Indigenous Peoples' Day, 2022

Proclamation 10473 of October 7, 2022

Indigenous Peoples' Day, 2022

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On Indigenous Peoples' Day, we honor the sovereignty,
resilience, and immense contributions that Native
Americans have made to the world; and we recommit to
upholding our solemn trust and treaty responsibilities
to Tribal Nations, strengthening our Nation-to-Nation
ties.

For centuries, Indigenous Peoples were forcibly removed
from ancestral lands, displaced, assimilated, and
banned from worshiping or performing many sacred
ceremonies. Yet today, they remain some of our greatest
environmental stewards. They maintain strong religious
beliefs that still feed the soul of our Nation. And
they have chosen to serve in the United States Armed
Forces at a higher rate than any other group. Native
peoples challenge us to confront our past and do
better, and their contributions to scholarship, law,
the arts, public service, and more continue to guide us
forward.

I learned long ago that Tribal Nations do better when
they make their own decisions. That is why my
Administration has made respect for Tribal sovereignty
and meaningful consultation with Tribal Nations the
cornerstone of our engagement and why I was proud to
restore the White House Council on Native American
Affairs. To elevate Indigenous voices across our
Government, I appointed Deb Haaland as Secretary of the
Interior, the first Native American to serve as a
cabinet secretary, along with more than 50 other Native
Americans now in significant roles across the executive
branch.

My Administration is also directly delivering for
Native communities--creating jobs, providing critical
services, and restoring and preserving sacred Tribal
lands. We have made the biggest investment in Indian
Country in history, securing billions for pandemic
recovery, infrastructural improvements, and climate
change resilience, and we are working together with
Tribal Nations to end the scourge of violence against
Indigenous women and girls.

These efforts are a matter of dignity, justice, and
good faith. But we have more to do to help lift Tribal
communities from the shadow of our broken promises, to
protect their right to vote, and to help them access
other opportunities that their ancestors were long
denied. On Indigenous Peoples' Day, we celebrate
indigenous history and our new beginning together,
honoring Native Americans for shaping the contours of
this country since time immemorial.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, do hereby proclaim
October 10, 2022, as Indigenous Peoples' Day. I call
upon the people of the United States to observe this
day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also
direct that the flag of the United States be displayed
on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor
of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who
contribute to shaping this Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.