Indigenous Peoples’ Day
by Rebeca Arredondo, 2-1-1
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a U.S. holiday that honors and commemorates Native American histories and cultures. It’s celebrated on the second Monday in October in place of, or in addition to, Columbus Day to acknowledge a more accurate history, since most state and local school curriculums end studies of Native American history before 1900.
In 2019, Governor Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed October 14 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Michigan to uplift our county’s indigenous roots, history, and contributions. The state of Michigan recognizes three major groups in our state—the Chippewa (Ojibwe), Ottawa (Odawa), and Potawatomi (Bodéwadmik). The resolution states that Indigenous Peoples’ Day reflects upon the ongoing struggles of Indigenous people and celebrates the thriving cultures and values that the Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi, and other Indigenous people contribute to society.
In a land acknowledgment, the Native American Institute at Michigan State University stated, “The land that MSU occupies is the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg, the Three Fires confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi people, that was ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw.” In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2020, the MSU Rock was pained in celebration of the day and captioned, “Michigan State University was formed through ceded land from the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw and the 1862 Morrill Act. Today, we honor historic and contemporary Indigenous peoples. I encourage you to listen, learn, and rethink history.”
To summarize, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is about honoring the history of Native traditions, along with recognizing their contributions to communities throughout Michigan, the U.S., and the world. These contributions and practices are rooted in protecting earth to regenerate the land and become more connected with it.
With the current climate change issues, we should embrace this approach now more than ever. Protecting the land is something we must be mindful about for future generations. Regardless of place of birth, race, or ethnicity, we all live on the same Earth—and we only have one.
Below is a list of recommended movies, documentaries, and books in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day that you can find online or at Kent District Libraries (KDL).
Movies
Even the Rain or También la lluvia (2010), directed by
Icíar Bollaín Pérez-Mínguez
Smoke Signals (1998),
directed by Chris Eyre (Cheyenne and Arapaho)
and written by Sherman Alexie
Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015),
written and directed
by Chloé Zhou
The Orator (2011),
written and directed by
Tusi Tamasese (Samoan New Zealander)
Wind River (2017),
written and directed
by Taylor Sheridan
Sisters Rising (2021),
documentary by
Willow O’Feral and Brad Heck
Sweet Country (2017),
directed by
Warwick Thorton (Kaytej, indigenous Australian)
Sami Blood (2016),
written and directed
by Amanda Kernell
Unspoken: America's Native American Boarding Schools, a documentary by PBS
BOOKS
This Land Is Their Land by Silverman, David J
All the Women in My Family Sing, Women Write the World (essays on Equality, Justice, and Freedom)
Indigenous Life Around the Great Lakes by Edwards, Richard W.
Medicine Shows, Indigenous Performance Culture by Nolan, Yvette
Indigenous Writes, A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada by Vowel, Chelsea
Two Roads by Bruchac, Joseph