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After an abundant harvest in the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims decided to celebrate by holding a three-day feast with games and gun-firing. One of the colonists reported, "[M]any of the Indians [came] amongst us [including Massasoit and 90 men] whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation." Food historians say that the menu probably featured duck, geese, turkey, pumpkin, squash, corn, and fresh and dried fruits, and berries (but no pies, since there was not enough flour or butter for crusts). The Indians would have understood this as the sort of gift-giving and celebration that they were accustomed to sharing with friends and allies.

Sadly, the good relations that marked the early contact between the Plymouth colonists and the native people did not last. Within a few decades, tension between the newcomers and the native people turned to open conflict; by 1700, warfare and disease forced most of the region's surviving Indians onto reservations controlled by whites.

Political and religious leaders continued to declare days of fasting when times were hard and days of thanksgiving prayer when they were good. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, thanksgiving days in the fall had become annual events. The morning was spent in worship at the meetinghouse; the afternoon, feasting on the fruits of the harvest. An increasingly mobile population welcomed the annual Thanksgiving as an opportunity for loved ones to return home. By the second quarter of the nineteenth century, the day was a nearly sacred family occasion in New England.

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After an abundant harvest in the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims decided to celebrate by holding a three-day feast with games and gun-firing. One of the colonists reported, "[M]any of the Indians [came] amongst us [including Massasoit and 90 men] whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation."

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Nov. 28, 2019, marks the 50th anniversary of the National Day of Mourning and is an opportunity for non-native youth to explore Thanksgiving from the perspective of Native American and Indigenous people.

The National Day of Mourning plaque. Photo by Melissa Doroquez, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Thanksgiving is celebrated by many people in the United States as a holiday that brings together friends and family around the table for a feast and celebration of the harvest. For many, Thanksgiving evokes the story of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags joining together in neighborly friendship and sharing a meal together in peace. While it is true these groups did come together to feast in the autumn of 1621, the relationship between European colonists and Native Americans has been one that is largely marked by hostility, racism, oppression and genocide rather than peaceful relations.

The widespread cultural myths and misinformation that continue to surround and make up the "traditional" Thanksgiving story for many Americans is damaging and harmful to many Native Americans. Educational resources are available for those who want to help youth and young people learn about Thanksgiving and the relationship between European colonists and Native Americans in what is now the United States of America.

"Teaching about Thanksgiving in a socially responsible way means that educators accept the ethical obligation to provide students with accurate information and to reject traditions that sustain harmful stereotypes about Indigenous peoples," says Amanda Morris in her article " Teaching Thanksgiving in a Socially Responsible Way," published on the Teaching Tolerance website. Morris provides links to a variety of free online resources that are available to help educators interested in disrupting the hegemonic Thanksgiving story.

One of the resources Morris points to is a lesson plan for an activity called " Thanksgiving Mourning," developed and made available by Teaching Tolerance, which helps young people explore Thanksgiving through the perspective of Native Americans. The lesson introduces students to two texts written by Native American authors that offer a different perspective on the Thanksgiving story than many non-Native Americans may be familiar with.

One of those texts is a speech written by Wamsutta James, an Aquinnah Wampanoag man, which was meant to be delivered in 1970 during a banquet in Massachusetts celebrating the 350th anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims, according to the United American Indians of New England. According to the United American Indians of New England, the organizers of the banquet asked to review James' speech before the event and, upon reviewing it, decided it was not appropriate for occasion. Instead of giving his speech at the official banquet, James delivered his speech at Coles Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and, in doing so, helped to establish the National Day of Mourning, which continues to be observed by some Native Americans on Thanksgiving.

"Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the relentless assault on Native culture," according to the United American Indians of New England, which established and continues to provide leadership for the National Day of Mourning. "Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Native ancestors and the struggles of Native peoples to survive today. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection as well as a protest of the racism and oppression which Native Americans continue to experience."

In addition to the resources on the Teaching Tolerance website, National Geographic also offers a resource called " Recognizing Native American Perspectives: Thanksgiving and the National Day of Mourning " that helps teach young people about the topic.

Michigan State University Extension through Michigan 4-H youth development programming seeks to engage youth and the adults who serve them by providing programs and services that help youth become leaders in a globally connected and multicultural world while developing a commitment to civic service and responsibility. As a result, Michigan youth understand and respect the culture of others and are prepared to respond to local and global issues through leadership, civic engagement and volunteerism.

The educational resources pertaining to the National Day of Mourning that are provided by Teaching Tolerance and National Geographic could be used during 4-H programs and events led by other youth serving organizations as a means to help non-native youth learn about other cultures, history and contemporary experiences of Native American and Indigenous people in the United States of America.
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Fourth Thursday in November marks National Day of Mourning, others celebrate Thanksgiving

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Nov. 28, 2019, marks the 50th anniversary of the National Day of Mourning and is an opportunity for non-native youth to explore Thanksgiving from the perspective of Native American and Indigenous people. Thanksgiving is celebrated by many people in the United States as a holiday that brings together friends and family around the table for a feast and celebration of the harvest.

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For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a day of mourning

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The National Day of Mourning is a Thanksgiving counter-commemoration. Now in its 50th year, the custom involves a few hundred Native Americans and allies gathering near Plymouth Rock to consider the holiday from the perspective of Native Americans.

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The First Thanksgiving, from a Native American

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The First Thanksgiving, from a Native American

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What is the true history of Thanksgiving? When you hear about the Pilgrims and "the Indians" harmoniously sharing the "first Thanksgiving" meal in 1621, the Indians referred to so generically are the ancestors of the contemporary members of the Wampanoag Nation. As the story commonly goes, the Pilgrims who sailed from England on the Mayflower and landed at what became Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620 had a good harvest the next year.

So Plymouth Gov. William Bradford organized a feast to celebrate the harvest and invited a group of "Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit" to the party. The feast lasted three days and, according to chronicler Edward Winslow, Bradford sent four men on a "fowling mission" to prepare for the feast and the Wampanoag guests brought five deer to the party. And ever since then, the story goes, Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. Not exactly, Ramona Peters, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's Tribal Historic Preservation Officer told Indian Country Media Network in a conversation on the day before Thanksgiving 2012-391 years since that mythological "first Thanksgiving."

The true history of Thanksgiving starts with a treaty. The leader of our nation at the time-Yellow Feather Oasmeequin [Massasoit] made a treaty with (John) Carver [the first governor of the colony]. They elected an official while they were still on the boat. They had their charter. They were still under the jurisdiction of the king [of England]-at least that's what they told us. So they couldn't make a treaty for a boatload of people so they made a treaty between two nations-England and the Wampanoag Nation.

It basically said we'd let them be there and we would protect them against any enemies and they would protect us from any of ours. [The 2011 Native American copy coin commemorates the 1621 treaty between the Wampanoag tribe and the Pilgrims of Plymouth colony.] It was basically an 'I'll watch your back, you watch mine' agreement. Later on we collaborated on jurisdictions and creating a system so that we could live together.

When they arrived it was explained through a translator that they were celebrating the harvest, so we decided to stay and make sure that was true, because we'd seen in the other landings-[Captain John] Smith, even the Vikings had been here-so we wanted to make sure so we decided to camp nearby for a few days. During those few days, the men went out to hunt and gather food-deer, ducks, geese, and fish. There are 90 men here and at the time I think there are only 23 survivors of that boat, the Mayflower, so you can imagine the fear. You have armed Natives who are camping nearby. They [the colonists] were always vulnerable to the new land, new creatures, even the trees-there were no such trees in England at that time. People forget they had just landed here and this coastline looked very different from what it looks like now. And their culture-new foods, they were afraid to eat a lot of things. In the true history of Thanksgiving, they were very vulnerable and we did protect them, not just support them, we protected them. You can see throughout their journals that they were always nervous and, unfortunately, when they were nervous they were very aggressive.

Most of us are taught about the friendly Indians and the friendly Pilgrims and people sitting down and eating together. They really don't go into any depth about that time period or the true history of Thanksgiving and what was going on in 1620. It was a whole different mindset. There was always focus on food because people had to work hard to go out and forage for food, not the way it is now. I can remember being in Oklahoma amongst a lot of different tribal people when I was in junior college and Thanksgiving was coming around and I couldn't come home-it was too far and too expensive-and people were talking about, Thanksgiving, and, yeah, the Indians! And I said, yeah, we're the Wampanoags. They didn't know! We're not even taught what kind of Indians, Hopefully, in the future, at least for Americans, we do need to get a lot brighter about other people.

So, basically, today the Wampanoag celebrate Thanksgiving the way Americans celebrate it, or celebrate it Americans?

Yes, we'll do the rounds, make sure we contact family members, eat with friends and then we'll all celebrate on Saturday at the social and dance together with the drum.

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Uncovering the True History of Thanksgiving - IndianCountryToday.com

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My mother died while surviving civilization. Although she outlived a traumatic childhood immersed in its teachings, she carried the pain of those lessons for her entire life. Like most Native American peoples, our family's story is touched by the legacy of boarding schools, institutions created to destroy and vilify Native culture, language, family, and spirituality. My mother, Bernice, was a survivor of Saint Mary's Catholic Indian Boarding School on the Ojibwe reservation in Odanah, Wisconsin. She called it the "Sister School," a world ruled by nuns clad in long black robes.

Two hundred years ago, on March 3, 1819, the Civilization Fund Act ushered in an era of assimilationist policies, leading to the Indian boarding-school era, which lasted from 1860 to 1978. The act directly spurred the creation of the schools by putting forward the notion that Native culture and language were to blame for what was deemed the country's "Indian problem."

Native families were coerced by the federal government and Catholic Church officials into sending their children to live and attend classes at boarding schools. (About one-third of the 357 known Indian boarding schools were managed by various Christian denominations.) According to the Act's text, Christian missionaries and other "persons of good moral character" were charged with introducing Native children to "the habits and arts of civilization" while encouraging them to abandon their traditional languages, cultures, and practices.

This is what achieving civilization looked like in practice: Students were stripped of all things associated with Native life. Their long hair, a source of pride for many Native peoples, was cut short, usually into identical bowl haircuts. They exchanged traditional clothing for uniforms, and embarked on a life influenced by strict military-style regimentation. Students were physically punished for speaking their Native languages. Contact with family and community members was discouraged or forbidden altogether. Survivors have described a culture of pervasive physical and sexual abuse at the schools. Food and medical attention were often scarce; many students died. Their parents sometimes learned of their death only after they had been buried in school cemeteries, some of which were unmarked.

Read more: "Education was something that was done to us, not something that was provided for us"

When my mother was alive, I would often interrogate her about her life at the Sister School. Annoyed, she would demand, "Why do you always have to go poking?" And so I've spent much of my personal life and professional work as a journalist trying to uncover and investigate all that happened to her and thousands of others at Indian boarding schools.

For reasons I still don't completely understand, I am consumed by the need to validate and prove, intellectually and emotionally, her experiences at the Sister School. I crave confirmation because I believe it will somehow reinforce my mother's stories in the face of generations of federal and Church denials of their role in the boarding schools' brutality. It will say to me: You're not making this up. This really did happen.

As this country marks the bicentennial of the Civilization Fund Act, I think of the traumatic impact of my mother's time at Saint Mary's and, in turn, the effect that her dysfunctional survival strategies had on our family.

Although she died in 2011, I can still see her trying to outrun her invisible demons. She would walk across the floor of our house, sometimes for hours, desperately shaking her head from side to side to keep the persistent awful memories from entering. She would flap and wring her hands over and over again, as though to rid them of a clinging presence.

She was lost to our family during these times. We guarded her with our tensed stomach muscles, trying to help her battle the unknown demons. Eventually she would wind herself down. Sometimes, even laughing a bit in relief, she'd mutter, "Settle down, you crazy old chicken," before collapsing on her bed.

Hypervigilance, defensiveness, resentment, and a hair-trigger temper had been her only allies against the Sister School messages of racial inferiority, daily reminders that Natives were primitive beings unlikely to rise above the role of servants in a white man's world. She raged against the nuns' label "dirty Indian," haunted by the fear that the nuns were right, even as she scrubbed miles of floors and performed hours of heavy manual labor.

All of those awful Sister School doings cut her mind. I think she believed that she would break into 1 million pieces if she recalled the traumatic events that held her hostage, forever burned into her amygdala.

I remember a summer day, one of many, when I made my mother toast and brought her aspirin in her dark bedroom, where she was bedridden with a migraine. I placed my offerings on the little table next to her bed, and retreated back to my hiding place under the kitchen table.
Read more: The lifelong impact of generational trauma
After a while, she called to me. I found her lying in the dark, with one arm thrown over her eyes; the other arm was open for me. Silently, I climbed onto the bed, fitting myself into her armpit and gazing at the tiny blue Virgin Mary medal pinned to her brassiere, a hidden remnant of her boarding-school days. I remember the bedspread, stiff from its time drying outside on the clothesline and fragrant with fresh air and my mother's scent. She would spend hours washing the laundry "white, white" like the Sisters had taught her, rushing up and down the cellar steps with baskets of heavy, wet sheets. "We may be Indian, but by God we ain't dirty," she'd say while hanging laundry on the line.

I remember her deep voice that wrapped a cocoon around us in the bedroom as she, like she had done hundreds of times before, told me her Sister School stories. There was the "evil" nun Sister Catherine, Mother Superior Sister Catherine of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, who was the principal of the boarding school she had attended.

As she described the nun's inexplicable cruelty-the beatings, the shaming, and the withholding of food-I snuggled closer to her in anticipation. Then the mood of her story lifted, and I remember how her voice took on the conspiratorial tone that I loved.

"One year during the Christmas season, Sister was marching down the cellar steps to check if we stole any food," she said. "She fell on the bottom step- crash! She hit her head bad! Not long after, she died."

"What a silent cheer us kids made!" she continued. "Maybe it was terrible, but it was the best Christmas present we ever got!" I remember how she clasped her hands together and how, for a few moments, we shared a little girl's wicked happiness.

I still marvel at her ability to reinvent and protect her sanity with what I now assume were fantasies in which good always triumphed over evil.

In 2015, my questions led me to the special-collections library at Marquette University in Milwaukee, where a trove of records from the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions is stored. Carefully preserved and tended, the documents lie in climate-controlled archival luxury. I made a special appointment with the archivist weeks in advance to examine them.

On the day I went, I was the sole visitor in the huge reading room. I sat at one of the enormous tables and opened the first of many boxes. To my great disappointment, it contained photocopies of lists of students' names at the various Catholic boarding schools that once dotted Indian country. I'd hoped to see the original documents, and to find my mother's report cards or documents describing her time at Saint Mary's.

Eventually I came across the names of my mother and her siblings, the ink faded, written in careful cursive. I sat back heavily in my chair and breathed an exasperated sigh; her life at the school and all that happened there was represented by only her name written on a long, nondescript list of other students.

When the archivist arrived, he explained that even the original collection, full of yellowing documents instead of photocopies, held very little personal information about any of the students who had attended the schools so long ago. He explained that the original documents were largely administrative, but that I could view them if I liked.

I'd come this far, so I said yes.

He brought out another cartload of cardboard file boxes. Beyond the lists of student names with check marks in columns indicating whether they'd graduated, run away, or died, the boxes contained mostly bureaucratic reports and correspondence between generations of boarding-school principals and the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions in Washington, D.C, the agency that oversaw the boarding schools.

There was nothing in the dry letters and reports concerning the people I wanted to learn about, such as Sister Catherine or my mother. I thought about calling it a day. But for a moment there in the silent room, I distinctly heard my mother whisper my name, Mary! Her tone had a familiar ring, like when she'd demand me to "get down on those prayer bones, girl!" when I scrubbed the floor.

So I continued my search, and I found documents relating to Saint Mary's, including a yellowed, typewritten letter dated January 3, 1934. It was addressed to the Right Reverend Monsignor William Ketcham, the director of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, from Sister Mary Macaria, the Sister secretary of Saint Mary's.

It read in part:

By the time these lines reach you, our dear Mother Superior Sister Catherine will, no doubt, have been called to her eternal reward. On December 19, she fell off the second last step leading down to the kitchen entry.

She must have pitched forward with great force, for in striking her head against a windowsill; a gash was cut in her forehead by the temple of her glasses. On Friday Dec. 29, the Sister nurse noticed a change in Sister's condition and told us she feared a stroke.

Our dear sister had convulsions, was anointed and has been speechless since. The doctor says it can hardly be but a matter of a day or so at most if she does linger even that long.

We know you will pray earnestly for her eternal repose and for a speedy relief from her sufferings. Sorrowfully yours in the agonizing Heart of Jesus.

Sister Macaria

When I got to the end of the letter, I stood straight up out of my chair. I recovered myself and sat back down; I concentrated on the contents of the box again. To my amazement, I found an original photo of Sister Catherine. Covered from head to toe in her black-and-white nun's habit, she gazed sternly into the distance through her thick, wire-rimmed glasses.

The room was air-conditioned, but I was sweating as I read the remaining documents in the Saint Mary's file. At last, I held tangible proof that her stories were true.

Corroborating even part of her story vindicated her wounded life. It gave me authority over our family's mysterious, shameful secret, in which the punishment for being Native was a humiliation we could never overcome. How many other Native families could find some comfort in the information in these obscure archives?

As the United States marks the anniversary of the Civilization Fund Act and all the devastation it set into motion, the federal government and Christian churches have an opportunity to begin a new chapter in their relationship with Native peoples.
Read more: How America's past shapes Native Americans' present
Healing is possible. Canada, which operated hundreds of Indian residential schools with similar assimilationist agendas, implemented the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement in 2007, in which the government formally apologized to former boarding-school students and paid reparations to survivors. And in 2009, Canada created the (now-defunct) Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which began a multiyear process of collecting and listening to survivors' stories, opening up residential-school records to survivors and families, and ensuring that the history and legacy of the schools are never forgotten.

According to residential-school survivors I interviewed in Canada, the public admission of wrongdoing from churches and the government, as well as the opportunity to meet other survivors, meant far more to them than reparations or public displays of reconciliation. Two sisters from the Lac Seul band of Ojibwe shrugged their shoulders in response to my questions about what the future holds for government promises to improve indigenous relations. "I buried my anger for 20 years; I blocked it out," said one sister, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from her non-Native neighbors. "But listening to others talk about their experience helped me make a new start and get over my bad feelings."

Senator Murray Sinclair, Canada's second-ever indigenous judge, who chaired Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and presented its official findings in 2015, described the impact of allowing survivors to tell their stories to me this way: "They were not subject to cross-examination as if on trial. They were invited to share what they had to share, no more, no less. Their stories were recorded into history, and at the end of each day, they were acknowledged."

As of now, apologies in the United States have been few and far between. Although President Barack Obama signed the Native American Apology Resolution on December 19, 2009, apologizing for past "ill-conceived policies toward the Native peoples of this land," the resolution had no impact on federal policy toward Native Americans. With its disclaimer against any legal claims, the resolution faded into the woodwork of legislative paperwork.

Statutes of limitations for civil or criminal cases make any legal action impossible in the United States, according to the Native American Rights Fund attorney Donald Wharton. Lawsuits against Christian denominations would need to take place in individual state courts, and would likely be costly and burdensome. Attempts at gaining reparations at the state-legislature level have failed, too; in February, the South Dakota legislature killed a bill that would have extended the window for childhood survivors of boarding-school abuse to file suits against organizations such as the Catholic Church.

In addition to an admission of its role in the boarding-school programs, the government could make records from the time more easily available to survivors and their families. Telling the truth won't change the facts of all that happened or the damage that was done. It would, however, offer thousands of Native peoples the solace of physical evidence and validation like the kind I got, which could guide a path toward healing.

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sister school messages of racial inferiority

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bicentennial of the civilization fund act

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woodwork of legislative paperwork.statutes of limitations

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My mother died while surviving civilization. Although she outlived a traumatic childhood immersed in its teachings, she carried the pain of those lessons for her entire life. Like most Native American peoples, our family's story is touched by the legacy of boarding schools, institutions created to destroy and vilify Native culture, language, family, and spirituality.

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Beginning in the late nineteenth century, many American Indian children attended government- or church-operated boarding schools. Families were often forced to send their children to these schools, where they were forbidden to speak their Native languages. Many Code Talkers attended boarding schools. As adults, they found it puzzling that the same government that had tried to take away their languages in schools later gave them a critical role speaking their languages in military service.

In Indian civilization I am a Baptist, because I believe in immersing the Indian in our civilization and when we get them under, holding them there until they are thoroughly soaked. -Richard Henry Pratt, founder of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (Battlefield and Classroom: Four Decades with the American Indian, 1867-1904 by Richard Henry Pratt, 1964)

Indian boarding schools were founded to eliminate traditional American Indian ways of life and replace them with mainstream American culture. The first boarding schools were set up either by the government or Christian missionaries. Initially, the government forced many Indian families to send their children to boarding schools. Later, Indian families chose to send their children because there were no other schools available.

At boarding schools, Indian children were separated from their families and cultural ways for long periods, sometimes four or more years. The children were forced to cut their hair and give up their traditional clothing. They had to give up their meaningful Native names and take English ones. They were not only taught to speak English, but were punished for speaking their own languages. Their own traditional religious practices were forcibly replaced with Christianity. They were taught that their cultures were inferior. Some teachers ridiculed and made fun of the students' traditions. These lessons humiliated the students and taught them to be ashamed of being American Indian. The boarding schools had a bad effect on the self-esteem of Indian students and on the well being of Native languages and cultures.

However, not all boarding school experiences were negative. Many of the Indian students had some good memories of their school days and made friends for life. They also acquired knowledge and learned useful skills that helped them later in life.

Indian boarding schools usually imitated military life. Children were forced to cut their hair, wear uniforms, and march in formations. Rules were very strict and discipline was often harsh when rules were broken. The students learned math, science, and other academic subjects. They also learned trades and practical skills, such as agriculture, carpentry, printing, and cooking. Athletics were encouraged and children also took arts classes, such as music and drawing.

Many of the American Indian Code Talkers attended boarding schools-and many have memories of being punished for speaking their languages. They also remembered how the schools were run like military organizations and how this later made it easier for them to adapt to life in the American military.

They tell us not to speak in Navajo language. You're going to school. You're supposed to only speak English. And it was true. They did practice that and we got punished if you was caught speaking Navajo.-John Brown, Jr., Navajo Code Talker, National Museum of the American Indian interview, 2004

We even had to march to school, march to chow, march everywhere, to church. It was still kind of military basis. So when we were in the service everything just came natural, physically and morally and everything. -Merrill Sandoval, Navajo Code Talker, National Museum of the American Indian interview, 2004

As a child, Carl Gorman attended the Rehoboth Mission school in New Mexico. Carl did not like the harsh rules or the way he and other children were treated, so he ran away. His father understood how he felt and did not make him return to Rehoboth. Later, Carl's family sent him to the Albuquerque Indian School, where he thrived.

Charles Chibitty began his schooling at the Ft. Sill Indian School in Oklahoma. There, he and the other Indian children were punished if they spoke their tribal languages.

When we got talking, 'cause we're not allowed to talk our tribal language and then me and my cousin, we get together and we talk in Indian we always hush up when we see a teacher or faculty coming. And then we always laughed and said, "I think they're trying to make little white boys out of us." -Charles Chibitty, Comanche Code Talker, National Museum of the American Indian interview, 2004

For high school he attended the Haskell Indian School in Lawrence, Kansas. Tribal languages were allowed there, but the education was still very strict and militaristic.

How is your school alike or different from the American Indian boarding schools that the Code Talkers attended?

What do you think life was like for American Indian children at the early boarding schools?

How would it feel to be separated from your family for four or more years without seeing them?

Why do you think the government and boarding schools wanted to eliminate American Indian languages and cultures?

Why do you think they ultimately failed in that effort?

1. Photograph by J.N. Choate. Courtesy of Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, CH2-041

2. Courtesy of Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle, Pennsylvania

3. Photograph by J. N. Choate. Courtesy of Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, PA-CH3-001

4. Courtesy of Carl Gorman Collection

5. Photograph by J. L. Morris. Courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, pan 6a25496

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Boarding School - Native Words Native Warriors

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Beginning in the late nineteenth century, many American Indian children attended government- or church-operated boarding schools. Families were often forced to send their children to these schools, where they were forbidden to speak their Native languages. Many Code Talkers attended boarding schools.

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Here are some resources you may find helpful while researching notable Native Americans.

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Native Amerian Hall of Fame Inductees

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Native American Library
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To view PDFs
Back to Commemorative Observances
Overview

National American Indian Heritage Month celebrates and recognizes the accomplishments of the peoples who were the original inhabitants, explorers and settlers of the United States.

"National American Indian Heritage Month" had its origins in 1986 when Congress passed Pub. L. 99-471 (PDF, 93KB) which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week of November 23-30, 1986 as "American Indian Week." As directed by Congress, President Reagan issued Presidential Proclamation 5577 (external link) in November 1986 proclaiming the first American Indian Week. Both law and proclamation recognized the American Indians as the first inhabitants of the lands that now constitute the United States as well as making mention of their contributions to American society:

Many of the foods we eat and the medicines and remedies we use were introduced by Indians and more than one highway follows an Indian trail. Indians make contributions in every area of endeavor and American life, and our literature and all our arts draw upon Indian themes and wisdom. Countless American Indians have served in our Armed Forces and have fought valiantly for our country.

In 1987 Congress passed Pub. L. 100-171 which again called upon the President to designate the week of November 22-28, 1987 as "American Indian Week" while in 1988 Congress passed Pub. L. 100-450 which designated the week of September 23-30, 1988 as "National American Indian Heritage Week." According to Pub. L. 100-450 this change from November to September was made because "the last week of September begins the harvest season in the United States." Then in 1989 Congress passed Pub. L. 101-188 which asked the President to proclaim the week of December 3-9, 1989 as "National American Indian Heritage Week."

As requested by Congress, Presidents Reagan and George Bush issued annual proclamations in 1987, 1988, and 1989 for "National American Indian Week," honoring the achievements of the American Indians.

In 1990 Congress passed Pub. L. 101-343 (PDF, 211KB) which authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the month of November 1990 as "National American Indian Heritage Month. Congress chose the month of the November to recognize the American Indians as this month concluded the traditional harvest season and was generally a time of thanksgiving and celebration for the American Indians. President George W. Bush issued Presidential Proclamation 6230 (external link) which paid tribute to the rich history and culture of the American Indian tribes. In 1991 Congress passed Pub. L. 102-123 which authorized and requested the President proclaim the months of November 1991 and 1992 as "National American Indian Heritage Month." Congress passed Pub. L. 103-462 authorized the President to proclaim November 1993 and 1994 as "National American Indian Heritage Month."

Since 1995 Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, and Trump have issued annual proclamations which designate November as National American Indian Heritage Month, or since 2009 as National Native American Heritage Month. These proclamations celebrate the contributions of the American Indians and urge the peoples of the United States to learn more about the American Indian cultures.

Legislative Branch Documents

The public laws between 1986 and 1988 which designate a week in November as American Indian Heritage Week are published in the United States Statutes at Large which is available at many Federal depository libraries. The specific citations are as follows:

Pub. L. 99-471 (PDF, 93KB), 100 Stat. 1199 (PDF, 93 KB) establishes the first American Indian Week.

Pub. L. 100-171, 101 Stat. 915

Pub. L. 100-450, 102 Stat. 1899

Pub. L. 101-188, 103 Stat. 1351

Pub. L. 101-343 (PDF, 211KB), 104 Stat. 391 (PDF, 211 KB) establishes National American Indian Heritage Month.

Pub. L. 102-123, 105 Stat. 614

Pub. L. 103-462, 108 Stat. 4805

Executive Branch Documents

Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders have been used by presidents to rule on substantive issues of law; to administrate the executive branch of government; and to make general announcements to the public. These general announcements which exhort the public to observe a holiday such as Thanksgiving or honor a particular group of citizens as in National Black History Month are usually issued in the form of a Presidential Proclamation. On many occasions Congress will pass a law specifically requesting the President to take certain action such as proclaiming the recognition of a particular group of citizens as Jewish or Hispanic Americans.

Listed below are links to the Presidential Proclamations for American Indian Week or National American Indian Heritage Month beginning with 1986 along with the citations to the Code of Federal Regulations or the Federal Register the official publications for Presidential Proclamations.

Proclamation No. 5577 (external link) (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 160 (1986)

Proclamation No. 5745 (external link) (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 175 (1987)

Proclamation No. 5868 (external link) (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 130 (1988)

Proclamation No. 6080 (external link) (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 192 (1989)

Proclamation No. 6230 (external link) (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 254 (1990)

Proclamation No. 6368 (external link) (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 268 (1991)

Proclamation No. 6511 (external link) (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 241 (1992)

Proclamation No. 6756 (external link) (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 139 (1994)

Proclamation No. 6847 (external link) , 3 C.F.R. 111 (1995)

Proclamation No. 6949 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 120 (1996)

Proclamation No. 7047 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 168 (1997)

Proclamation No. 7144 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 110 (1998)

Proclamation No. 7247 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 132 (1999)

Proclamation No. 7372 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 193 (2000)

Proclamation No. 7500 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 305 (2001)

Proclamation No. 7620 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 171 (2002)

Proclamation No. 7735 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 138 (2003)

Proclamation No. 7840 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 109 (2004)

Proclamation No. 7956 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 135 (2005)

Proclamation No. 8076 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 158 (2006)

Proclamation No. 8196 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 119 (2007)

Proclamation No. 8313 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 113 (2008)

Proclamation No. 8449 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 154 (2009)

Proclamation No. 8595 (PDF), 75 F.R. 67907 (2010)

Proclamation No. 8749 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 173 (2011)

Proclamation No. 8901 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 176 (2012)

Proclamation No. 9054 (PDF), 78 F.R. 66619 (2013)

Proclamation No. 9207 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 185 (2014)

Proclamation No. 9362 (PDF), 3 C.F.R. 208 (2015)

Proclamation No. 9537 (PDF), 81 F.R. 76841 (2016)

Proclamation No. 9669 (PDF), 82 F.R. 51543 (2017)

Presidential proclamations as well as Presidential statements, messages, remarks for National American Indian Heritage Month between 1997-2010 can be searched from the Government Printing Office's Advanced Search page in the collections for the Code of Federal Regulations, the Compilation of Presidential Documents and the Federal Register.

Presidential proclamations for the annual observances of American Indian Week and National American Indian Heritage Month between 1986-1996 can be browsed through American Presidency Project (external link) by selecting the year and clicking on the Display button.

Treaties and agreements between the United States and the American Indian peoples between 1778 and 1971 can be found in Kappler's Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties (external link) .

Web Resources
Library of Congress: Native American Heritage Month National Indian Law Library (external link) American Indian Library Association (external link)

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History of the legislative and presidential documents which established National American Indian Heritage Month

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November: Native American Heritage Month

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November: Native American Heritage Month

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NCAI participates in the DC Native Public Relations Roundtable, a group consisting of public relations professionals from national American Indian and Alaska Native organizations and agencies in the Washington, DC area. The group meets monthly to improve communication between groups and its primary function has been to create a more cohesive campaign for Native Heritage Month and to unify the month's schedule of events.

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Official Site Of Native American Heritage Month

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Official Site Of Native American Heritage Month

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National Native American Heritage Month - Exhibits and Collections

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Paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans.

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The first AILA American Indian Youth Literature Awards were presented during the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color in 2006. Awarded biennially, the AIYLA identifies and honors the very best writing and illustrations by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America. Books selected to receive the award present Indigenous North American peoples in the fullness of their humanity. In odd-numbered years, nominations are encouraged in fiction or nonfiction and may include graphic novels; for picture books, the award is for both author and illustrator. Awards are granted in even-numbered years. Authors/illustrators may win the American Indian Youth Literature Award in the categories Best Picture Book, Best Middle Grade Book, and Best Young Adult Book. In addition, up to five awards may be selected as Honors books in each category.
Downloads

Donate to AILA

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American Indian Youth Literature Award - American Indian Library Association

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The first AILA American Indian Youth Literature Awards were presented during the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color in 2006. Awarded biennially, the AIYLA identifies and honors the very best writing and illustrations by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America. Books selected to receive the award present Indigenous North American peoples in the ...

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American Indians in Children's Literature

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American Indians in Children's Literature

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American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)

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Designed to help readers develop a critical eye about representations of American Indians in children's and young adult books

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Officially Recognized Tribes of the United States

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Officially Recognized Tribes of the United States

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Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

Notice.

This notice publishes the current list of 567 Tribal entities recognized and eligible for funding and services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) by virtue of their status as Indian Tribes. The list is updated from the notice published on May 4, 2016 ( 81 FR 26826).

Ms. Laurel Iron Cloud, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Division of Tribal Government Services, Mail Stop 4513-MIB, 1849 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20240. Telephone number: (202) 513-7641.

This notice is published pursuant to Section 104 of the Act of November 2, 1994 (Pub. L. 103-454; 108 Stat. 4791, 4792), and in exercise of authority delegated to the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs under 25 U.S.C. 2 and 9 and 209 DM 8.

Published below is an updated list of federally acknowledged Indian Tribes in the contiguous 48 states and Alaska, to reflect various name changes and corrections.

Amendments to the list include name changes and name corrections. To aid in identifying tribal name changes and corrections, the Tribe's previously listed or former name is included in parentheses after the correct current tribal name. We will continue to list the Tribe's former or previously listed name for several years before dropping the former or previously listed name from the list.

The listed Indian entities are acknowledged to have the immunities and privileges available to federally recognized Indian Tribes by virtue of their government-to-government relationship with the United States as well as the responsibilities, powers, limitations, and obligations of such Tribes. We have continued the practice of listing the Alaska Native entities separately solely for the purpose of facilitating identification of them and reference to them given the large number of complex Native names.

Lawrence S. Roberts,

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs.

Indian Tribal Entities Within the Contiguous 48 States Recognized and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs

Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma

Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, California

Ak-Chin Indian Community (previously listed as the Ak Chin Indian Community of the Maricopa (Ak Chin) Indian Reservation, Arizona)

Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas (previously listed as the Alabama-Coushatta Tribes of Texas)

Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town

Alturas Indian Rancheria, California

Apache Tribe of Oklahoma

Arapaho Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming

Aroostook Band of Micmacs (previously listed as the Aroostook Band of Micmac Indians)

Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana

Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, California (previously listed as the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians of the Augustine Reservation)

Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation, Wisconsin

Bay Mills Indian Community, Michigan

Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria, California

Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California

Big Lagoon Rancheria, California

Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley (previously listed as the Big Pine Band of Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Indians of the Big Pine Reservation, California)

Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians of California (previously listed as the Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians of California)

Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians of the Big Valley Rancheria, California

Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana

Blue Lake Rancheria, California

Bridgeport Indian Colony (previously listed as the Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony of California)

Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California

Burns Paiute Tribe (previously listed as the Burns Paiute Tribe of the Burns Paiute Indian Colony of Oregon)

Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, California

Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community of the Colusa Rancheria, California

Caddo Nation of Oklahoma

Cahto Tribe of the Laytonville Rancheria

Cahuilla Band of Indians (previously listed as the Cahuilla Band of Mission Indians of the Cahuilla Reservation, California)

California Valley Miwok Tribe, California

Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Campo Indian Reservation, California

Capitan Grande Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of California (Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians of the Barona Reservation, California; Viejas (Baron Long) Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians of the Viejas Reservation, California)

Catawba Indian Nation (aka Catawba Tribe of South Carolina)

Cayuga Nation

Cedarville Rancheria, California

Chemehuevi Indian Tribe of the Chemehuevi Reservation, California

Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria, California

Cherokee Nation

Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma (previously listed as the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma)

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation, South Dakota

Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California

Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana (previously listed as the Chippewa-Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana)

Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana

Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma

Cloverdale Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California

Cocopah Tribe of Arizona

Coeur D'Alene Tribe (previously listed as the Coeur D'Alene Tribe of the Coeur D'Alene Reservation, Idaho)

Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of California

Colorado River Indian Tribes of the Colorado River Indian Reservation, Arizona and California

Comanche Nation, Oklahoma

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation

Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon (previously listed as the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Reservation)

Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation

Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians

Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Nevada and Utah

Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (previously listed as the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, Oregon)

Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon

Coquille Indian Tribe (previously listed as the Coquille Tribe of Oregon)

Cortina Indian Rancheria (previously listed as the Cortina Indian Rancheria of Wintun Indians of California)

Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana

Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians (previously listed as the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians of Oregon)

Cowlitz Indian Tribe

Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians of California

Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of the Crow Creek Reservation, South Dakota

Crow Tribe of Montana

Death Valley Timbi-sha Shoshone Tribe (previously listed as the Death Valley Timbi-Sha Shoshone Band of California)

Delaware Nation, Oklahoma

Delaware Tribe of Indians

Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, California (previously listed as the Dry Creek Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California)

Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation, Nevada

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma

Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming (previously listed as the Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming)

Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians of the Sulphur Bank Rancheria, California

Elk Valley Rancheria, California

Ely Shoshone Tribe of Nevada

Enterprise Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California

Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians, California

Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, California

Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota

Forest County Potawatomi Community, Wisconsin

Fort Belknap Indian Community of the Fort Belknap Reservation of Montana

Fort Bidwell Indian Community of the Fort Bidwell Reservation of California

Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians of the Fort Independence Reservation, California

Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, Nevada and Oregon

Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona

Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona, California & Nevada

Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma

Gila River Indian Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona

Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Michigan

Greenville Rancheria (previously listed as the Greenville Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California)

Grindstone Indian Rancheria of Wintun-Wailaki Indians of California

Guidiville Rancheria of California

Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, California

Hannahville Indian Community, Michigan

Havasupai Tribe of the Havasupai Reservation, Arizona

Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin

Hoh Indian Tribe (previously listed as the Hoh Indian Tribe of the Hoh Indian Reservation, Washington)

Hoopa Valley Tribe, California

Hopi Tribe of Arizona

Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, California (formerly Hopland Band of Pomo Indians of the Hopland Rancheria, California)

Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians

Hualapai Indian Tribe of the Hualapai Indian Reservation, Arizona

Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, California (previously listed as the Santa Ysabel Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Santa Ysabel Reservation)

Inaja Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Inaja and Cosmit Reservation, California

Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California

Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska

Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma

Jackson Band of Miwuk Indians (previously listed as the Jackson Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California)

Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe

Jamul Indian Village of California

Jicarilla Apache Nation, New Mexico

Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians of the Kaibab Indian Reservation, Arizona

Kalispel Indian Community of the Kalispel Reservation

Karuk Tribe (previously listed as the Karuk Tribe of California)

Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria, California

Kaw Nation, Oklahoma

Kewa Pueblo, New Mexico (previously listed as the Pueblo of Santo Domingo)

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Michigan

Kialegee Tribal Town

Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas

Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas

Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma

Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma

Klamath Tribes

Koi Nation of Northern California (previously listed as the Lower Lake Rancheria, California)

Kootenai Tribe of Idaho

La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indians, California (previously listed as the La Jolla Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the La Jolla Reservation)

La Posta Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the La Posta Indian Reservation, California

Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin

Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation of Wisconsin

Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Michigan

Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians of the Las Vegas Indian Colony, Nevada

Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Michigan

Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Michigan

Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe (previously listed as the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Lone Pine Community of the Lone Pine Reservation, California)

Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians, California (previously listed as the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla & Cupeno Indians of the Los Coyotes Reservation)

Lovelock Paiute Tribe of the Lovelock Indian Colony, Nevada

Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of the Lower Brule Reservation, South Dakota

Lower Elwha Tribal Community (previously listed as the Lower Elwha Tribal Community of the Lower Elwha Reservation, Washington)

Lower Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota

Lummi Tribe of the Lummi Reservation

Lytton Rancheria of California

Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah Indian Reservation

Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester Rancheria, California (previously listed as the Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester-Point Arena Rancheria, California)

Manzanita Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Manzanita Reservation, California

Mashantucket Pequot Indian Tribe (previously listed as the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe of Connecticut)

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (previously listed as the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council, Inc.)

Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan

Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria, California

Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin

Mesa Grande Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Mesa Grande Reservation, California

Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Reservation, New Mexico

Miami Tribe of Oklahoma

Miccosukee Tribe of Indians

Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California

Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (Six component reservations: Bois Forte Band (Nett Lake); Fond du Lac Band; Grand Portage Band; Leech Lake Band; Mille Lacs Band; White Earth Band)

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

Moapa Band of Paiute Indians of the Moapa River Indian Reservation, Nevada

Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut (previously listed as Mohegan Indian Tribe of Connecticut)

Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California

Morongo Band of Mission Indians, California (previously listed as the Morongo Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians of the Morongo Reservation)

Muckleshoot Indian Tribe (previously listed as the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of the Muckleshoot Reservation, Washington)

Narragansett Indian Tribe

Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah

Nez Perce Tribe (previously listed as the Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho)

Nisqually Indian Tribe (previously listed as the Nisqually Indian Tribe of the Nisqually Reservation, Washington)

Nooksack Indian Tribe

Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana

Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California

Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation (previously listed as Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Nation and the Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Nation of Utah (Washakie))

Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, Michigan (previously listed as the Huron Potawatomi, Inc.)

Oglala Sioux Tribe (previously listed as the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota)

Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico (previously listed as the Pueblo of San Juan)

Omaha Tribe of Nebraska

Oneida Nation (previously listed as the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin)

Oneida Nation of New York

Onondaga Nation

Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, Oklahoma

Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma

Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah (Cedar Band of Paiutes, Kanosh Band of Paiutes, Koosharem Band of Paiutes, Indian Peaks Band of Paiutes, and Shivwits Band of Paiutes (formerly Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah (Cedar City Band of Paiutes, Kanosh Band of Paiutes, Koosharem Band of Paiutes, Indian Peaks Band of Paiutes, and Shivwits Band of Paiutes))

Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony, Nevada

Pala Band of Mission Indians (previously listed as the Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, California)

Pamunkey Indian Tribe

Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona

Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians of California

Passamaquoddy Tribe

Pauma Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pauma & Yuima Reservation, California

Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma

Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pechanga Reservation, California

Penobscot Nation (previously listed as the Penobscot Tribe of Maine)

Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma

Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California

Pinoleville Pomo Nation, California (previously listed as the Pinoleville Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California)

Pit River Tribe, California (includes XL Ranch, Big Bend, Likely, Lookout, Montgomery Creek and Roaring Creek Rancherias)

Poarch Band of Creeks (previously listed as the Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Alabama)

Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Michigan and Indiana

Ponca Tribe of Nebraska

Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe (previously listed as the Port Gamble Band of S'Klallam Indians)

Potter Valley Tribe, California

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (previously listed as the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation, Kansas)

Prairie Island Indian Community in the State of Minnesota

Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico

Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico

Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico

Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico

Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico

Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico

Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico

Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico

Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico

Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico

Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico

Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico

Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico

Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico

Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico

Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico

Puyallup Tribe of the Puyallup Reservation

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of the Pyramid Lake Reservation, Nevada

Quartz Valley Indian Community of the Quartz Valley Reservation of California

Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, California & Arizona

Quileute Tribe of the Quileute Reservation

Quinault Indian Nation (previously listed as the Quinault Tribe of the Quinault Reservation, Washington)

Ramona Band of Cahuilla, California (previously listed as the Ramona Band or Village of Cahuilla Mission Indians of California)

Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin

Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Minnesota

Redding Rancheria, California

Redwood Valley or Little River Band of Pomo Indians of the Redwood Valley Rancheria California (previously listed as the Redwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California)

Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Nevada

Resighini Rancheria, California

Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Rincon Reservation, California

Robinson Rancheria (previously listed as the Robinson Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, California and the Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California)

Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota

Round Valley Indian Tribes, Round Valley Reservation, California (previously listed as the Round Valley Indian Tribes of the Round Valley Reservation, California)

Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska

Sac & Fox Nation, Oklahoma

Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa

Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan

Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (previously listed as the St. Regis Band of Mohawk Indians of New York)

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona

Samish Indian Nation (previously listed as the Samish Indian Tribe, Washington)

San Carlos Apache Tribe of the San Carlos Reservation, Arizona

San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe of Arizona

San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, California (previously listed as the San Manual Band of Serrano Mission Indians of the San Manual Reservation)

San Pasqual Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of California

Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians, California (previously listed as the Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians of the Santa Rosa Reservation)

Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria, California

Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California

Santee Sioux Nation, Nebraska

Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe

Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Michigan

Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians of California

Seminole Tribe of Florida (previously listed as the Seminole Tribe of Florida (Dania, Big Cypress, Brighton, Hollywood & Tampa Reservations))

Seneca Nation of Indians (previously listed as the Seneca Nation of New York)

Seneca-Cayuga Nation (previously listed as the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma)

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota

Shawnee Tribe

Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California

Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle Springs Rancheria (Verona Tract), California

Shinnecock Indian Nation

Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation (previously listed as the Shoalwater Bay Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation, Washington)

Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation

Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, Nevada

Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, South Dakota

Skokomish Indian Tribe (previously listed as the Skokomish Indian Tribe of the Skokomish Reservation, Washington)

Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah

Snoqualmie Indian Tribe (previously listed as the Snoqualmie Tribe, Washington)

Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, California

Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Wisconsin

Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado

Spirit Lake Tribe, North Dakota

Spokane Tribe of the Spokane Reservation

Squaxin Island Tribe of the Squaxin Island Reservation

St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North & South Dakota

Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians of Washington (previously listed as the Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington)

Stockbridge Munsee Community, Wisconsin

Summit Lake Paiute Tribe of Nevada

Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation

Susanville Indian Rancheria, California

Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (previously listed as the Swinomish Indians of the Swinomish Reservation of Washington)

Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation

Table Mountain Rancheria of California

Tejon Indian Tribe

Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada (Four constituent bands: Battle Mountain Band; Elko Band; South Fork Band and Wells Band)

The Chickasaw Nation

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

The Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation

The Osage Nation (previously listed as the Osage Tribe)

The Quapaw Tribe of Indians

The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma

Thlopthlocco Tribal Town

Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota

Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona

Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation (previously listed as the Smith River Rancheria, California)

Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma

Tonto Apache Tribe of Arizona

Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, California (previously listed as the Torres-Martinez Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians of California)

Tulalip Tribes of Washington (previously listed as the Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip Reservation, Washington)

Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation, California

Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe

Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria of California

Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota

Tuscarora Nation

Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians of California

United Auburn Indian Community of the Auburn Rancheria of California

United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma

Upper Sioux Community, Minnesota

Upper Skagit Indian Tribe

Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Utah

Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (previously listed as the Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah)

Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe of the Benton Paiute Reservation, California

Walker River Paiute Tribe of the Walker River Reservation, Nevada

Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)

Washoe Tribe of Nevada & California (Carson Colony, Dresslerville Colony, Woodfords Community, Stewart Community & Washoe Ranches)

White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona

Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco & Tawakonie), Oklahoma

Wilton Rancheria, California

Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska

Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada

Wiyot Tribe, California (previously listed as the Table Bluff Reservation-Wiyot Tribe)

Wyandotte Nation

Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota

Yavapai-Apache Nation of the Camp Verde Indian Reservation, Arizona

Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe (previously listed as the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe of the Yavapai Reservation, Arizona)

Yerington Paiute Tribe of the Yerington Colony & Campbell Ranch, Nevada

Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, California (previously listed as the Rumsey Indian Rancheria of Wintun Indians of California)

Yomba Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba Reservation, Nevada

Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (previously listed as the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo of Texas)

Yurok Tribe of the Yurok Reservation, California

Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico

Native Entities Within the State of Alaska Recognized and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs

Agdaagux Tribe of King Cove

Akiachak Native Community

Akiak Native Community

Alatna Village

Algaaciq Native Village (St. Mary's)

Allakaket Village

Alutiiq Tribe of Old Harbor (previously listed as Native Village of Old Harbor and Village of Old Harbor)

Angoon Community Association

Anvik Village

Arctic Village (See Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government)

Asa'carsarmiut Tribe

Atqasuk Village (Atkasook)

Beaver Village

Birch Creek Tribe

Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes

Chalkyitsik Village

Cheesh-Na Tribe (previously listed as the Native Village of Chistochina)

Chevak Native Village

Chickaloon Native Village

Chignik Bay Tribal Council (previously listed as the Native Village of Chignik)

Chignik Lake Village

Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan)

Chilkoot Indian Association (Haines)

Chinik Eskimo Community (Golovin)

Chuloonawick Native Village

Circle Native Community

Craig Tribal Association (previously listed as the Craig Community Association)

Curyung Tribal Council

Douglas Indian Association

Egegik Village

Eklutna Native Village

Emmonak Village

Evansville Village (aka Bettles Field)

Galena Village (aka Louden Village)

Gulkana Village

Healy Lake Village

Holy Cross Village

Hoonah Indian Association

Hughes Village

Huslia Village

Hydaburg Cooperative Association

Igiugig Village

Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope

Iqurmuit Traditional Council

Ivanof Bay Tribe (previously listed as the Ivanoff Bay Tribe and the Ivanoff Bay Village)

Kaguyak Village

Kaktovik Village (aka Barter Island)

Kasigluk Traditional Elders Council

Kenaitze Indian Tribe

Ketchikan Indian Corporation

King Island Native Community

King Salmon Tribe

Klawock Cooperative Association

Knik Tribe

Kokhanok Village

Koyukuk Native Village

Levelock Village

Lime Village

Manley Hot Springs Village

Manokotak Village

McGrath Native Village

Mentasta Traditional Council

Metlakatla Indian Community, Annette Island Reserve

Naknek Native Village

Native Village of Afognak

Native Village of Akhiok

Native Village of Akutan

Native Village of Aleknagik

Native Village of Ambler

Native Village of Atka

Native Village of Barrow Inupiat Traditional Government

Native Village of Belkofski

Native Village of Brevig Mission

Native Village of Buckland

Native Village of Cantwell

Native Village of Chenega (aka Chanega)

Native Village of Chignik Lagoon

Native Village of Chitina

Native Village of Chuathbaluk (Russian Mission, Kuskokwim)

Native Village of Council

Native Village of Deering

Native Village of Diomede (aka Inalik)

Native Village of Eagle

Native Village of Eek

Native Village of Ekuk

Native Village of Ekwok (previously listed as Ekwok Village)

Native Village of Elim

Native Village of Eyak (Cordova)

Native Village of False Pass

Native Village of Fort Yukon

Native Village of Gakona

Native Village of Gambell

Native Village of Georgetown

Native Village of Goodnews Bay

Native Village of Hamilton

Native Village of Hooper Bay

Native Village of Kanatak

Native Village of Karluk

Native Village of Kiana

Native Village of Kipnuk

Native Village of Kivalina

Native Village of Kluti Kaah (aka Copper Center)

Native Village of Kobuk

Native Village of Kongiganak

Native Village of Kotzebue

Native Village of Koyuk

Native Village of Kwigillingok

Native Village of Kwinhagak (aka Quinhagak)

Native Village of Larsen Bay

Native Village of Mary's Igloo

Native Village of Mekoryuk

Native Village of Minto

Native Village of Nanwalek (aka English Bay)

Native Village of Napaimute

Native Village of Napakiak

Native Village of Napaskiak

Native Village of Nelson Lagoon

Native Village of Nightmute

Native Village of Nikolski

Native Village of Noatak

Native Village of Nuiqsut (aka Nooiksut)

Native Village of Nunam Iqua (previously listed as the Native Village of Sheldon's Point)

Native Village of Nunapitchuk

Native Village of Ouzinkie

Native Village of Paimiut

Native Village of Perryville

Native Village of Pilot Point

Native Village of Pitka's Point

Native Village of Point Hope

Native Village of Point Lay

Native Village of Port Graham

Native Village of Port Heiden

Native Village of Port Lions

Native Village of Ruby

Native Village of Saint Michael

Native Village of Savoonga

Native Village of Scammon Bay

Native Village of Selawik

Native Village of Shaktoolik

Native Village of Shishmaref

Native Village of Shungnak

Native Village of Stevens

Native Village of Tanacross

Native Village of Tanana

Native Village of Tatitlek

Native Village of Tazlina

Native Village of Teller

Native Village of Tetlin

Native Village of Tuntutuliak

Native Village of Tununak

Native Village of Tyonek

Native Village of Unalakleet

Native Village of Unga

Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government (Arctic Village and Village of Venetie)

Native Village of Wales

Native Village of White Mountain

Nenana Native Association

New Koliganek Village Council

New Stuyahok Village

Newhalen Village

Newtok Village

Nikolai Village

Ninilchik Village

Nome Eskimo Community

Nondalton Village

Noorvik Native Community

Northway Village

Nulato Village

Nunakauyarmiut Tribe

Organized Village of Grayling (aka Holikachuk)

Organized Village of Kake

Organized Village of Kasaan

Organized Village of Kwethluk

Organized Village of Saxman

Orutsararmiut Traditional Native Council (previously listed as Orutsararmuit Native Village (aka Bethel))

Oscarville Traditional Village

Pauloff Harbor Village

Pedro Bay Village

Petersburg Indian Association

Pilot Station Traditional Village

Platinum Traditional Village

Portage Creek Village (aka Ohgsenakale)

Pribilof Islands Aleut Communities of St. Paul & St. George Islands

Qagan Tayagungin Tribe of Sand Point Village

Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska

Rampart Village

Saint George Island (See Pribilof Islands Aleut Communities of St. Paul & St. George Islands)

Saint Paul Island (See Pribilof Islands Aleut Communities of St. Paul & St. George Islands)

Seldovia Village Tribe

Shageluk Native Village

Sitka Tribe of Alaska

Skagway Village

South Naknek Village

Stebbins Community Association

Sun'aq Tribe of Kodiak (previously listed as the Shoonaq' Tribe of Kodiak)

Takotna Village

Tangirnaq Native Village (formerly Lesnoi Village (aka Woody Island))

Telida Village

Traditional Village of Togiak

Tuluksak Native Community

Twin Hills Village

Ugashik Village

Umkumiut Native Village (previously listed as Umkumiute Native Village)

Village of Alakanuk

Village of Anaktuvuk Pass

Village of Aniak

Village of Atmautluak

Village of Bill Moore's Slough

Village of Chefornak

Village of Clarks Point

Village of Crooked Creek

Village of Dot Lake

Village of Iliamna

Village of Kalskag

Village of Kaltag

Village of Kotlik

Village of Lower Kalskag

Village of Ohogamiut

Village of Red Devil

Village of Salamatoff

Village of Sleetmute

Village of Solomon

Village of Stony River

Village of Venetie (See Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government)

Village of Wainwright

Wrangell Cooperative Association

Yakutat Tlingit Tribe

Yupiit of Andreafski

[FR Doc. 2017-00912 Filed 1-13-17; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4337-15-P

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government federal register executive rulings notices

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Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs

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This notice publishes the current list of 567 Tribal entities recognized and eligible for funding and services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) by virtue of their status as Indian Tribes. The list is updated from the notice published on May 4, 2016 (81 FR 26826).