Indigenous Peoples Day is celebrated in order to recognize those who lived on this land before the arrival of Columbus and the ”discovery” of America. Indigenous Peoples Day is celebrated on the same day as the traditional Columbus Day. Having Indigenous Peoples Day celebrated on the same day as Columbus Day is no coincidence. Native American activist in the early 1990s thought it was appropriate to also celebrate that Indigenous people are still alive and their cultures are not gone. Some Native American activist groups view the ”discovery” of America by Columbus as the “Columbus' Invasion”.

One of the founders of Indigenous Peoples Day was Mildred E. "Millie" Ketcheshawno (1937-2000), a member of the Muskogee Creek Nation. She became very active in Native rights issues locally and nationally, participating in the Indians of All Tribes occupation of Alcatraz Island 1969-1971, which touched off the modern revival of Native American activism. In 1991 she became one of the founders of "Resistance 500." This group helped to stop the Quincentennial Jubilee plan to sail replicas of Columbus' armada into San Francisco Bay. In 1992 the Berkeley Resistance 500 Task Force, endorsed by the Berkeley City Council, brought about the end of the Columbus Day celebration in Berkeley, replacing it with Indigenous Peoples Day.

Note: This holiday is one of Calendar Mine's over 500 built-in observances.

See Also

Holiday Catalogue

American (USA) Observances