Indigenous Peoples Day in the U.S

To begin the history of Indigenous Peoples Day in the U.S. it helps to understand the term indigenous. From Merriam-Webster online: "having originated in and being produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment." A synonym is native. In the United States, American Indians are an indigenous people. It is also helpful to understand the worldwide viewpoints.

The concept of Indigenous Peoples Day first appeared in a conference sponsored by the United Nations in 1977. The title of the conference was, "International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas." The suggestion was made to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples day. Columbus Day was, and still is, regarded as controversial by many people. The U.N. did not replace Columbus Day but many years later the general assembly declared that an International Day of the World's Indigenous People would be observed on August 9^th every year from 1995 to 2004. In December of 2004 the U.N. decided to continue the observance for a second decade, 2005 to 2014.

In July of 1990 a different conference was held in Ecuador. This conference was in preparation for the 500^th anniversary of Native resistance to invasion by Europeans in the Americas, 1492 to 1992. Representatives from 120 Indian nations attended as well as people from human rights and social justice groups. Also in attendance was a representative of the mayors office of Berkeley California. At this conference a resolution was passed, by the participants, to transform Columbus Day. The participants agreed to organize their communities and use the occasion to celebrate Indigenous resistance. In the fall of 1990 a conference was held in California and a coalition was formed, called the Resistance 500, to bring attention to the historical truths surrounding Columbus's arrival in the Americas.

By 1992 activists in Berkeley California convinced the city council to vote on no longer celebrating Columbus day but to instead celebrate Indigenous People's Day. The vote passed unanimously, with approval from the community itself, and Indigenous Peoples Day is celebrated on the closest Saturday in October. Since then Sebastopol and Santa Cruz California have begun celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day. In Phoenix Arizona Indigenous Peoples Day is celebrated on March 12. The state of Hawaii celebrates the second Monday in October as "Discover's Day". Discover's Day celebrates the Polynesian discovery of Hawaii. In 2009, in Nevada, Indigenous Peoples Day is 4 day celebration from October 9th through the 12th

Berkeley California may be thought of as the first to "rock the boat" but as early as 1989 the state of South Dakota passed legislation to declare 1990 as the "Year of Reconciliation" The second Monday in October in South Dakota is now celebrated as Native American Day. The purpose of Indigenous Peoples Day is to celebrate and recognize the struggles and resilience of native peoples. It is also to protest degradation and discrimination of their cultures. It is a protest against honoring Christopher Columbus as a hero as historians, and their research, are showing Columbus's treatment of the indigenous peoples he encountered was much less than respectable.

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