On Monday, October 9th, 2017, many cities across the U.S. celebrated Indigenous Peoples' Day instead of Columbus Day. Columbus Day traditionally honors Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas in 1492. The day became a federal holiday in the United States in 1937. But Christopher Columbus' arrival also included European diseases and the enslavement of Native Americans and later the African Slave trade.
Indigenous Peoples' Day, honors the struggle, culture, history and traditions of Indigenous peoples, not only from the United States, but also from around the world.
According to USA Today,
The notion of an Indigenous Peoples Day took root at an international conference on discrimination sponsored by the United Nations in 1977. In 1992, Berkeley, Calif., declared Oct. 12 as "Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People" and promoted programs in schools and museums on Native American culture.In 2014, a few cities such as Seattle and Minneapolis adopted resolutions replacing Columbus Day, and in the next few years resolutions across the country took flight in dozens of places.
Currently, according to CNN, at least 16 states, including Alaska, Hawaii and Oregon, don't recognize Columbus Day as a public holiday.
If you're celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day, don't just set aside one day of the year to recognize Native Americans. You can also do so by attending the annual Gathering of Nations, North America's biggest Pow Wow, held every spring, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Next year (2018) catch it from April 26th, 27th and 28th at the Pow Wow grounds at Tingley Coliseum.