Native American Heritage Day 2009

Native American Heritage Day 2009 was greeted with coast to coast events that welcomed the long-deserved and wellearned recognition of American Indians and celebrated Native tradition, history and culture.

In June, President Barrack Obama signed into law the Native American Heritage Day 2009 Bill, making the day after Thanksgiving Native American Heritage Day, which was Friday, November 27, 2009.

Out west, in the Valley of the Phoenix Suns, National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr., joined the Ak-Chin Indian Community and the Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI) in celebrating Native American Heritage Day 2009 on Wednesday, November 25, at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Stevens, who also serves as Vice President of Tribal Relations for the NABI Foundation said, “We are proud to be celebrating Native American Heritage Day with the Phoenix Suns Organization, once again.”

“National recognition of Native American Heritage Day is powerful because it is an enduring symbol of this country’s appreciation and respect for America’s First Nations.“ Stevens said.

During the pre-game activities, Stevens and NABI cofounders Mark West and Gina Marie Scarpa presented Phoenix Suns power forward Amare Stoudemire a pair of the recently released Nike N7 shoes for his work on behalf of NABI. Stoudemire serves as an honorary member of the NABI board.

“Amare and the Phoenix Suns have always reached out to our Native communities and have also shown great support for NABI since its inception. Implementing a Native American day celebration each year further acknowledges their commitment to Indian country” Stevens said.

Prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Suns representatives and NABI representatives greeted Native American ticket holders and were given Phoenix Suns garb commemorating the celebration. They also had an opportunity to join a pre-game Phoenix Suns warm up session. After the pre-game practice session, a NABI youth mini basketball scrimmage took place on the Suns court. Outside the U.S. West Arena, the Heritage Day dance group from Phoenix, Arizona provided a display of Native American traditional dance that entertained the crowd. The night proved even more satisfying for Suns fans as they watched their beloved team defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-91.

On the East coast, in our nation’s capital, hundreds of people packed the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) on November 27th to celebrate the holiday and learn about the culture and countless contributions of Indian people.

Traditional Tlingit dancers and the Yaaw Tei Yi Dance Group from Juneau, Alaska, performed cultural dances for the celebration attendees. In addition, the event featured several booths and exhibitions on Native food and arts.

“The performance at NMAI on Native American Heritage Day was attended by the largest audience the Yaaw Tei Yi Dance Group has seen in the foyer area in the three times we have performed here. The main floor, the area around the gift shops, and the first and second floor railings were filled to capacity of 300 plus audience,” said NIGA executive board member and dance group leader Andy Ebona.

In addition to their performance at NMAI, the Yaaw Tei Yi performed at Darnestown Elementary School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. About 100 students learned about Native culture, and also got to sing and dance with the Yaaw Tei Yi.

“It was an absolute thrill to be able to share our culture with so many on Native American Heritage Day,” said Ebona.