Today, the US celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day – a special holiday in the US that honours the diverse culture and rich history of Native Americans.
The day is an opportunity to share the real story and history of Native Americans. Indigenous people have often been erased from the country’s historical record. According to a survey from the National Congress of American Indians, 87% of state history standards don’t mention Native American history after 1900. Additionally, 27 US states don’t mention Native Americans in their K-12 curriculum. It’s time to change that by honouring the contributiuons of indigenous people across the country at organisations from workplaces to educational institutions.
HONOURING INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
Indigenous Peoples Day coincides with Columbus Day festivities as a counter-celebration and rebellion against colonisation and his arrival to America in the 1400s. In the late 1970s, conversations began about replacing Columbus Day with a new celebration called “Indigenous Peoples Day.” Native American groups conducted regular protests across the US during this period. The International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas also started to discuss this proposal in more depth in 1977 at the UN conference in Geneva. This was a groundbreaking moment, as it was the first United Nations and international affairs event with Indigenous delegates participating.
In 1992, Indigenous Peoples Day was established in California to run alongside the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus in America on 12 October 1492, recognising the brutal genocide and colonization that occurred under his instruction. Following this event, many other cities and states adopted the holiday. In October 2021, the 46th US President, Joe Biden, signed a presidential proclamation that declared October 11th a national holiday. Biden became the first US president to officially recognise Indigenous Peoples Day. Today, it is officially celebrated in over 130 US cities.
For more information about resources and events to celebrate the day, click here.
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
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