By: Sara Loft

On August 3rd of 1990, President of the United States George H.W. Bush declared the month of November as Native American Heritage Month. I cherish this month because I am proudly part Native American. This commemoration called upon all levels of government in the United States to honor and recognize the Native Americans that reside here in this great nation, from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. It was designed for the Nation to recognize and respect the various traditions, cultures, music, crafts, dance, and several outlooks on life amongst the many tribes standing here today.

In 1976, renowned physicist J.C. Elliot High-Eagle (Osage/Cherokee) wrote the Congressional legislation for all Natives including Alaska Natives to have an entire week of awareness. With the help of the signature from President Gerald Ford, it passed to become the first week of recognition of Native peoples in the history of this great Nation.

In fact, one of the earliest Native tribal nations predating from the French and Indian War still lies within the western part of New York State. We recognize the Haudenosaunee (or better known as the Iroquois) people, or People of the Longhouse. Early founding Haudenosaunee figures formed The Great Law of Peace for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, It was an inspiration for the  framers of the  Constitution of the United States as recognized by a resolution of the U.S. Senate in 1987.

Today, there are over 500 federally recognized reservations. Not every Native American lives on reserved land, though. If you want to discover more of the Haudenosaunee, I encourage you to visit the Seneca Iroquois National Museum and the Old Fort Niagara. From the Iroquois Confederacy, the Seneca are the largest people within the areas of Western New York. If you want to support the Haudenosaunee artists, there is a retail store at the Fashion Outlets of Niagara called Indigenous Attractions.