1Honoring and recognizing Pennsylvania's American Indian peoples
2and communities and recognizing the first Saturday in October
3of every year as "Indigenous Peoples Day" in Pennsylvania.

4WHEREAS, The indigenous peoples of North America, the first
5Americans, have woven rich and diverse threads into the tapestry
6of the heritage and history of the United States and this
7Commonwealth and, throughout their history in this great land,
8have faced moments of triumph and tragedy alike; and

9WHEREAS, American Indians have inhabited the land which is
10now known as Pennsylvania for 5,000 years; and

11WHEREAS, Former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Historical and
12Museum Commission, Dr. George P. Donehoo, acknowledged that, "No
13state in the entire nation is richer in Indian names or in fact
14Indian history than Pennsylvania"; and

15WHEREAS, Some of the many great nations that inhabited the
16territory known as Pennsylvania were and are the Lenape,
17Cherokee, Susquehanna, Erie, Mohawk, Huron, Allegany, Shawnee,

1Susquehannock, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, Chippewa and Ottawa
2Indians, as well as many others who sustained themselves in the
3natural environment of the Keystone State; and

4WHEREAS, Precolonial Indian villages and ancient burial
5mounds, which were plentiful and spread en masse across the
6territory now known as Pennsylvania, were destroyed or lost due
7to agricultural development and industrialization; and

8WHEREAS, McKees Rocks Mound in McKeesport is one of those
9ancient burial mounds in this Commonwealth that stands as a
10testament to the highly civilized societies of indigenous
11American peoples and is reported as one of the oldest places of
12human habitation in eastern North America; and

13WHEREAS, Many of Pennsylvania's busiest highways, such as
14Route 1, Route 40, Route 30, Route 611 and Route 590 started as
15American Indian paths that were used for trade and hunting; and

16WHEREAS, American Indian culture and society have contributed
17to the agricultural development, medicinal discoveries,
18environmental preservation, commerce, governmental institutions
19and structure and many other facets of our country, State and
20cities; and

21WHEREAS, Many American Indian peoples live in our urban
22cities, including 4,000 in Philadelphia and more than 81,092 in
23Pennsylvania according to the 2010 Census; and

24WHEREAS, Many of the American Indians living in our counties,
25cities, townships, boroughs and towns have gone through great
26adversities to maintain their cultural and ethnic identities;
27and

28WHEREAS, From the 1800s through the 1900s, many southern and
29northern American Indians were mislabeled "colored," "Negro,"
30"mulatto" and "white," resulting from the dilution of their

1identities; and

2WHEREAS, Many have persevered through trauma and tragedy to
3preserve culture and traditions to become beacons of light for
4future generations; and

5WHEREAS, American Indian culture and American Indians are to
6be respected and honored; and

7WHEREAS, The Commonwealth acknowledges the importance of
8educating the citizens of this Commonwealth about the heritage,
9history, art, archeology and traditions of the American Indian
10peoples and communities in Pennsylvania; and

11WHEREAS, American Indians continue to contribute to the
12culture of this Commonwealth through the ancestral preservation
13of their heritage; and

14WHEREAS, Their dedicated efforts to honor their proud
15heritage have been instrumental in developing a deeper
16understanding within Pennsylvania of the vibrant and ancient
17customs of the indigenous peoples living in this Commonwealth
18today; and

19WHEREAS, Indigenous Peoples Day properly notes the influences
20of indigenous culture throughout our history; and

21WHEREAS, Indigenous Peoples Day commemorates the
22contributions and resiliency of indigenous communities while
23also celebrating the preservation of their unique cultural
24heritage and ethnic identities; therefore be it

25RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize and
26honor the myriad of contributions of American Indians, recognize
27the strong and living traditions of the first peoples to call
28our land home and look forward to working with American Indians
29in an effort to further preserve their heritage within this
30Commonwealth; and be it further

1RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
2first Saturday in October of every year, which this year is
3October 4, 2014, as "Indigenous Peoples Day" in Pennsylvania.