How to Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Brooklyn

This Monday, Oct. 9, is Indigenous Peoples' Day. 

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a day that honors Indigenous people in the United States and is a time to learn about their history, cultures and impact on society today.

Indigenous Peoples' Day was first recognized and celebrated in 1992 in California instead of Columbus Day, a federal holiday that glorifies Christopher Columbus' efforts in colonizing what is now known as the United States.

Since 1992, more and more people have rejected Columbus Day and the whitewashed history it celebrates to honor the Indigenous communities and acknowledge the violence Columbus and the interests he served brought upon them.

In 2021, President Joseph Biden issued an official proclamation to observe Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

“On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our Nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations,” Biden said.

He added that for generations, federal policies sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures. These policies have had lasting impacts on the Indigenous community. 

According to the latest report on poverty from the United States Census Bureau, 24.3% of American Indians and Alaska Natives were in poverty in 2021, the highest percentage out of any other racial group in the country.

"We also recommit to supporting a new, brighter future of promise and equity for Tribal Nations — a future grounded in Tribal sovereignty and respect for the human rights of Indigenous people in the Americas and around the world," Biden said,

There are many ways to celebrate Indigenous people all around Brooklyn, which is on Lenapehoking, or the homeland of the Lenape.

Events

On Oct. 9 from 10:00am-5:00pm, Brooklyn Children’s Museum will celebrate Indigenous histories, cultures and heritages through traditional dance, interactive storytelling, food demonstrations, theater performances, art-making and much more in partnership with the North American Indigenous Center of New York.

The event features performances by the Northeastern Haudenosaunee Dance Troupe, a live dance demonstration and history lesson on Native American dance culture with Karakwiiostha King, interactive storytelling with Chef Dave Smoke-McCluskey's strawberry demonstration and more.

You can buy tickets for the day here.

On Oct. 12 from 3:30pm-5:00pm, there is an Indigenous history discussion and literary review for teens and tweens at Greenpoint Library. Find out more here.

At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, there is an exhibit called Ohkehteau (Plants of the Earth): A Shinnecock Oral History that highlights the ways Indigenous people use and know native plants around the garden through a self-guided tour with signs and audio. Find out more here.