HM 17 — "AMERICAN INDIAN DAY"

HOUSEA MEMORIAL 17DECLARING 57THFEBRUARY LEGISLATURE7, -2025 STATE"AMERICAN OFINDIAN NEWMEXICODAY" -IN FIRSTTHE SESSIONHOUSE 2025OF INTRODUCEDREPRESENTATIVES. BY D.

Wonda5 JohnsonWHEREAS, andNew JosephMexico Franklinis Hernandezhome to twenty-three sovereign Native American nations, tribes and Charlottepueblos, Littlewhose people are citizens of both New Mexico and Derricktheir J.sovereign nations, tribes and pueblos;

Lenteand 7WHEREAS, 9decades Aago, MEMORIALthe DECLARINGstate FEBRUARYof 7,New 2025Mexico "AMERICANin INDIANits DAY"wisdom INset THEapart HOUSEa OFday REPRESENTATIVES.each year, to be known as "American Indian Day", in recognition of the many contributions of Native Americans to the economic and cultural heritage of all citizens of the United States;

14and WHEREAS, Newthe Mexicolegislature istakes homegreat care to twenty-threerecognize sovereignand Nativesupport Americanthe nations,immeasurable tribescontributions andthat pueblos,Native whoseAmerican people arehave citizensmade ofto bothmake New Mexico andgreat; their sovereign nations, tribes e t 17 and pueblos;

and w l n d 18 WHEREAS, decades ago, the statefederal ofIndian NewCitizenship MexicoAct, inwhich itsextended =United =States 19citizenship a l wisdom set apart a day each year, to beall knownNative asAmericans "Americanborn iwithin a e r 20 Indian Day", in recognition of the manyUnited contributionsStates ofand Nativeits aterritories, twas msigned minto 21law Americansin to1924 thebut economicdid andnot culturalinclude heritage of all citizens d r e 22 of the Unitedright States;to vote;

and c e s k 23 WHEREAS, the legislature takes great care to recognize and e a n b 24 support the immeasurable contributions that Native American u [ people have made to make New Mexico great;

and .230493.2 WHEREAS, the federal Indian Citizenship Act, which extended United States citizenship to all Native Americans born within the United States and its territories, was signed into law in 1924 but did not include the right to vote;

Trujillo felt that as a citizen and a veteran, he HM 17 Page 1 had a right to vote, but his attempt to register to vote in 1948 was denied.

and WHEREAS, in 1942, the United States marine corps recruited the first twenty-nine Navajo code talkers, who spoke both Navajo and English and helped devise a code that more than four hundred Navajo code talkers eventually used and Japanese e t 17 linguists never decoded.

At the end of World War II, the code w l n d 18 talkers were sworn to secrecy about their work, and the secret = = 19 a l program was not revealed to the public until 1969.

In 1982, i a e r 20 August 14 was declared "national Navajo code talkers day";

and a t m m 21 WHEREAS, the first Native Americans to serve in the New d r e 22 Mexico legislature both began and served in the same years, c e s k 23 1965 and 1966:

Representative James Atcitty, who served San e a n b 24 Juan county, and Representative Monroe Jymm, who served u [ McKinley county.

The first Native American woman to serve in .230493.2 - 2 - the New Mexico legislature was Lynda M.

Wonda Johnson, house HM 17 Page 2 district 5, Navajo;

Pinto, senate district e t 17 3, Navajo;

Charley, senate district 30, w l n d 18 Pueblo of Laguna and Navajo;

and = = 19 a l WHEREAS, contemporary life in New Mexico is deeply i a e r 20 enriched by the cultural, artistic, economic, social, religious a t m m 21 and political aspects of its Native American people and d r e 22 communities;

and c e s k 23 WHEREAS, Native Americans are the original inhabitants of e a n b 24 this state and have overcome great devastation and misfortune;

u [ and .230493.2 - 3 - WHEREAS, the experiences of Native Americans in New Mexico provide substantial enrichment to the state and are worthy of great esteem;

and HM 17 Page 3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor and the secretary of Indian affairs.

-HM 4 - 13 15 e t 17 wPage l4 n5 d7 189 =25 = 19 a l i a e r 20 a t m m 21 d r e 22 c e s k 23 e a n b 24 u [ .230493.2