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November 5th, 2010
November celebrates Native American culture
The Midwest City Library is celebrating Native American Heritage Month from Nov. 2-30. The library will feature exhibits and concerts throughout the month.
In the library's Lobby Gallery, visitors can view the exhibit, "It's All About Me: A Numunu (Comanche) Children's Exhibit." The exhibit is on loan from the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton. On display are art and photographic pieces created by children of all ages.
Native American flutes are featured in lobby display cases all month. Midwest City Librarian Linda Temple said the works of several local flute makers will be on display. In researching the flutes, Temple found that each instrument was used as a vehicle for a love song played by a young man to court a woman. Each flute on display was individually crafted and each song created by that flute was a personal gift of love to one special listener.
Members of the Oklahoma Native American Flute Circle will also perform. The group will play from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday. A second concert will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at the library, 8143 E. Reno Ave. Other library exhibits will feature Native American textiles and resources for library patrons to learn more about Native American culture.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, a part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, said Native American Heritage Month began at the start of the 20th century as a day to recognize the significant contributions made by the first Americans toward the establishment and growth of the country. Since then, it has grown to include the whole month of November.
PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION
In 1990 President George H. W. Bush issued a joint resolution designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month. Each year since 1994 similar proclamations have been issued under different names including "Native American Heritage Month," and "National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month," according to the BIA.
The BIA said one of the first proponents of American Indian Day was Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian and director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. In his initial effort, he persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to designate a day to honor the Native Americans. They celebrated that day for three years. The annual Congress of the American Indian Association met in Lawrence, Kan. in 1915 and formally approved a plan for American Indian Day.
At that meeting, members directed their president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the entire country to celebrate American Indian Day. On Sept. 28, 1915, the BIA said Coolidge issued a proclamation for that purpose. The proclamation declared the second Saturday of May each year to be American Indian Day, and included the first formal appeal for the country to recognize Indians as citizens.
In the year prior, the BIA said Red Fox James, a Blackfoot, traveled by horse from state to state seeking approval for the day to honor Indians. BIA records show that on Dec. 14, 1915, he presented to the White House endorsements from 24 state governments to recognize Indians one day of the year, but there is no record of his endeavor receiving President Woodrow Wilson's approval, or of a national day of recognition resulting from his efforts.
The governor of New York declared the first American Indian Day in May 1916. The BIA reports the day caught on in states around the country, and some states have designated Columbus Day as Native American Day. It is still observed, but is not recognized as a national holiday.
Visitors to the Midwest City Library can learn more about Native American people and cultures throughout the month. The events are all free and open to the public. For more information call the library at 732-4828.
In the library's Lobby Gallery, visitors can view the exhibit, "It's All About Me: A Numunu (Comanche) Children's Exhibit." The exhibit is on loan from the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton. On display are art and photographic pieces created by children of all ages.
Native American flutes are featured in lobby display cases all month. Midwest City Librarian Linda Temple said the works of several local flute makers will be on display. In researching the flutes, Temple found that each instrument was used as a vehicle for a love song played by a young man to court a woman. Each flute on display was individually crafted and each song created by that flute was a personal gift of love to one special listener.
Members of the Oklahoma Native American Flute Circle will also perform. The group will play from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday. A second concert will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at the library, 8143 E. Reno Ave. Other library exhibits will feature Native American textiles and resources for library patrons to learn more about Native American culture.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, a part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, said Native American Heritage Month began at the start of the 20th century as a day to recognize the significant contributions made by the first Americans toward the establishment and growth of the country. Since then, it has grown to include the whole month of November.
PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION
In 1990 President George H. W. Bush issued a joint resolution designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month. Each year since 1994 similar proclamations have been issued under different names including "Native American Heritage Month," and "National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month," according to the BIA.
The BIA said one of the first proponents of American Indian Day was Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian and director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. In his initial effort, he persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to designate a day to honor the Native Americans. They celebrated that day for three years. The annual Congress of the American Indian Association met in Lawrence, Kan. in 1915 and formally approved a plan for American Indian Day.
At that meeting, members directed their president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the entire country to celebrate American Indian Day. On Sept. 28, 1915, the BIA said Coolidge issued a proclamation for that purpose. The proclamation declared the second Saturday of May each year to be American Indian Day, and included the first formal appeal for the country to recognize Indians as citizens.
In the year prior, the BIA said Red Fox James, a Blackfoot, traveled by horse from state to state seeking approval for the day to honor Indians. BIA records show that on Dec. 14, 1915, he presented to the White House endorsements from 24 state governments to recognize Indians one day of the year, but there is no record of his endeavor receiving President Woodrow Wilson's approval, or of a national day of recognition resulting from his efforts.
The governor of New York declared the first American Indian Day in May 1916. The BIA reports the day caught on in states around the country, and some states have designated Columbus Day as Native American Day. It is still observed, but is not recognized as a national holiday.
Visitors to the Midwest City Library can learn more about Native American people and cultures throughout the month. The events are all free and open to the public. For more information call the library at 732-4828.
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