Let’s talk Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Next Monday, October 12th is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, meant to celebrate Indigenous American peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures. I am hosting a SOUL Dance on Tuesday that will honor Indigenous Peoples and Wisdom. I’m sharing that information below (scroll down), but I also want to share some interesting insights and history about this “holiday” (and another for Indigenous Americans) that I think you might find interesting. 

The Backstory on Indigenous Peoples’ Day

• At the 1977 International NGO Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas in Geneva, Switzerland, there were discussions and propositions regarding replacing Columbus Day

• In 1990, at the First Continental Conference on 500 Years of Indian Resistance, representatives of Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas agreed that 1992, the 500th anniversary of the voyages of Christopher Columbus would be considered a year to promote "continental unity" and "liberation." 

• In 1992, attendees of that conference convinced the City of Berkeley, California, to not hold Columbus celebrations and instead declare October 12 as a "Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People" and 1992 as the "Year of Indigenous People." The city implemented related programs in schools, libraries, and museums, and renamed Columbus Day as "Indigenous Peoples Day" beginning in 1992.  

• Since 1992, many towns and states across the country have recognized “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” and moved away from Columbus Day which celebrates the European Colonization of the Americans. 

• In 2021, Joe Biden formally commemorated the holiday with a presidential proclamation, becoming the first U.S. president to do so, and presidential proclamations have also been issued in 2022, 2023, and 2024. It is still not a federal holiday and at least 14 states still do not honor or celebrate Columbus Day, including Maine!

Some of you will have Monday off and some of you won’t because it isn’t officially a federal holiday. For some of you that have the day off, you might consider it basically just that: a day off, a three-day weekend. That’s what it was for me for years also, especially when it was called Columbus Day. 

Now, I wonder more how I can honor the history and significance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Really, shouldn’t every day be a day that we live into the knowledge of the history of this land, the history of its inhabitants and stewards, and the violent history of American Colonialism? I’m curious how this knowledge and awareness moves in you? 

For me, this year, I want to be with this more so I am dedicating some of my day to learning, to supporting Indigenous American organizations that I know do good work. Here are a couple resources if you’re:

• Find the exact Nations/Tribes that are the original and rightful stewards of the land you live on (or any land) on this resource map, and then look more into those histories. 

• In some communities and cities, there will be events and demonstrations celebrating the culture, art and history of Indigenous American Culture.

  • For Portlanders, the Portland Museum of Arts is having free admission and community celebration on Monday, October 12, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, featuring the video artwork Bay of Herons (2023) by Mi'kmaq artist Jared Lank. 

• Tribal Health has some great resources and ideas to learn more as well as a great list of organizations to donate to, which I’ve also included on the blog:

• American Indian College Fund provides scholarships for Native American students.

• IllumiNative is a nonprofit that increases Native American visibility and community power.

• Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women USA addresses the ongoing crisis against Indigenous women.

• National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition assists survivors of the U.S. boarding school atrocities and supports repatriation efforts.

• Native Hope supports families, scholarships, and economic initiatives in Indian Country.

• Redhawk Native American Arts Council educates the public about Indigenous people across the Americas through song, dance, theatre, storytelling, and other forms of art.

• Warrior Women Project combines oral history, multimedia, and activism to bridge the divide between mainstream media and Indigenous communities.

• Maine Dept. of Education has excellent resources for those of you in Maine and also for people anywhere (scroll down a bit on the page).

And on Tuesday, October 13th… join me for a Special SOUL Dance to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day. 

SOUL Dance is a Dance Practice for your Soul. Each month, we gather and connect with our Self, our Body, our Inner Wisdom, and All that Is through meditation, music, movement, and reflection.

In this special SOUL Dance, we will honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day by remembering the local history, engaging with music and readings from Indigenous American Artists and Teachers, and focusing on connection to the Land, Creator/Great Mystery, and one another.

Please join me Tuesday, October 13th 6:00-7:30PM at Portland Center for the Spiritual Arts at Portland New Church (302 Stevens Ave.). Sliding scale starts at $11.11 and 50% of all profits from this dance will go to The National Indigenous Women's Resource Center, a native-led nonprofit providing national leadership, policy advocacy, training, and a dedicated Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Hub to support tribal sovereignty and safety. You can learn more about the SOUL Dance and sign up here. I would love to see you there! 

If you want to know more - there’s another “holiday” worth knowing about:

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is actually one of two civil holidays “recognized” in the US that honor the history and significance of Indigenous Americans. The other is the Native American Heritage Day which is observed the Friday after Thanksgiving?! 

The Backstory on Native American Heritage Day

• In the 1910s, Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, advocated for an American Indian Day to commemorate the Native American culture. It was recognized by the Boy Scouts of America for three years. 

• In 1915, Sherman Coolidge, an Arapaho Indian and President of the Congress of American Indian Association called upon the country to observe a Native American Day on the second Saturday of May

• In 1916, New York was the first state to recognize Native American Day and other states later chose to honor it on the 4th Friday in September, which at the time was also Columbus Day.

• In 1986, Ronald Reagan declared the week of November 23 “American Indian Week”

• In 1990, George H.W. Bush declared November “National Native American Heritage Month.”

• In 2008, Congress passed a law signed by George W. Bush made the Friday after Thanksgiving National Native American Heritage Day.

The timing of Native American Heritage Day is Baffling

“Thanksgiving Day” is considered for some Indigenous People as The National Day of Mourning - mourning the genocide of their people and theft of the land that they lived on and sustainably, honorably stewarded for more than 12,000 years before white European settlers arrived. For the white government to decide that the day to honor Indigenous American people is the day after that is an incredible insult. AND it’s also much more known in our country as Black Friday - a day essentially about resource consumption and materialism, which is the opposite of the values of many Indigenous American traditions, and again is such a slap in the face given the resources “Americans” have stolen from the Indigenous Peoples’. 

No matter how you honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, I hope you take a moment to connect with the nation’s history and the significance of the day for Indigenous Americans. And for those of you that are local, I hope to see you on Tuesday at SOUL Dance!

 
Rev. Dev
The Connected Way™