Indigenous Peoples' Day (United States)
Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday in the United States that celebrates and honors indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, and is an official city and state holiday in various localities. It began as a counter-celebration held on the same day as the U.S. federal holiday of Columbus Day, which honors Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Many people do not observe Columbus Day at all, citing the lasting harm Indigenous tribes suffered because of Columbus's contributions to the European colonization of the Americas.
| Indigenous Peoples' Day | |
|---|---|
Celebration in Berkeley, California, 2012 | |
| Also called | First People's Day or Native American Day |
| Observed by | Various states and municipalities in the Americas on the second Monday in October, in lieu of Columbus Day |
| Type | Ethnic |
| Significance | A day in honor of Native Indigenous Americans in opposition to the celebration of Columbus Day. |
| Date | Varies |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | October 11, 1992 |
| Related to | National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada |
Indigenous Peoples Day was instituted in Berkeley, California, in 1992, to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus in the Americas on October 12, 1492. Two years later, Santa Cruz, California, instituted the holiday. Starting in 2014, many other cities and states adopted the holiday. In 2021, Joe Biden formally commemorated the holiday with a presidential proclamation, becoming the first U.S. president to do so, and presidential proclamations have also been issued in 2022 and 2023.