October 14 is Indigenous Peoples' Day. Historically known as Columbus Day, this reclaiming of the day recognizes the horrific oppression and annihilation of Native people begun by Columbus and felt to this day. This important day seeks to rectify a whitewashed history that forgets that Columbus enslaved the people he found here, and could not actually “discover” land that tens of millions of Indigenous people were already living on, despite the Doctrine of Discovery and then the U.S. Constitution saying otherwise. It’s a time for Native people to celebrate their resilience and for those of us who have settled here to educate ourselves and give back to the land and the people that have stewarded it for longer than we can comprehend.
Indigenous Peoples' Day has not been a holiday for very long although the idea was first proposed in 1977 by Indigenous peoples at a United Nations conference. South Dakota became the first state to replace Columbus Day with this new holiday in 1989 and it wasn’t until 2021 that President Biden unexpectedly issued the first presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The government has still has not officially replaced Columbus Day as the federal holiday, but fifteen states plus Washington, D.C. do formally recognize some version of it in place of Columbus Day. Washington State is not yet one of them, although King County officially recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a legal holiday in 2021 and the City of Seattle followed in 2022.
We encourage you to check out this video, We the People, from Navajo/Dutch author and scholar, Mark Charles to learn more about how the Doctrine of Discovery has been used throughout the history of the United States to keep our Constitution from including all of the people. Check out the march and rally at Seattle’s Indigenous Peoples' Day events, and remember to come as a supporter rather than a participant to these Native-focused events.
To stand in solidarity on Indigenous Peoples' Day
- Rally, March, and Round Dance for Peace 1-5 pm: Rally and march begins at King Street Station Plaza (303 South Jackson Street) and ends at Westlake Park, 401 Pine Street. Read more here.
- Celebration at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center 5 pm: Enjoy activities, food, music and special guests. We encourage you to wear traditional regalia and bring a drum, rattle, flute, etc. for a jam session!
- Consider how you live on the land you inhabit, consider joining a land-tending day with land-back projects, such as Heron’s Nest.
- Invite three friends or family members to join you in paying Real Rent Duwamish.