Everything You Need to Know About Indigenous Peoples' Day

Indigenous Peoples Day is a holiday that honors Native Americans and their ancestors for their resilience, innate sovereignty, and the impact they have had on our nation over many generations.

Every year, this day is celebrated on the second Monday in October. It is also nationally recognized as Columbus Day, which has been seen as controversial across the country in recent years.

While Columbus Day is still celebrated in some parts of America, several cities and states have replaced it. Instead, the day grew to honor Native American peoples and celebrate their culture and history.

In 2021, President Joe Biden made history as the first US president to officially recognize Indigenous Peoples Day in America, according to a White House press briefing. He issued a presidential proclamation on October 11, declaring the day a national holiday.

Keep reading to find out when Indigenous Peoples Day 2024 is and why Columbus Day has become increasingly controversial.

When is Indigenous People’s Day 2024?

Indigenous Peoples Day falls on October 14, 2024. It coincides with Columbus Day, which is traditionally celebrated on the second Monday in October in the United States.

Why is Columbus Day considered controversial?

Engraving of Christopher Columbus upon his arrival in the New World by DK Bonatti.

Historical Image Archive/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Native peoples view Christopher Columbus as a colonizer, not a foreign founder of the Americas — whose intrusion into Europe in 1492 was responsible for the loss of life, destruction of land and disruption of traditions practiced by Native Americans for tens of thousands of years before his arrival.

The Smithsonian recorded an estimate that “in the 130 years after first contact, the Native American lost 95 percent of her population.” Immediately after explorers-turned-settlers entered the Western Hemisphere, indigenous peoples experienced slavery and their resources were threatened.

‘True Detective’ Star Kali Reis Sheds Indigenous Issues: ‘I Can Give a Voice to the Voiceless’ (Exclusive)

When was Indigenous Peoples Day first introduced?

Members of a Native American dance group from Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico perform at the Historic Plaza in Santa Fe, NM, as part of the city’s Indigenous Peoples Day program on October 8, 2018.

Robert Alexander/Getty Images

According to the Library of Congress, the earliest known celebration of Columbus Day took place on October 12, 1792, in honor of the 300th anniversary of the explorer’s arrival in America. Berkeley, California was the first city to institute an Indigenous Peoples Day in 1992 to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s discovery.

Although Santa Cruz celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day in 1994, it wasn’t until 2014 that other cities and states across the country began recognizing the holiday.

On October 8, 2021, Biden made history as the first president to issue a presidential proclamation recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day. The statement served as a significant push to shift the federal holiday from recognizing Columbus to celebrating Native peoples.

“Today we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongdoing and crimes inflicted on tribal peoples and indigenous communities by many European explorers,” Biden wrote. “It is a measure of our greatness as a nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past – that we face them squarely, bring them to light, and do all we can to resolve them.”

Who is Deb Haaland, the history-making US Secretary of the Interior?

Rep. Deb Haaland, DN.M., during a TV interview outside the U.S. Capitol before the House vote on the $483.4 billion economic relief package on April 23, 2020.

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Along with President Biden, Secretary Deb Haaland made history when she became the first Native American woman to serve as a Cabinet Secretary. A member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th generation New Mexican, Secretary Haaland works in concert with the White House and Congress. She is the 54th Minister of the Interior, striving to preserve our public land for future generations.

The US Department of the Interior “plays a central role in how the United States manages its public lands, increases environmental protection, achieves environmental justice, and honors our relationship between nations and tribes.”

Has Indigenous Peoples Day completely replaced Columbus Day?

Female drummers sing as they lead a march during an Indigenous Peoples Day event on October 9, 2017 in Seattle. AP/Shutterstock

In recent years, some cities and states in the US have officially decided to celebrate Native American Day instead of Columbus Day. In 2019, states like Vermont, New Mexico and Maine passed legislation to rename the holiday. That same year, Washington, DC, joined the movement and changed the name of the holiday.

South Dakota was the first state to recognize Native American Day as “Native American Day” in the 1990s according to the South Dakota Legislative Research Council. South Dakota has the third-largest Native American population in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Smithsonian magazine reported in 2020 that more than a dozen states (plus the capital) observe Indigenous Peoples Day, including Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin.

While not everyone is choosing to completely replace the Italian explorers’ holiday, several American cities, states and school districts have decided to recognize both Columbus and the natives at the same time.

Auli’i Cravalho makes a powerful statement in support of missing indigenous women

Why was the Boston Marathon significant on Indigenous Peoples Day 2021?

Drummers shout as they finish a song during an Indigenous People’s Day rally before a march on Oct. 9, 2017, in Seattle. AP/Shutterstock

The 125th Boston Marathon fell on Indigenous Peoples Day 2021, which, as The Boston Globe announced, it was both a win for activists who wanted the race to go ahead and a loss for others who preferred another date (via a Change.org petition).

The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) decided to hold the marathon that day, and the organization acknowledged that the 26.2-mile route passed through indigenous homelands before the start of the race.

BAA also donated $20,000 to Newton’s Indigenous Day Committee to host their first Indigenous Day event. Newton was one of the communities the route passes through.

How to celebrate the Day of Indigenous Peoples

Seraphine Warren at the Walk for Native Women on October 9, 2022 in Washington, DC Trailing Ellamae/Facebook

To learn more about Native American Day and ways to honor Native Americans, Renée Gokey, a citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and coordinator of teacher services at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, has provided a list of ways to celebrate.

Be sure to check out the different ways your city and state are recognizing Indigenous communities in October.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education