Indigenous Peoples Day
Indigenous Peoples Day 2020 Events
This year, the City of Boulder is celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day with a series of events to be held between Friday, Oct. 9, and Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. In addition to events being sponsored by the City, the schedule below includes events being held by local community organizations. The event is part of a national effort to recognize and honor the existence, culture, and contributions of the original inhabitants of North America.
Friday, Oct. 9, 2020
10 a.m.: City of Boulder Office of Arts + Culture Professional Artist Forum in Celebration of Indigenous People's Day
In this special Indigenous People's Day Professional Artist Forum, we will be joined by printmaker, painter, sculptor, and CU Boulder professor Melanie Yazzie. Yazzie’s work draws upon her rich Diné (Navajo) cultural heritage. Her work follows the Diné dictum “walk in beauty” literally, creating beauty and harmony. In March, her sculpture entitled “Strength from Within” was added to the city’s public art collection and remains on view at the southwest corner of Pearl and 16th streets. Come to our Artist Forum to hear from Yazzie about her artistic practice, commune with fellow artists, and learn about resources and opportunities. Free and open to the public. RSVP required to Lauren Click, [email protected] .
7:30-9:30 p.m.: "Confluence" Film and Discussion (Right Relationship, their events are not COB funded)
Award-winning filmmaker Gwendolen Cates and Indigenous and Black activists explore the intersectionality and solidarity of the Black Lives Matter and Indigenous Rights movements. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/yymaekgl
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020
10 a.m. – noon: Community Conversation: “Some Dance to Remember, Some Dance to Forget” (RR)
Join placemaker Meg Walker and public artist Morey Bean to talk about the meaning of memorials like the Civil War Monument at the Boulder County Courthouse. Register at: https://somedancetoremember.eventbrite.com
3-5 p.m.: “Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change: Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples ” (RR)
Experience the history of our country through the voices of Indigenous people, Euro-American colonists, and Western historians. Co-facilitated by Jerilyn DeCoteau (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) and Paula Palmer. Co-sponsored by Louisville Cultural Council. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/y3q5odkd
5:30 p.m.: Flatirons Food Film Festival Dinner and a Movie Fundraiser: Gather
On Saturday, October 10th, the Festival will hold a two-part Festival film preview fundraiser in partnership with First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) and Slow Food Boulder County: Back to the Source: Reclaiming Native American Food Traditions. This event centers around Gather, a new documentary about a growing movement among Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual and cultural identities by obtaining sovereignty over their ancestral food systems. The eighth Festival in January will include Gather.
From 5:30-6:30pm, there will be a chef’s demo with Ben Jacobs of Tocabe, a Native American eatery with two locations in Denver. At 7pm, after a break, the Festival will show Gather, followed by a live panel discussion. The panel will include director Sanjay Rawal; Sammy Gensaw of the Yurok Tribe, Twila Cassadore of the San Carlos Apache, who are featured in the film; and A-dae Briones of First Nations.
Tocabe takeout dinners will be available for viewers to purchase and eat while watching the movie. Viewers can pick up their dinners from the Tocabe restaurant in North Denver (3536 West 44th Avenue, Denver) and at Savory Spice Shop’s Boulder location (2041 Broadway, Boulder). For the film program, participants will start watching and eating together at 7pm.
Viewers can purchase fundraiser tickets for $24, which include tickets for both the chef’s demo and film program, at https://watch.eventive.org/ffff/play/5f583238f6e76d45b226d657
Viewers can also purchase tickets for $5 for only the chef’s demo at https://watch.eventive.org/ffff/play/5f58314ff6db614613be9d53
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020
10 a.m. - 12 p.m.: "Supporting Native Artists and Dancers in Need: A Virtual Event" (Our Sustainable Future; funded by the HRC)
This event involves a collaboration with Native artists who will create regalia for Native children that cannot afford to make or purchase their own. This virtual event will be presented as a video that includes the stories of these artists and children.
Join virtual event: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/92536231298
1-3 p.m.: “American Indian Youth Leadership Institute (AIYLI) Forum” (not funded by COB)
Meet and network with young leaders, discuss ideas to support our community members during the COVID-19 pandemic, and play a creative online game to win prizes. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/y43mgox3
4-6 p.m.: “Arapaho and Boulder Dialogue” (RR)
Learn what steps the City, the County, and the School District have taken and how the Arapaho people can be appropriately acknowledged and welcomed in their Boulder Valley homeland. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/y6ghvdba
Monday, Oct. 12, 2020
10 a.m.-12 p.m.: " WÓOHITIKA" - Virtual Event (American Indian Science and Engineering Society Colorado Professional Chapter; funded by the HRC)
The Colorado Professional Chapter of AISES has provided Chromebooks to five youth who have been impacted by COVID-19 f and who live in tribal nations whose ancestral homelands Boulder now occupies. Using these Chromebooks, the youth have produced digital stories that will educate the broader community on the interpretation of Wóohitika (Courage) and these will be shared in his virtual presentation.
Join virtual event: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/94140991604
1:00-2:30 p.m.: City of Boulder IPD Panel
Join us for an engaging discussion of contemporary issues facing indigenous communities with a panel of distinguished leaders. These panelists will discuss such issues as natural resource concerns, the impact of COVID-19 , and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Crisis as well as the way forward for tribal communities.
Visit the Event Page for more information.
5:30-7 p.m.: “ Healing from Intergenerational Trauma” (RR)
Elicia Goodsoldier (Dine’/Spirit Lake Dakota) and her daughter Cante’ Waste Win Zephier (Good Hearted Woman) will speak about their healing work with Indigenous youth. Co-sponsored by Pendle Hill. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/y3cj5vnb
Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration 2016 from City of Boulder on Vimeo .
Indigenous Peoples Day
Indigenous Peoples Day is part of a national effort to recognize and honor the existence, culture and contributions of the original inhabitants of North America on the day that has for the past 82 years been observed as Columbus Day.
Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations have been adopted by cities and counties across the United States: Albuquerque, NM; Alpina, MI; Anadarko, OK; Berkeley, CA; Bexar County, TX; Lawrence, KS; Los Angeles, CA; Minneapolis, MN; Olympia, WA; Portland, OR; St. Paul, MN; Santa Cruz, CA; and Seattle, WA.
Locally, the City of Denver passed a one-year proclamation in 2015 replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day; this designation was made permanent the following year.
In a 2016 report prepared by the Governor of Colorado’s Commission to Study American Indian Representation in Public Schools, commission Chair Clement Frost of the Southern Ute Tribe called for the state to “recognize the role of American Indians in Colorado’s history and to ensure that this history is taught comprehensively and accurately.” 1 At both a national and regional level, it is important to realign the public’s knowledge toward a more whole, realistic historical perspective and provide opportunities to share the stories, culture and history of the Indigenous Peoples of North America.
Indigenous Peoples Day in Boulder
A community-initiated project, with the assistance of Nikhil Mankekar, City of Boulder Human Relations Commissioner, drafted a resolution and worked to adopt Indigenous Peoples Day throughout 2016. The committee expressed a high-level of commitment to two objectives in the resolution process: First is a focus on the Boulder area and its significance to Native American culture. Second is an accurate history of Native interaction with the Europeans who arrived largely in the 19th century. In response to the committee’s proposal, a resolution was passed by City Council, including Mary Young, the City of Boulder Mayor pro tem, on Aug. 2, 2016 that officially recognizes Indigenous Peoples Day.
Indigenous Peoples of North America
The earliest known human inhabitants of Boulder, the Clovis people, left artifacts that date back to approximately 11,000 BCE. Archaeologists believe that they, along with their camels and other animals, congregated at a site along Gregory Creek. Yes, camels roamed around Boulder Valley at that time! In subsequent years, many Paleo-Indian cultures inhabited areas of present-day Colorado including the Anasazi. These ancestral Puebloans are known for their rich culture of architecture: cliff dwellings and pit houses; crafting: basket-making, pendants and bracelets; rock art; agriculture and trade.
Among contemporary tribes, the Ute migrated to Colorado from Utah sometime prior to the 1600s to hunt large herds of buffalo. They were followed by the Comanche in the 1700s and later by the Arapaho and Cheyenne along with several other indigenous groups. The following is a list of Indigenous Peoples of North America:
| Ababco | Aleut | Arikara (Arikaree, Ree) |
| Abenaki/Abnakii | Algonquian Family | Arivaipa |
| Aberginian | Algonquin | Arkokisa |
| Abittibi | Allakaweah | Armouchiquois |
| Abenaki (or Abnaki) | Alliklik | Arosaguntacook |
| Absaroka/Apsaroke | Alsea/Alsi | Ascahcutoner |
| Absentee | Amacano | Assateague |
| Accohanoc | Amahami | Assegun |
| Accominta/Agamenticus | Amaseconti | Assiniboine (Stoney) |
| Achiligonan | Amikwa | Assuti |
| Achomawi | Anadarko | Atakapa |
| Acolapissa | Ancient Puebloans/Anasazi | Atanumlema |
| Acquintanacsnak | Anishinaabe | Atchatchakangouen |
| Acuera | Ani-Stohini/Unami | Atfaiati |
| Adai | Aondironon | Athapascan Family |
| Adirondack | Apache | Atikamek |
| Adshusheer | Apalachee | Atquanachuke |
| Agua Caliente | Apalachicola | Atsina |
| Agawam | Appomattoc | Atsugewi |
| Ahantchuyuk | Aquackanonk | Aucocisco |
| Ais/Ays | Aranama | Avavares |
| Akonapi | Arapaho | Avoyel |
| Alabama/Alibamu | Arendahronon | Awani/Awanichi |
| Alchedoma | Awatobi | |
| Bahacecha | Bellabella | Biloxi |
| Bankalachi | Beothuk | Blackfoot/Siksika |
| Bannock | Bersiamite | Blewmouths |
| Basawunena | Bidai | Bocootawwonauke |
| Bayougoula | Bigiopa | Brotherton |
| Bear River | Big Swamp Indians | Buena Vista |
| Caddo | Chehalis | Chumash |
| Cahokia | Chelamela | Clackama |
| Cahuilla | Chelan | Clallam |
| Cajuenche | Chemehuevi | Clatskanie |
| Calapooya | Chepenafa | Clatsop |
| Callam | Cheraw | Clowwewalla |
| Calusa | Cherokee | Coahuiltecan |
| Canarsee | Chesapeake | Coaque |
| Caparaz | Chetco | Cochimi |
| Cape Fear Indians | Cheyenne | Cochiti |
| Capinans | Chiaha | Cocopa |
| Catawba | Chickahominy | Colville |
| Cathlacomatup | Chickamauga | Comanche |
| Cathlacumup | Chickasaw | Conestoga |
| Cathlakaheckit | Chilliwack | Congaree |
| Cathlamet | Chilluckittequaw | Conoy |
| Cathlanahquiah | Chilula | Coos |
| Cathlapotle | Chimakuan | Copalis |
| Cathlathlalas | Chimakum | Coree |
| Caughnawaga | Chimariko | Costanoan |
| Cayuga | Chine | Coushatta (Koasati) |
| Cayuse | Chinook | Cowichan |
| Chactoo | Chippewa Chiricahua Apache | Cowlitz |
| Chakankni | Chitimacha | Cree |
| Chakchiuma | Chiricahua | Creek |
| Chatot | Choctaw | Croatan |
| Chaui | Choula | Crow |
| Chaushila | Chowanoc | Cuñeil |
| Chawasha | Cupeño | |
| Dakota | Delaware | Dotame |
| Dakubetede | Diegueño | Doustioni |
| Deadose | Diné - See Navajo | Dwamish |
| Eyak | Eskimo - See Inuit | Etchareottine |
| Eno | Esselen | Etheneldeli |
| Erie | Etchaottine | Eyeish |
| Fernandeño | Five Civilized Tribes | Fremont |
| Flathead - See Salish | Fox | Fresh Water |
| Gabrieleno - See Tongva | Gros Ventre | Guale |
| Grigras | Guacata | Guasas |
| Haida | Hidatsa | Houma |
| Hainai | Hainai | Housatonic |
| Halchidhoma | Hitchiti | Huchnom |
| Halyikwamai | Ho-Chunk | Hualupai |
| Hanis | Honniasontkeronon | Humptulips |
| Hathawekela | Hoh | Hupa |
| Hatteras | Hohokam | Huron |
| Havasupai | Hopi | |
| Ibitoupa | Innu | Iowa/Ioway |
| Icafui | Inuit | Iroquois |
| Illinois/Illini | Inupiat | Ishak (see |
| Isleta del Sur | ||
| Jamez | Jeags | Juaneño |
| Kadohadacho | Kawchodinne | Konomihu |
| Kahnawake | Kawia | Kootenai/Kutenai |
| Kalapooian | Keyauwee | Koroa |
| Kalispel | Kichai | Koso |
| Kamia | Kickapoo | Kosotshe |
| Kanza/Kaw | Kiowa | Koyeti |
| Karankawa | Kitanemuk | Kutchin |
| Karok | Kitksan | Kutenai |
| Kaska | Kitsai | Kuitsh |
| Kaskaskia | Klallam | Kusan |
| Kaskinampo | Klamath | Ktunaxa |
| Kato | Klickitat | Kutchin |
| Keresan Family | Koasati | Kwaiailk |
| Kawaiisu | Kohuana | Kwakiutl |
| Kwalhioqua | ||
| Lakmiut | Lillooet | Luiseno |
| Lakota | Lochapoka | Lumbees |
| Lassik | Lohim | Lummi |
| Latgawa | Loucheux | Lutuamian |
| Lenape - See Delaware | Luckeamute | |
| Macapiras | Mattole | Mogollon |
| Machapunga | Meherrin | Mohawk |
| Mahican | Meits | Mohegan |
| Maidu | Menominee | Mojave |
| Makah | Mescalero Apache | Molala |
| Maliseets | Meskwaki | Monacan |
| Mandan | Methow | Mono |
| Manhattan | Metoac | Mono-Paviotso |
| Manahoac | Miami | Montagnais |
| Manso | Mical | Montauk |
| Marameg | Michigamea | Moravians |
| Maricopa | Michilimackinac | Moratoc |
| Mariposan | Micmac | Mosepolea |
| Martha's Vineyard | Mikasuki | Muckleshoot |
| Mascouten | Miluk | Mucogo |
| Maskegon | Mishikhwutmetunne | Mugulasha |
| Massachusett | Missouri | Muklasa |
| Mashpee | Miwok | Multnomah |
| Matchoctic | Mobile | Munsee |
| Matinecoc | Mocogo | Muscogean Family |
| Mattabesic | Moctobi | |
| Modoc | ||
| Nabedache | Natchitoches | Niantic |
| Nacisi | Nauset | Nippissing |
| Nacogdoche | Navajo | Nipmuc |
| Nakota | Neusiok | Nisqualli |
| Naltunnetunne | Neutrals | Nongatl |
| Nanatsoho | Neketemeuk | Nooksak |
| Nanticoke | Nemalquinner | Nootka |
| Napissa | Nespelem | Noquet |
| Napochi | Nez Percé | Nottoway |
| Narragansett | New York | Ntlakyapamuk |
| Natchez | ||
| Occaneechi | Onatheaqua | Opelousa |
| Oconee | Oneida | Osage |
| Ofo | Oneota | Osoche |
| Ojibwe/Ojibway | Onondaga | Otoe |
| Okanagon | Ononchataronon | Ottawa |
| Okelousa | Ontonagon | Ouachita |
| Omaha | Ozette | |
| Onathaqua | ||
| Paiute | Pennacook | Plains Indians |
| Pallachacola | Penobscot | Pocomoke |
| Palouse/Palus | Pensacola | Pocomtuc |
| Panamint | Peoria | Pohoy, Pooy, Posoy |
| Papago | Pepikokia | Pomo |
| Pascagoula | Pequawket | Ponca |
| Passamaquoddy | Pequot | Potano |
| Patiti | Piegan | Poosepatuck |
| Patwin | Pima | Potawatomi |
| Pawnee | Pinal Coyotero | Powhatan |
| Pawokti | Piankashaw | Pshwanwapam |
| Pecos | Piro Pueblo | Pueblo |
| Pedee | Pit River | Puyllup |
| Puntatsh | ||
| Quahatika | Quinaielt | Quinault |
| Quapaw | Quileute | Quinipissa |
| Queets | ||
| Rappahannock | Ree - See Arikara | Rouge River |
| Sac | Seminole | |
| Sac and Fox | Seneca | |
| Saconnet | Senijextee | |
| Sahehwamish | Serrano | |
| Salinan Family | Sewee | |
| Salish | Shakori | |
| Saluda | Shasta | |
| Samish | Shawnee | |
| Sanpoil | Shoshone | |
| Santee | Shinnecock | |
| Santiam | Shuswap | |
| Sappony | Siletz | |
| Sarsi | Siksika | |
| Satsop | ||
| Saturiba | Tulalip | |
| Saturiwa | Tunica | |
| Sauk - See Sac | Tunxis | |
| Sawokli | Tuscarora | |
| Seechelt | Tuskegee | |
| Sekani | Tutchonekutchin | |
| Semiahmoo | Tutelo | |
| Tututni | ||
| Twana | ||
| Tyigh | ||
| Ucita | Unalachtigo | Ute |
| Umatilla | Unami | Utina |
| Umpqua | ||
| Wabanaki | Washoe | Wichita |
| Waccamaw | Wateree | Winnebago |
| Waco | Watlala | Wintu |
| Wailaki | Wauyukma | Wintun |
| Walapai - See Hualupai | Waxhaw | Winyaw |
| Walla Walla | Wenrohronon | Wippanap |
| Wampanoag | Wea | Wishram |
| Wanapan | Weanoc | Wiyot/Wiyat |
| Wappinger | Weapemeoc | Woccon |
| Wappo | Wenatchee - See Yakama | Wyandot |
| Wasco | Whilkut | Wynoochee |
| Washa | ||
| Yahi | Yaquina | Yuchi |
| Yahooskin/Yahuskin | Yatasi | Yufera |
| Yakama | Yavapai | Yui |
| Yakonan Family | Yazoo | Yuki |
| Yamasee | Yodok | Yuma |
| Yamel | Yojuane | Yuman Family |
| Yampa | Yokut Family | Yurok |
| Yana | Yonkalla | Yustaga |
| Yankton - See Nakota | Yscanis | |
| Zuni |