Georgia National Organization for Women Statement on National Native American Heritage Month
November 2023
Authored by Anna Chimo
Supported — President Triana Arnold James
In 1990 a joint resolution passed by Congress directed the President, then George H.W. Bush, to issue a proclamation declaring November as National American Indian Heritage Month in the United States. All Presidents since have reissued this proclamation each year. President Obama, in 2009, changing the name to National Native American Heritage Month.
The contributions of Native Americans to our current every day lives are many. Most of us drive on highways that follow their trails. More than half the world’s food supply comes from agricultural methods developed by Native Americans. Indigenous people fight for our freedoms every day while serving in the military, they have the highest participation rate of any ethnic group. It is thought the United States Constitution was influenced by the Constitution of the Iroquois, which is still in use today.
The hardships faced by Native Americans are also many. One out of three Native women will be raped in her lifetime, and three out of four will be physically assaulted. Native women report being raped 200% more often than the national average. According to the National Institute of Justice, 84% of Indigenous women have experienced psychological, sexual, or physical violence in their lifetime, with more than half of that abuse endured at the hands of an intimate partner.
There are 3 Native tribes currently recognized by the State of Georgia: Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee, Cherokee of Georgia Tribal Council and Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe. There are many monuments and historic sites throughout Georgia that are representative of Indigenous people throughout history. Etowah Mounds State Historic Site is the most intact Mississippian Culture site in the Southeast, where Native people farmed, fished, traded, created art and lived. The Cedar Town Camp was a post on The Trail of Tears, where over 200 Cherokees were taken in a month.
In Georgia and the United States as a whole, we owe much to the Indigenous people of this land we cherish. They have a rich history full of love, hard work, intelligence, compassion, and conservation. Please join GA NOW in celebrating all they have given to us.
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Sources:
https://guides.loc.gov/national-american-indian-heritage-month/history-and-overview
https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov
https://theredroad.org/issues/indigenous-womens-rights/
https://georgiaindiancouncil.com/
https://gastateparks.org/
