NATIVE NEWS ONLINE – National Native American Heritage Month, as it is officially called, is the culmination of a centuries-long effort to establish recognition for the substantial contributions of Indigenous peoples. Dr. Arthur Caswell Parker, a Cattaraugus Seneca Indian, historian, anthropologist, and author from New York state, was an early proponent of establishing a day to honor Native Americans. Parker founded several impactful American Indian rights organizations, such as the Society of American Indians in 1911 and the National Congress of American Indians in 1944 — and advocated for American Indians to be given U.S. citizenship. Parker persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to designate a day to celebrate the “First Americans” from 1912-1915.
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