The North Carolina American Indian Heritage Commission now has several projects in the works to honor Native American history. Commission members came up with these proposals during their first meeting in Raleigh on Friday.
Kerry Bird, the inaugural director of the North Carolina American Indian Heritage Commission, said commission members want to implement American Indian History in North Carolina public school curriculums as one of their efforts.
“We want to work with the Carolina K-12 (schools) to develop some educational modules and lessons planned,” said Bird.
He said they also want to provide information to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, the YMCA, and churches. Another project they'd like to work on is the reburial of Native American human remains.
Officials discussed the plans after the first members were sworn in. One of the group's missions is to advise Reid Wilson, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Along with Gov. Roy Cooper, Wilson was among the government officials who highlighted the importance of the commission. He said he will challenge his department to promote Native American history that may have been misinterpreted or ignored.
“This commission will help ensure that state-supported sites and resources, preserve and promote American History and Culture,” he said. “And we will figure out many ways for our department to interact with tribal communities around the state.”
The NC American Indian Heritage Commission was created through a provision in the 2021 state budget.