs in some limited manner at least.

--thank you, Brother Joshua Seidl, SSP
Society of St. Paul, Staten Island NY
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NEW - See this Video Now
"Unrepentant"
Click the title above to see the award winning documentary by Kevin Annett of Hidden From History. This case currenlty has Canadian Media is a buzz and has attracted international attention: Modern Genocide in North America? You betcha!

My relative, Rev. Kevin Annett, shares this thought from one of his parishioners: "What we did to those native children was an abomination, and abominations aren't resolved with words and money. We need to have our hearts torn in two and be changed. We've got to stand, ourselves, under the judgment of God."

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There will be a reunion of the children who died, the survivors and their children and of all Native People.

•  •  Proclaim that freedom which is required for a just and equitable measure of self-determination in your lives as Native People. … And I also condemn physical, cultural, and religious oppression, and all that would in any way deprive you or any group of what rightly belongs to you.”
[John Paul II, Yellowknife, Canada]


Link to the web site
for The Order of St. James

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     The big blue button above with the gray background peeks inside HAWK DANCER.
     The big blue button below with the RED background lets you read portions of CLOUDBURST, the second book I wrote.


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