Everything You Need to Know About Indigenous Peoples' Day

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Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday that honors Native American peoples and their ancestors for their resilience, inherent sovereignty and the impact they've had on our nation across many generations.

Each year, the day is observed on the second Monday during the month of October. The day is also nationally recognized as Columbus Day, which has been viewed as controversial across the country in recent years.

While Columbus Day is still celebrated in some parts of America, several cities and states have opted to replace it completely — rather, the day has grown to respect Native American peoples and commemorates their cultures and histories.

Last year, President Joe Biden made history as the first United States president to formally recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day in America. He issued a presidential proclamation on Oct. 11, declaring the day to be a national holiday.

From when Indigenous Peoples' Day takes place this year to why Columbus Day is increasingly being viewed as controversial, here's everything to know about the day.

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When is Indigenous Peoples' Day 2022?

Indigenous Peoples' Day falls on Oct. 10 this year. It coincides with Columbus Day, which traditionally is observed annually on the second Monday of October in the United States.

Why is Columbus Day viewed as controversial?

Historical Picture Archive/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Christopher Columbus coming to the Americas

Christopher Columbus has been seen by Indigenous peoples as a colonizer, rather than a foreign founder of America, whose European intrusion in 1492 was responsible for the loss of life, destruction of land and disruption of tradition that was practiced by Native Americans for tens of thousands of years prior to his arrival.

The Smithsonian recorded an estimation that "in the 130 years following first contact, Native America lost 95 percent of its population." Immediately after the explorers-turned-settlers entered the Western Hemisphere, the Indigenous peoples experienced slavery and had their resources infringed upon.

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When was Indigenous Peoples' Day first introduced?

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The earliest known Columbus Day celebration occurred on Oct. 12, 1792, in honor of the 300th anniversary of the explorer's arrival to Americas — but Berkeley, California was the first city to institute Indigenous Peoples' Day in 1992 to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Columbus' discovery.

Two years later, Santa Cruz celebrated Indigenous Peoples' Day — but it wasn't until 2014 that other cities and states across the country began to recognize the holiday.

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On Oct. 8, 2021, Joe Biden made history as the first president to issue a presidential proclamation acknowledging Indigenous Peoples' Day. The statement served as a significant boost to refocus the federal holiday from acknowledging Columbus toward celebrating native peoples instead.

"Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities," Biden wrote. "It is a measure of our greatness as a nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them."

Who's Secretary Deb Haaland, who also made history with President Biden in 2021?

Along with President Biden, Secretary Deb Haaland also made history when she became the first Native American to serve as cabinet secretary. Member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th generation New Mexican, Secretary Haaland works in consultation with the White House and Congress. She's the 54th Secretary of Interior who strives to preserve our public lands for future generations.

The U.S. Department of the Interior "plays a central role in how the United States stewards its public lands, increases environmental protections, pursues environmental justice, and honors our nation-to-nation relationship with Tribes."

Has Indigenous Peoples' Day completely replaced Columbus Day?

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In recent years, some cities and states in the U.S. have made official decisions to celebrate Indigenous Day instead of Columbus Day. In 2019, states like Vermont, New Mexico and Maine passed legislation renaming the holiday completely. That same year, Washington, D.C. joined the movement and switched the holiday's name.

South Dakota was the first state to recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day as "Native Americans' Day" in the 1990s. South Dakota has the third-largest population of Native Americans in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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According to the Smithsonian's blog, more than one dozen states (plus the nation's capital) today observe Indigenous Peoples' Day, including Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Although not everyone is opting to replace the Italian explorer's holiday completely, a number of U.S. cities, states and school districts have decided to recognize both Columbus and the Indigenous simultaneously.

Why was the Boston Marathon significant on Indigenous Peoples' Day in 2021?

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Last year, the 125th Boston Marathon fell on Indigenous Peoples' Day, which was both a win for activists who wanted the race to occur on Oct. 11, and a loss for others who preferred a different date.

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) made the decision to hold the marathon on that day (which annually takes place in April, but was postponed last year due to COVID) and acknowledged that 26.2 mile route ran through the homelands of the Indigenous people, prior to the start of the race.

The B.A.A. also donated $20,000 to the Indigenous Peoples' Day Newton Committee to host their first-ever Indigenous Peoples' Day celebratory event. Newton was one of the communities the route passes through.

How to observe Indigenous Peoples' Day?

To learn more about Indigenous Peoples' Day and ways you can honor Native America, Renée Gokey, citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and teacher services coordinator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., has provided a list of ways you can celebrate.

Be sure to check out the different ways your city and state are celebrating this year, too.