Indigenous Peoples Day honors Native Americans and brings attention to the losses suffered from massacre and forced assimilation. 

The holiday purposefully takes place the same day as Columbus Day to, in a way, replace it. To honor the lives and culture lost from the colonization Columbus brought forth. 

Some argue that this should not continue as Columbus is basic United States history, but on the flip side, the replacement is defended due to the United States’ dark past and the suffering indigenous people endured. Similar to the debate on removing confederate statues. 

Indigenous Peoples Day began in 1992 when the Bay Area Indian Alliance convinced the city council of Berkley, California to delegate October 12th as Indigenous Peoples Day.

However, the holiday is not acknowledged in all 50 states. The states that officially celebrate include Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, and Vermont. 

States that observe the holiday are Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin as well as Washington DC. Alabama and Oklahoma have their own versions of the holiday. 

So, on this Indigenous Peoples Day, educate yourself on Native American history and learn about the dark past the holiday brings to the spotlight. 

Haku! (“Hello” in the Chumash tribe.)