| |
| |
|
|
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
|
|
|
WHEREAS, 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; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, 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, the observance has become an important means of focusing |
|
|
attention on the native peoples of the Americas, past and present; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, More than 14,000 years ago, ancient peoples arrived |
|
|
in North America from Asia and migrated south; over the millennia, |
|
|
they 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; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, 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; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, 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' Day raises awareness of this |
|
|
rich heritage and the wide-ranging contributions Native Americans |
|
|
have made and continue to make to our state and nation; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas |
|
|
hereby designate the second Monday in October as Indigenous |
|
|
Peoples' Day; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, 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. |