OKMULGEE, Okla.- Native communities across the country celebrated in full splendor their culture and traditions for Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, Oct. 14. The holiday, once merely a protest response to Columbus Day, has taken on a life of its own and is celebrated on the second Monday of October.
Although the protest holiday had been celebrated by Native communities for decades, it was first recognized by the United States Government in a proclamation made in 2021. The statement from President Joe Biden recognized the unique contributions, culture and heritage of the Indigenous People that inhabit the U.S. The proclamation reads,
“Since time immemorial, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have built vibrant and diverse cultures — safeguarding land, language, spirit, knowledge, and tradition across the generations. On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our Nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.”
A total of 17 states recognize Indigenous Peoples’ day, or Native American Day. States with the largest Indigenous populations include Alaska, California, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
In Alaska, one of the largest Indigenous Peoples’ Day events took place at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. The annual celebration has grown to include Alaskan Native dance performances, a fashion show and game sessions. Celebrations were also held at the University of Alaska Fairbanks where community members gathered to participate in cultural workshops that involved jewelry making, club making and a frybread fundraiser.
In New Mexico, celebrations were found in Albuquerque, Sante Fe Plaza and Tiguex Park. Albuquerque saw a huge celebration featuring the Pueblo Dance Group, Sky City Buffalo Ram Dancers, the Tlacayolt Dance Group and the Anshe:Kwe Dance Group.
On the Muscogee (Creek) Reservation, IPD events at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, Dream Keepers Park in Tulsa and the Creek Nation Council House lawn in Okmulgee were celebrated by tribal citizens.
On the West Coast California, areas Los Angeles and San Francisco held their own unique celebrations. One of San Francisco’s celebrations took place on Alcatraz Island, which was once occupied by the Ohlone tribe. The island was infamously used for a U.S. military prison and was occupied by Native American civil right protesters in 1969 for several months after the prison closed. Celebrations also took place at the Yerba Buena gardens.
This is the sixth year the state of California has proclaimed the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Following other states, leaders in California took the time to recognize its Indigenous tribes and their significance to the state. California’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day proclamation reads,
“We reflect on the vibrant cultural diversity, and tenacity, of the Indigenous peoples who now call California home – including those who originate from and maintain deep relationships with these lands and waters, those who were relocated here from their sacred homelands by federal policies and those who have crossed oceans and borders with hope in the ability to find economic stability, community and safety in these lands of opportunity”
Visibility for Indigenous Peoples’ Day continues to grow each year. What started as a counter-cultural protest has now blossomed into a federally-recognized holiday celebrated by tribal communities all over the United States.
