SALEM, Ore. – Gov. Tina Kotek on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, proclaimed November as Native American Heritage Month for the state of Oregon.
In an official proclamation, Kotek stated Oregon recognizes the “rich and diverse heritage of Native American communities who have called this land home since time immemorial.”
Along with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon is home to eight other federally recognized tribes: Burns Paiute Tribe; Confederate Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians; Coquille Indian Tribe; Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community; Klamath Tribes; Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians; and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
“Whereas Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes are sovereign nations whose inherent rights are not only grounded in legal obligation, but represent a moral imperative that requires acknowledging the rights of Native American tribes to self-govern and make independent decisions about their lands, laws, resources, and cultural preservation; and whereas Oregon reaffirms our commitment to support Tribal sovereignty and promote respect for the people who first called our great home,” the proclamation states. “Now, therefore, I Tina Kotek, Governor of the State of Oregon, hereby proclaim November 2023 to be Native American Heritage Month in Oregon and encourage all Oregonians to join in this observance.”
In 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants on the name, including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month,” have been issued each year since 1994.
