1. Native American Indian Heritage Month
Life is Sacred –
Celebrate Healthy Native Communities

2. History in the Making
The Native American population of sixty million declines to approximately one million by the year 1900
First permanent English colony established at Jamestown, VA
First Indian uprising in an English colony
First Reservations established by Puritans near New Haven, CT
Continental Congress made first treaty with Indians (Delaware)
Indian Removal Act passed which legalized removal of all Indians east of the Mississippi to lands west of the river
Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge: Last major bloodshed involving Indians and the U.S. Government
All Indians declared citizens of the U.S.
Wheeler-Howard Act was passed to protect Native Culture
1500
1607
1622
1638
1778
1830
1890
1924
1934

3. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act allows gambling on reservations.
History, continued
Indian Self-determination and Education Assistance Act was passed, giving tribes greater control over funding which affected their welfare
Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs was established by DOI Secretarial order
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act allows gambling on reservations. 
Indian Tribal Justice Act was passed, supporting tribal courts in becoming well-established dispensers of justice in Indian Country
National Museum of the American Indian is established in Washington, D.C.
President Obama sighed the Tribal Law and Order Act, providing Tribes with the opportunity to exercise enhanced sentencing authority and directing the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the collection and reporting of data
1975
1977
1988
1993
2004
2010

4. Native Americans and War
Chief Red Fox addressing Secretary of War, Newton D. Baker, in Washington; 1917
“From all over the West we now stand ready 50,000 Indians between the ages of seventeen and fifty-five. We beg of you, to give us the right to fight. We guarantee to you, sir, our hearts could be for no better cause than to fight for the land we love, and for the freedom we share.”
From Left: Red Fox, Bear Skin, Red Dog, Rocky Bear, Living Bear; Photo courtesy of thunderdreamers.com

5. American Indians Serving in War
WW I—approximately 12,000-15,000 served
WW II –approximately 44,000 served
Korean War—approximately 10,000 to 15,000 served
Vietnam War—approximately 80,000 served
Photos courtesy of

6. Code Talkers
In World War II, a communications code was utilized the Japanese couldn’t break
379 Code talkers’ served in WWII.
Code talkers’ messages were strings of seemingly unrelated Navajo words. Each word would be translated into English, and the message was deciphered by using only the first letter of each English word
Photos courtesy of

7. The National Museum of the American Indian
The Mission:
The National Museum of the American Indian is committed to advancing knowledge and understanding of the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere, past, present, and future, through partnership with Native people and others.
The museum works to embrace and preserve the continuance of culture, traditional values, and transitions in contemporary native life
Photos courtesy of

8. Preserving Native Communities
Photos courtesy of

9. Native American Community Academy
Mission
NACA develops students into leaders that will support and strengthen their communities by academically preparing them and securing them in their health and identity
Background
NACA is a tuition-free public charter school for middle and high school students
NACA has students from 37 different tribes
Curriculum
Native Literature
Navajo, Lakota and Tiwa Language
Spanish
Visual and Language Arts
Science, Math and Social Studies
Video Production, Personal Wellness
Performance
Photos courtesy of

10. Native American Community Development Institute
Mission
NACDI seeks to preserve and embrace the Native American communities while transforming them to effectively respond to 21st Century opportunities
By promoting innovative community development, NACDI helps American Indians strengthen the sustainability and well-being of their communities
Challenges faced?
American Indians are largely underrepresented in multiple sectors of the economy
Many wish to remain in their traditional communities, and preserve those areas and identities
NACDI helps –
NACDI focuses on developing and bringing “Indian economic power into the ongoing stream of development opportunities”
NACDI also helps American Indians to preserve their culture and communities
Photos courtesy of

11. The Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center
Founded by members of the Yankton Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota in 1985
Provides services to women and the community
Services aimed at:
Protecting women’s reproductive health and rights
Fighting hunger
Ending violence
Women’s lodge and transitional housing
Men’s re-education group
Serves as an advocate:
Provides community education to preserve the culture
Launches campaigns to end violence against indigenous women
Builds coalitions to fight for women’s reproductive rights
Seeks environmental justice
Photos courtesy of

12. Seva Foundation Began a Native American Program in 1982
Launched the first Native American health clinic in the U.S.
Porcupine Clinic on the Pine Ridge Reservation
Started a training program called the Diabetes Talking Circle in 1996
Has helped Natives develop strategies for diabetes prevention
Highly significant since Native Americans tend to acquire Type II Diabetes at a larger rate than any other group of people
Seva continues to help tribes recover eating habits that maintained their optimal health for so long
Photos courtesy of

13. American Indian Relief Council
“Native Americans living on the rural and remote reservations of the Northern Plains struggle daily with isolation, limited employment opportunities, and a harsh and resource-poor environment. Poverty is all too common and weighs most heavily on those who are most fragile — the elderly, children, and families.”
The AIRC services:
Baby Baskets
Provides essentials for newborns
Breakfast-in-a-bag
Provides monthly packages of nutritious foods to Elders
Thanksgiving and Christmas
Provides food for dinner and gift-filled stockings
Food and Literacy
Provides monthly pantry supplies and encourages parents to read to children
Project Grow
Helps families grow vegetables
Weatherization
Makes homes weatherproof for winter
Winter Fuel
Covers the costs of wood, propane, or electricity
Photos courtesy of

14. Reach out, Learn more, Help others
Native American Community Academy
Native Times Newspaper
American Indian Relief Council
Seva Foundation
Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center
Native American Community Development Institute

15. Conclusion
This presentation was prepared by
Stephanie I. Turner, ABD on behalf of the
Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute Patrick Air Force Base, Florida October, 2010
All photographs are public domain and are from various sources as cited. Opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and should not be construed to represent the official position of DEOMI, the U.S. Military services, or the Department of Defense.