{"id":6244,"date":"2021-10-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www-prod.greenpeace.org\/usa\/indigenous-peoples-day-how-to-be-a-good-relative\/"},"modified":"2024-11-20T19:40:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T19:40:03","slug":"indigenous-peoples-day-how-to-be-a-good-relative","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/indigenous-peoples-day-how-to-be-a-good-relative\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous Peoples Day & How to Be a Good Relative"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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Toolkit: Indigenous Peoples Day & How to Be a Good Relative
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Indigenous Peoples Day<\/h2>\n\n

Indigenous Peoples Day recognizes Indigenous Peoples as the original inhabitants of the Americas and directly replaces Columbus Day, changing a celebration of colonialism into an opportunity to reveal historical truths about the genocide and oppression of Indigenous Peoples in the Americas. This acknowledgement is important on many levels including affirming historical accuracy, recognizing treaty rights and Indigenous sovereignty, rewriting historical wrongs, organizing against current injustices, and celebrating Indigenous resistance.<\/p>\n\n

The idea of replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day was brought about in 1977, at a United Nations sponsored conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Fourteen years later, activists in Berkeley, CA, convinced the Berkeley City Council to declare October 12 a \u201cDay of Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples.\u201d Since then, there has been a growing movement to change \u201cColumbus Day\u201d to Indigenous Peoples Day all around the country. Fourteen states, the District of Columbia, and more than 130 cities now observe Indigenous Peoples Day instead of or in addition to Columbus Day.<\/p>\n\n

This Indigenous Peoples Day, the Indigenous Peoples Power Project (IP3)  is excited to  collaborate with Greenpeace USA to bring you this toolkit! You can check out our factsheet at ip3action.org\/resources<\/a> for a quick, one-page view of what we\u2019ll be talking about here, but this toolkit will provide you with in-depth, invaluable information on how to be a good relative.<\/em> Please feel free to share this toolkit with family, friends, and colleagues, and don\u2019t hesitate to point your Indigenous friends towards us for movement and training support.<\/p>\n\n

Who is Indigenous Peoples Power Project?<\/h2>\n\n
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Indigenous People\u2019s Power Project (IP3) is a nonviolent direct action training and support network. It was formed in 2004 as a project of the Ruckus Society and received 501c3 status in June of 2020. IP3\u2019s Mission is to provide nonviolent direct-action training, campaign support, and community organizing tools to support Indigenous communities taking action in defense of their homelands. They do this by providing Indigenous-centered curriculum, training, and camps that are customized to the needs of Indigenous communities all over Turtle Island who request support. IP3 is for Indigenous Peoples, by Indigenous Peoples.<\/p>\n\n

Being a good relative every day<\/h2>\n\n
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Native Nations March. Native nations gather this week to stand up for indigenous rights. Thousands march from the Army Corps of Engineers to Lafayette Park, in front of the White House, where a rally is held.<\/p>\n\n

1. Know the land you are on<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

The easiest way to begin understanding local Indigenous communities is to know whose land you are on. You can find out whose traditional territory you are on by visiting native-land.ca<\/a> and exploring the map. They also have a number of useful resources that can help guide you on your journey of being a better ally.<\/p>\n\n

Once you know whose land you\u2019re on, you can start researching historical events of that tribe\/community, how colonization has affected them, and what they are doing today. Usually they will hold some public events through the year that you can attend to make personal connections and learn more.<\/p>\n\n

Once you know whose land you\u2019re on, you can also start giving something that\u2019s called a land acknowledgement.<\/em> We\u2019ll talk more about that later, in the How to be a good relative in movement spaces<\/em> section.<\/p>\n\n

2. Support local tribes, groups, and organizations in their work<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

It\u2019s important to remember that we cannot stop at simply advocating for Indigenous Peoples Day, we must transform systems to ensure the inclusion of Native voices. This begins through the work of advocacy and must include electing officials who care about our communities. As we build on the momentum of activists, we must work to keep elected officials accountable and ensure Native voices, issues, and contributions are a part of key policy making decisions. (via IllumiNative)<\/em><\/p>\n\n

3. Learn the local protocols, history, and cultural context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

There are over 574 unique federally recognized tribes in what is called the United States, who have their own histories, languages, and cultural practices. There are even more tribes and tribal communities without federal recognition. Protocols may vary. Please learn the land you are on <\/a>to reflect on the tribal communities that may still have jurisdiction within your so-called state. Below are the states that do recognize Indigenous Peoples Day (or Native American Day):<\/p>\n\n

States that celebrate IPD (or Native American Day)<\/p>\n\n