2018 Indigenous Peoples Day Request for Proposal 

The Human Relations Commission and the Boulder Arts Commission are now accepting proposals for 2018 Indigenous Peoples Day events. Funding is available for events that encourage understanding and appreciation of Indigenous Peoples, their traditions, culture and our shared history in these ancestral lands known as the Boulder Valley. Proposals must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 29. 

For more information and an application, choose a Word or PDF version of the RFP:

Indigenous Peoples Day RFP - Word version

Indigenous Peoples Day RFP - PDF version
 

Last Year's Indigenous Peoples Day Activities

• Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change: Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples, First United Methodist Church, Parlor Room, Spruce and 14th St.
• IPD Open House Celebration hosted by Native American Rights Fund (NARF) with the American Indian Youth Leadership Institute – 1506 Broadway
• Motus Theater – Indigenous Peoples Day: History, Poetry & Presence, Boulder Public Library Canyon Theater
• White Horse Creek Council Mini Pow Wow, Teach-In and Friendship Dance – Boulder Central Park Bandshell
• Open House with City of Boulder Staff – Boulder Municipal Building Lobby, 1777 Broadway
• Taking Steps Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples in Boulder, First Congregational Church, Broadway and Pine Street
• Screening of “What Was Ours” Documentary, Boulder Public Library Canyon Theater

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 Mary Young, the City of Boulder Mayor pro tem, to adopt Indigenous Peoples Day took place 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 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:

¹ Gov. Hickenlooper, Commission release report on the Study of American Indian Representations in Public Schools. (2016, April 18).