Video by Lauren Marshall
Native American groups and Indigenous Peoples’ Day activists celebrated Phoenix’s first official Indigenous Peoples’ Day Monday.
The holiday, held annually on Oct. 10, officially became a holiday in Phoenix last Wednesday after a unanimous approval from City Council. Many community organizations and activists previously celebrated the holiday annually, but this year marked the first year it was officially recognized.
The Indigenous Peoples’ Day movement is a nationwide movement which opposes Columbus Day and works to remind people to honor the native communities that played a major role in shaping the Americas. Phoenix will not eliminate Columbus Day, but did become the largest city in the nation to make the holiday official.
The Native Americans for Academics, Success and Unity (NAASU) organization celebrated the holiday early Friday, as they taught people on ASU’s downtown Phoenix campus how to show support for the holiday. Members engaged with many people who were unaware of Indigenous Peoples’ Day and taught them about the prominence of Native American culture in Arizona.
For NAASU, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a call for celebration for the modern presence of Native Americans.
“Indigenous Peoples’ Day to me is a day that calls for celebration and unity,” said Keemesha Shay, NAASU president.
The Heard Museum drew a diverse crowd with its celebration Monday showcasing a hoop dancer, a Native American documentary and a lecture by Native American blogger Matika Wilbur.
Kicking off the day, Kevin Dakota, a world champion native hoop dancer, displayed the roots of the culture as he used hoops to “transform” into different animals, reminiscent of the traditional belief in the circle of life.
The crowd then expressed sorrow and laughter while viewing a short documentary titled “The Last American Indian on Earth” by Gregg Deal. The film teaches about the need for the everyday American to reject stereotypes of Native Americans.
The final hour went to Matika Wilbur, who gave a speech discussing the overall findings of a year of traveling the nation and photographing contemporary Native Americans in what she calls “Project 562” after the number of tribes in the nation.
Wilbur called for a reassessment of the nation’s canonization of Columbus, using modern day pictures and videos of the struggles still felt within Native American communities to protect their people and land.
Contact the reporter at ljmarsh1@asu.edu.
