Day | Delaware Nation https://www.delawarenation-nsn.gov Official Website Wed, 31 May 2023 14:46:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.delawarenation-nsn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/cropped-Delaware-Nation-Seal-Vector-Logo-Black-Text-32x32.gif Day | Delaware Nation https://www.delawarenation-nsn.gov 32 32 American Indian Citizenship Day – June 2, 2023 https://www.delawarenation-nsn.gov/american-indian-citizenship-day-june-2-2023/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=american-indian-citizenship-day-june-2-2023 Wed, 31 May 2023 14:42:45 +0000 https://www.delawarenation-nsn.gov/?p=43265

American Indian Citizenship Day is observed on June 2. It was on this day in 1924 that the Indian Citizenship Act by Congress granted citizenship to all American Indians born in the U.S. The day celebrates the history, heritage, and culture of American Indian tribes across the country. All the tribes have their own traditions and beliefs. American Indian Citizenship Day celebrates their contribution to the country’s culture and is a reminder of their enduring legacy.

 

History of American Indian Citizenship Day

 

Since the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, American Indians were in a unique spot. Article 1 of the Constitution stated that “Indians not taxed” do not fall under the voting population of America.

  • American Indians were also part of the Dred Scott decision of 1857. The Dred Scott decision was a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that declared that living in free territory did not entitle Dred Scott, an enslaved person, to his freedom. However, in July 1868, the 14th Amendment overturned the Dred Scott decision and made anyone born in the U.S. citizen with equal protection and process under American law. And yet, interpretations of this amendment excluded American Indians from U.S. citizenship.

The 1870 census showed that the estimated population of American Indians was more than the population of five states and 10 territories, yet 92% of the American Indians were not legible citizens. It was the Dawes Act of 1887 that gave conditioned citizenship to American Indians.

Before the Civil War, citizenship was limited to those American Indians who had less Indian blood. During the Reconstruction period, granting of citizenship to American Indian tribes was sought after by the Republicans in Congress. In 1888, American Indian women who married U.S. citizens were given citizenship. The American Indian WWI veterans got their citizenship in 1919.

Finally, it was in 1924 that all American Indians were conferred with U.S. citizenship as a result of the Indian Citizenship Act. During this time, almost 125,000 out of an estimated 300,000 of the American Indian population did not have citizenship.

 

American Indian Citizenship Day timeline

1887
  • The Dawes Act
  • The Dawes Act grants citizenship to only those Native Americans who accept provisional individual land grants.
1929
  • Care for American Indian Mothers and Babies
  • The U.S. Office of Indian Affairs introduces its first preventive medicine program, which stresses the health of mothers and babies.
1944
  • The National Congress of American Indians Established
  • The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is founded and many American Indian men, as well as women, attend its conference from all over the U.S.
1954
  • Indian Health Service Established
  • President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Indian Health Transfer Act, which establishes the Indian Health Service that focuses on providing public healthcare services to American Indians.
]]> A Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, 2022 https://www.delawarenation-nsn.gov/a-proclamation-on-indigenous-peoples-day-2022/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-proclamation-on-indigenous-peoples-day-2022 Wed, 23 Nov 2022 15:11:23 +0000 https://www.delawarenation-nsn.gov/?p=40648

     ‘On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor the sovereignty, resilience, and immense contributions that Native Americans have made to the world; and we recommit to upholding our solemn trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations, strengthening our Nation-to-Nation ties.

For centuries, Indigenous Peoples were forcibly removed from ancestral lands, displaced, assimilated, and banned from worshiping or performing many sacred ceremonies.  Yet today, they remain some of our greatest environmental stewards.  They maintain strong religious beliefs that still feed the soul of our Nation.  And they have chosen to serve in the United States Armed Forces at a higher rate than any other group.  Native peoples challenge us to confront our past and do better, and their contributions to scholarship, law, the arts, public service, and more continue to guide us forward.

I learned long ago that Tribal Nations do better when they make their own decisions.  That is why my Administration has made respect for Tribal sovereignty and meaningful consultation with Tribal Nations the cornerstone of our engagement and why I was proud to restore the White House Council on Native American Affairs.  To elevate Indigenous voices across our Government, I appointed Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior, the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, along with more than 50 other Native Americans now in significant roles across the executive branch.

My Administration is also directly delivering for Native communities — creating jobs, providing critical services, and restoring and preserving sacred Tribal lands.  We have made the biggest investment in Indian Country in history, securing billions for pandemic recovery, infrastructural improvements, and climate change resilience, and we are working together with Tribal Nations to end the scourge of violence against Indigenous women and girls.

These efforts are a matter of dignity, justice, and good faith.  But we have more to do to help lift Tribal communities from the shadow of our broken promises, to protect their right to vote, and to help them access other opportunities that their ancestors were long denied.  On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we celebrate indigenous history and our new beginning together, honoring Native Americans for shaping the contours of this country since time immemorial.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 10, 2022, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.  I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

                               JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR. –

Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/10/07/a-proclamation-on-indigenous-peoples-day-2022/

Delaware Nation offices will be CLOSING at 3:00 PM on Wednesday, November 23, and CLOSED Thursday, November 24, & Friday, November 25, 2022, in observance of National Native American Recognition Day.

]]> Barton Cartwright & Lenape Representatives March At Independence Day Parade in Allentown, PA https://www.delawarenation-nsn.gov/barton-cartwright-lenape-representatives-march-at-independence-day-parade-in-allentown-pa/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=barton-cartwright-lenape-representatives-march-at-independence-day-parade-in-allentown-pa Wed, 17 Aug 2022 15:03:29 +0000 https://www.delawarenation-nsn.gov/?p=39931

ALLENTOWN, PA — On July 4, 2022, Barton Cartwright & Lenape Representatives March At the Independence Day Parade in Allentown, PA.

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