Congresswoman Betty McCollum Honors National Native American Heritage Month

Each November, our nation recognizes the ongoing contributions and resilience of the First Americans during Native American Heritage Month. This is a time to celebrate the vibrant and diverse cultures of Native people across this country and to honor the role that sovereign tribal governments play in making the United States of America great. 

Minnesota is home to eleven Ojibwe and Dakota nations, and those nations and their people are a vital part of our state’s heritage and our future. This year Minnesota’s tribal leaders raised the flags of all 11 nations for the first time on our state capitol grounds, where they will fly permanently at the new Tribal Flag Plaza. I am incredibly proud of this historic commitment to recognizing the original governments of this land and the thriving nations they still represent. Governor Walz and our state legislature have worked hard to improve and strengthen tribal-state relationships, and this plaza is an enduring symbol of that respect and partnership. 

American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have played a foundational role in America’s success. Native Americans formed the first participatory democracies that inspired the U.S. Constitution, and they are the population with the highest rates of service in our country’s armed forces. The government-to-government relationships between the United States and the 574 diverse, federally recognized tribal nations have shaped our nation since its founding. Native communities have continued to contribute to our national fabric over the last 250 years through their traditions, indigenous environmental knowledge, languages, and countless other ways. Native cultures and nations have endured despite centuries of violence, injustice, and discrimination. That legacy must never be buried or ignored, but I am committed to working with tribal leaders to moving forward in a new era of respect and self-governance throughout Indian Country.

I am honored to have collaborated with tribal leaders throughout my career on local issues like restoring trust land and upholding treaty rights to fish and gather, and on major national legislation to better meet our federal trust responsibility, uphold tribal sovereignty, and support Native families. Yet even with the progress we have made, tremendous work remains to fulfill our trust and treaty obligations to Indian Country. Meeting the needs for health, education, public safety, and food security of Native Americans is our federal responsibility and a treaty commitment. 

As we come to the close of this month that celebrates the heritage and resilience of our Native American brothers and sisters, we must carry forward the commitment to strengthen our nation-to-nation relationship, honor our treaty commitments, and ensure that tribal sovereignty is respected.