Sec. 2. Findings
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/bill/117/s/3835/is/section-2·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds the following: Native American peoples are a vital part of our Nation’s past and present. Native American peoples have made significant contributions to the United States and continue to serve as leaders in communities across the Nation and with distinction as public servants, scholars, scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, authors, and in many other professions and specialties. The United States has a unique government-to-government relationship with Indian Tribes and treaty-based trust responsibilities owed to Native American peoples and Indian Tribes.
Congress has played a critical role in recognizing the cultures and contributions of Native American peoples throughout the history of the United States by establishing the National Museum of the American Indian in 1989 to— advance the study of Native American language, literature, history, art, anthropology, and life; and provide for Native American research and study programs. Indian Tribes, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Native American organizations, and Native American communities have worked diligently to bring accurate Native American histories and culturally informed educational opportunities to American classrooms.
Washington, Oregon, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Maine, Connecticut, Virginia, Florida, Minnesota, and Hawaii include Native American education in content standards for kindergarten through grade 12 education. It is important for students in the United States to have a complete and accurate education about— the experience of Native American peoples in the United States today and throughout history; the Federal Government’s adoption of the relocation, termination, and other discriminatory and genocidal policies, including the Indian Boarding School Policy, and similar policies employed in the Territory of Hawaii, to strip American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children of their indigenous identities, language, and culture; the unique government-to-government relationship between the Federal Government and Indian Tribes; and the Federal Government’s treaty-based trust responsibilities to Native American peoples and Indian Tribes.
The Federal Government can improve the representation of Native American peoples, their histories, and their contributions, as well as the unique relationship between Indian Tribes and the Federal Government in more classrooms by supporting community-based curricula development.