Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Indigenous

1977 marked the sowing of the inaugural Indigenous Peoples' Day seed during a United Nations international conference on discrimination. South Dakota was the first state to officially observe the day in 1989.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is observed to commemorate the cultures and histories of the Native American people on the second Monday of October, which falls on October 9 this year. The focal point of the day is the remembrance of their tribal heritage and the sorrowful narratives that not only harmed but also fortified their communities.

The background of Indigenous Peoples’ Day

1977 marked the sowing of the inaugural Indigenous Peoples’ Day seed during a United Nations international conference on discrimination. South Dakota was the first state to officially observe the day in 1989. Similarly, Santa Cruz and Berkeley, California, followed suit.

While the date remained Columbus Day until 1937, it soon came to be referred to by numerous individuals as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, an ode to the Native American people’s rich culture and way of life.

Columbus Day has historically caused pain among Native Americans due to its glorifying of the violent history that encompassed five centuries of oppression and torment at the hands of European explorers, including Columbus, and those who settled in America. Indigenous Peoples’ Day highlights the anguish, trauma, and unfulfilled commitments that were eradicated with the commemoration of Christopher Columbus Day. Indigenous peoples were prosperous, self-sufficient communities that had endured for millennia prior to his arrival.

The movement to rename Columbus Day Indigenous Peoples’ Day gains traction annually in an increasing number of U.S. states, municipalities, and cities.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day honors, commemorates, and celebrates the exquisite customs and cultures of the Indigenous People, not only in the United States but globally as well. Their culture and way of life impart valuable insights and knowledge regarding how to live more sustainably.

Today, 14 U.S. states and the District of Columbia observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is observed in over 130 communities, including Salem, Amherst, Cambridge, Brookline, Marblehead, Great Barrington, Northampton, Provincetown, and Somerville. Numerous organizations that aim to rectify the limited access that indigenous peoples have to higher education have established scholarships in this regard.

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5 Indigenous Peoples’ Day Facts

Native American women participated in conflicts alongside males, with the Buffalo Calf Road Woman of the Northern Cheyenne tribe being the most renowned.

Thousands of years ago, the Native Americans were the pioneers in domesticating the maize varietals that enabled the production of popcorn.

Maria Tallchief was the initial Native American (and American) to perform a dance routine at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in the company of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Shinny, a game originated among the Native American communities of Foxes, Saux, and Assiniboine, served as the progenitor of hockey.

The sequoia tree derives its name from Sequoyah, a highly regarded Cherokee chief credited with devising the alphabet for his people.