HFES Diversity Message for National Native American Heritage Month

November 2024
Bob Fox

Once again, in accordance with HFES’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, we recognize National Native American Heritage Month this November as well as National Indigenous Peoples’ Day that was on October 14. As the October 11, 2024 White House Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples’ Day states, “On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor Indigenous peoples’ strength, courage, and resilience. We celebrate the vast contributions of Indigenous communities to the world. And we recommit to respecting Tribal sovereignty and self-determination and working to usher in a new era of our Nation-to-Nation relationships.”

As of 2022, a new Presidential Memorandum was signed that created uniform standards for consultation between the Federal Government and Tribal Nations. We’ve seen an uptick in the appointments of Native Americans in government positions from the first Native American Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and dozens of Senate-confirmed Native American officials to the over 80 Native American appointees serving across the current Administration and in the Federal courts. In our past messages, we honored the significant contributions that the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas have made to our civilization and indeed to the world and gave examples. 2024 also marks the 100th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in June of 1924, that conferred U.S. citizenship on all native people within the territorial limits of the United States.

I am very happy to report that in September of 2023 UNESCO added the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ross County, Ohio, to its listing of World Heritage Sites. This is the first World Heritage Site in Ohio and the 25th in the United States US National Park Service Hopewell Earthworks. I personally have visited this and other Native American historical and archaeological sites and have been both fascinated and inspired by the brilliance and complexity their construction and use and of the associated artifacts. As an ergonomist, I see in them how the Ancient Americans used and adapted the resources available to them, coped with changing food supplies and environmental change, dealt with technological innovations and interacted with other groups. There is much as modern people that we can learn from indigenous peoples, both ancient and modern.

Many individuals and organizations, to recognize the Indigenous Peoples who came before them in their location, will begin a program or presentations with a mention of the indigenous group or groups who inhabited their particular locality. For those interested in doing this, we can recommend the Native-Land interactive map which provides information on indigenous peoples and languages for virtually any location in the Americas:https://native-land.ca/

HFES continues to reach out to and engage with historically under-represented and marginalized groups, has established an MOU with the American Indian Science and Engineering Society or AISES with the intent of increasing representation of Indigenous peoples in the HF/E profession. Our contact is Lisa Paz, the AISES Senior Director of Engagement and Advocacy, and we are working on specific opportunities to engage with the regional activities of AIESE.

Baron Summers (of indigenous descent) of HFES maintains the role of HFES liaison to AISES and I continue to take the role of co-liaison.

Once again, I invite all HFES members to think and learn about the National Indigenous People’s Month. Also, as part of our allyship with AISES, think of what we as HFES members can do in support of it and of Indigenous communities and persons in general, not only in the Americas but world-wide. We are always open to any ideas or suggestions that our members may have.

Bob Fox
Teach us to walk the soft Earth as relatives to all that live.
Sioux prayer