HomeMy WebLinkAbout20- Mayoral Proclamation - Indigenous Peoples' DayProclamation to Recognize and Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day
on the Second Monday of Each October
WHEREAS, the State of Montana recognizes through its highest law, the State Constitution,
Article X § 1(2), the distinct and unique cultural heritage of the American Indians and is
committed in its educational goals to the preservation of their cultural integrity; and
WHEREAS, the City of Bozeman, as a self-governing municipal government operating
pursuant to its Charter and the laws of the State of Montana, embraces its responsibility to
promote equality and the historic integrity of American Indians, especially the thirteen (13)
Tribes of the State that together constitute the largest minority group resident in the State of
Montana; and
WHEREAS, the City recognizes that Indigenous Peoples are the original inhabitants from time
immemorial of the lands that now constitute the City of Bozeman; and
WHEREAS, the City of Bozeman recognizes the fact that Bozeman is built upon homelands and
villages, and traditional use areas of the Bitterroot Salish, Pend O'Reille, Kootenai, Blackfeet,
Northern Cheyenne, Crow, Chippewa Cree, Assiniboine, Gros Ventre, Dakota, and other
Indigenous nations of this region; and
WHEREAS, the City recognizes the important contributions of Indigenous Peoples, the region's
rich American Indian history and contemporary cultural influences that contribute to our
beautifully diverse community; and
WHEREAS, the City opposes any and all systemic forms of racism toward humanity, expressly
Indigenous Peoples who have been subjugated by policies aimed at assimilating and, at times,
eradicating their cultural existence; and
WHEREAS, the celebration of Columbus Day is an affront to all Indigenous Peoples in the Americas;
and
WHEREAS, The City of Bozeman remains open for business on Columbus Day (a State of Montana
holiday); and
WHEREAS, Indigenous Peoples' Day is a day that recognizes and commemorates the contributions of
Native people; and
WHEREAS, the City recognizes and celebrates the cultural survival and resilience of the Indigenous
Peoples in the face of genocide;
NOW THEREFORE, AS THE MAYOR OF BOZEMAN I PROCLAIM THAT the City of
Bozeman, Montana supports the contributions of American Indians to our community, economy and rich
culture by observing and celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day;
AND I FURTHER PROCLAIM AND DECLARE that the second Monday of October of each
year shall be Indigenous Peoples' Day in the City of Bozeman, Montana.
Signed and Proclaimed this 13th day of October, 2020.
Bozeman, Montana