Indigenous Peoples' Day : What it Means and How to Observe it
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Indigenous Peoples’ Day acknowledges the heritage and contributions of Indigenous People while recognizing and confronting the resilience of their communities as they continue to face institutionalized racial and social disparities.
The celebrating of an Indigenous Peoples’ Day took root at an international conference on discrimination sponsored by the United Nations in 1977. South Dakota was the first state to recognize the day in 1989, and the cities of Berkeley and Santa Cruz, California, followed.
How you can celebrate and support Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Acknowledge the original inhabitants of the land you are currently living on by doing your research and learning more about the history of your community. native-land.ca
Donate to local Indigenous and tribal organizations
Support legislation and organizations working to adopt Indigenous Peoples' Day in your community
Have conversations with those around you about the significance and importance of celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day
Read, watch or listen to art created by Indigenous peoples
Support Indigenous owned businesses.
Indigenous Non-Profit Organizations to Support
Association on American Indian Affairs
First Nations Development Institute
Indigenous-Owned Brands to Support
Shop TP Mocs - A Blackfoot owned-company working toward alleviating poverty in Native communities, TP Mocs employs Native Americans to handcraft all of its adorable and durable children’s moccasins.
Shop B.Yellowtail - A Native-owned fashion brand and retailer, B.Yellowtail is a one-stop shop for interesting and stunning Indigenous style. It offers everything from earrings to jackets and men’s shirts to embroidered tees.
Shop Cheekbone Beauty - An Indigenous-owned beauty brand out of Ontario, Canada, Cheekbone Beauty launched in 2016 and has gained a reputation for creating high-quality, cruelty-free products like eye pencils and liquid lipsticks.
Shop Bedré Chocolate -An Oklahoma-based chocolatier purchased by the Chickasaw Nation in 2000, Bedré Chocolate is a nationally recognized luxury brand that uses recipes the company says “reflect the time-honored tradition of the Native American peoples who first cultivated this divine delicacy.
Shop Birch Bark Coffee - An Ojibwe owned coffee brand out of Canada that aims to get clean drinking water to every Indigenous home in the country, Birch Bark Coffee sells six different organic, fair-trade coffees, including one decaf option.
Shop Thunder Voice Hat Co. Navajo brim hats have been around for generations but they're getting a new lease on life thanks to the Thunder Voice Hat Company. The company hand-sources vintage hats and materials, reshapes, steams and accessorizes them and then passes them on to a new generation of owners.
Shop Birchbark Books A Minneapolis bookstore with an online presence and an incredible collection of books about Indigenous life, culture, history and art, Birchbark Books is owned and run by a mostly Indigenous staff. The store calls itself “a neighborhood bookstore, and also an international presence,” and notes that it has had visitors from “every U.S. reservation and Canadian reserve.”
Check out https://www.culturalsurvival.org/ for information on the Indigenous Communities.