What is Indigenous Peoples' Day?
An idea first discussed at a United Nations conference in 1977 became reality on October 10, 1992, 500 years after the “discovery” of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492, when the first Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration was held in the United States as an alternative to the holiday named Columbus Day. More than thirty years later that monumental break from tradition has become a movement as a growing number of states and local jurisdictions have legislatively embraced the celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday in October.
9 States + the District of Columbia have passed IPD legislation:
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South Dakota (1989) > Native American Day
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Alaska (2017) > Indigenous Peoples’ Day
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Maine (2019) > Indigenous Peoples’ Day
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New Mexico (2019) > Indigenous Peoples’ Day
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Vermont (2019) > Indigenous Peoples’ Day
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District of Columbia (2019) > Indigenous Peoples’ Day
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Oregon (2021) > Indigenous Peoples’ Day
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Texas (2021) > Indigenous Peoples’ Week (second week in October)
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Hawaii (2023) > Indigenous Peoples’ Day
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Minnesota (2023) > Indigenous Peoples’ Day
3 States have passed IPD legislation and kept Columbus Day:
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Alabama (2000) > American Indian Heritage Day and Columbus Day
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Oklahoma (2019) > Native American Day and Columbus Day
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Nebraska (2020) > Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day
5 States’ Governors offered IPD Proclamations in 2024:
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California Governor Newsom
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Michigan Governor Whitmer
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North Carolina Governor Cooper
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North Dakota Governor Burgum (First Nations Day)
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Wisconsin Governor Evers
100+ American Cities have passed IPD legislation, including:
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Alexandria, Charlottesville, Falls Church and Richmond, Virginia
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Atlanta, Georgia / Baltimore, Maryland / Berkeley, California / Boston, Massachusetts / Columbus, Ohio / Denver, Colorado / Detroit, Michigan / Houston, Texas / Los Angeles, California / Minneapolis, Minnesota / Phoenix, Arizona / Portland, Oregon / St. Louis, Missouri / San Francisco, California / Seattle, Washington
IPD Initiative Letters of Support
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Elected Officials
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Letters from Virginia
The Pocahontas Project (TPP) believes this a Kairos moment, the right and opportune time in 2025 to commence an IPD domino effect across the country, starting with the 119th United States Congress. This IPD reorientation will invest and involve Americans in celebrating the history and culture of America’s Indigenous Peoples, unleashing significant pent up interest and support for the future of America’s Indigenous communities offering a unique collection of global cultural complexity:
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574 federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities
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The Kanaka Maoli of Hawaii
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The indigenous peoples of the United States of America’s Territories:
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American Samoa
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Guam + the Northern Mariana Islands
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Puerto Rico
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US Minor Outlying Islands
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US Virgin Islands
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The IPD reorientation will establish national pride in a federal holiday, in the name of remembrance, recognition, reconciliation and respect. IPD will instill collective civic pride that will help to unify the USA by offering a positive look forward, with special attention to our youth, the future leaders of the world.
A commentary by Rick Tatnall / The Pocahontas Project printed June 27, 2023 in the Richmond Times Dispatch offering a description of the Indigenous Peoples' Day Initiative.
A commentary by Rappahannock Chief Anne Richardson and Virginia Delegate Paul Krizek printed January 27, 2024 in the Richmond Times Dispatch supporting Indigenous Peoples' Day legislation in the Virgina General Assembly (HB 743)
A commentary by Rick Tatnall / The Pocahontas Project on March 18, 2024 debunking the rationale behind Columbus Day, especially the Italian American Argument
A supporting document (one pager) by Rick Tatnall / The Pocahontas Project promoting the Indigenous Peoples' Day legislation in the Virginia General Assembly (HB 743), distributed to Virginia Delegates and Senators in January 2024
Five Commentaries that collectively make the argument for the reorientation of the holiday on the second Monday in October from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day, in Virginia and across the USA. Three were printed in the Richmond Times Dispatch; each is less than 1000 words.