BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	C.S.H.C.R. 62
87R27920 KSM-D	By: Hunter; Pacheco (West)
	Administration
	5/21/2021
	Committee Report (Substituted)

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Since the early 1990s, dozens of cities and a growing number of states have adopted the observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day to celebrate the history and contributions of Native Americans.

Indigenous Peoples' Day was first proposed in 1977 as part of the International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas. Coinciding with Columbus Day, it has become an important means of focusing attention on the native peoples of the Americas, past and present, and some institutions have expanded the observance to encompass a full week.

Over the millennia, ancient peoples built empires, constructed sophisticated cities, and developed elaborate trade networks and complex social systems. The area now known as Texas became home to numerous indigenous tribes with their own unique cultures and ways of life.

Early inhabitants of our state's Gulf Coast included the semi-nomadic Atakapa, Karankawa, Mariame, and Akokisa, who lived on the shore for part of the year and moved some 30 to 40 miles inland on a seasonal basis. The Caddo in East Texas and Jumano in West Texas were farmers and traders, with economic ties to other tribes and, later, to Europeans. The Comanche and Apache were bison-hunting warriors who traversed large regions of the Southern Plains on horseback. A host of other groups inhabited the Plains area as well, among them Coahuiltecans, Cocoimes, Chisos, Tobosos, Tawakonis, Wacos, and Kiowas.

Today, the Lone Star State is home to Native Americans from diverse tribal nations, and the effort to retain ancestral memories, languages, and cultures is ongoing and vital. The observation of Indigenous Peoples' Week raises awareness of this rich heritage and the wide-ranging contributions Native Americans have made and continue to make to our state and nation.

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RESOLVED

That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby designate the second week in October as Indigenous Peoples' Week.

That, in accordance with the provisions of Section 391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect until the 10th anniversary of the date that this resolution finally is passed by the legislature.