Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, New York, advocated for an American Indian Day in the 1910s and persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to take a day to commemorate the Native American culture in 1912.
[1] The president, Sherman Coolidge, an Arapaho, called upon the country to observe the day.
[3] President Reagan honored the request with Proclamation 5577, which recognized the contributions of American Indians to the country.
[3] Subsequent Novembers were recognized as National Native American Heritage month as well.
In 2008, Congress passed a law signed by President George W. Bush making the Friday after Thanksgiving (United States) National Native American Heritage Day.