Biden's Indigenous Peoples Day proclamation is history in the making

Native Americans across the nation observed Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day.

President Biden is the first U.S. President to proclaim Oct. 11 as Indigenous Peoples Day. He also signed a separate proclamation for Columbus Day.

On Friday, in both proclamations, he sought to walk a thin line to allow Italian Americans to celebrate one of their heroes but also to present American history within the context of today's perspective instead of glorifying Christopher Columbus' voyage in 1492 and the subsequent exploitation and destruction of native civilizations.

In the Columbus Day proclamation, he honored the contributions to America of Italian Americans, who have turned the day into a celebration of all things Italian even though Christopher Columbus' infamous voyage was under the flag of Spain,

RELATED: Christopher Columbus, hero or villan?

In proclaiming Indigenous Peoples Day, Biden fulfilled a campaign pledge to the original inhabitants of the United States.

"In the first week of my Administration, I issued a memorandum reaffirming our Nation’s solemn trust and treaty obligations to American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Nations and directed the heads of executive departments and agencies to engage in regular, meaningful, and robust consultation with Tribal officials," he said in his historic proclamation.

"Our country was conceived on a promise of equality and opportunity for all people — a promise that, despite the extraordinary progress we have made through the years, we have never fully lived up to. That is especially true when it comes to upholding the rights and dignity of the Indigenous people who were here long before colonization of the Americas began," said Biden. 

"For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures. Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society."

He tempered the Columbus Day proclamation by reminding the nation of the true impact of arrival of European explorers and settlers on the America's

“Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities,” Biden wrote. “It is a measure of our greatness as a Nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them,” Biden said.

  

At the same time he honored and acknowledged the contributions of Italian Americans to the United States.

The Indigenous Peoples Day proclamation included American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians. It continued, "We must never forget the centuries-long campaign of violence, displacement, assimilation, and terror wrought upon Native communities and Tribal Nations throughout our country."

In Hawaii, Discoverers' Day includes honoring the Polynesians who sailed to the island state.

Since the 1990s, a growing number of states have begun replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day — a holiday meant to honor the culture and history of Native Americans.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day has grown in popularity, either replacing or being celebrated along with Columbus Day in towns, cities, states and schools across the nation, according to the History Channel. 

In Hawaii, the day is observed as Discoverers' Day, “to honor all discoverers, including Pacific and Polynesian navigators.”

In much of Latin America, Columbus' arrival is known as Dia de la Raza.

With Deb Haaland, the first Native American Secretary of the Interior, by his side, Biden issued his proclamations on the same day the White House announced its plans to restore territory to two sprawling national monuments in Utah that Trump had stripped of protections from mining and fossil fuel interests. One, Bears Ears, is on land that Native American tribes consider sacred.

Native Americans and their supporters demonstrated in front of the White House today (Oct. 11) to protest oil pipelines transversing and endangering their reservations and water resources and to demand action on the climate crisis. Arrests were made when they disobeyed police orders to move on.

Following is Biden's Presidential Proclamation for Indigenous Peoples' Day:

Since time immemorial, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have built vibrant and diverse cultures — safeguarding land, language, spirit, knowledge, and tradition across the generations. 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.

Our country was conceived on a promise of equality and opportunity for all people — a promise that, despite the extraordinary progress we have made through the years, we have never fully lived up to. That is especially true when it comes to upholding the rights and dignity of the Indigenous people who were here long before colonization of the Americas began. For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures. Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society. 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.

In the first week of my Administration, I issued a memorandum reaffirming our Nation’s solemn trust and treaty obligations to American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Nations and directed the heads of executive departments and agencies to engage in regular, meaningful, and robust consultation with Tribal officials. It is a priority of my Administration to make respect for Tribal sovereignty and self-governance the cornerstone of Federal Indian policy. History demonstrates that Native American people — and our Nation as a whole — are best served when Tribal governments are empowered to lead their communities and when Federal officials listen to and work together with Tribal leaders when formulating Federal policy that affects Tribal Nations.

The contributions that Indigenous peoples have made throughout history — in public service, entrepreneurship, scholarship, the arts, and countless other fields — are integral to our Nation, our culture, and our society. Indigenous peoples have served, and continue to serve, in the United States Armed Forces with distinction and honor — at one of the highest rates of any group — defending our security every day. And Native Americans have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, working essential jobs and carrying us through our gravest moments. Further, in recognition that the pandemic has harmed Indigenous peoples at an alarming and disproportionate rate, Native communities have led the way in connecting people with vaccination, boasting some of the highest rates of any racial or ethnic group.

The Federal Government has a solemn obligation to lift up and invest in the future of Indigenous people and empower Tribal Nations to govern their own communities and make their own decisions. We must never forget the centuries-long campaign of violence, displacement, assimilation, and terror wrought upon Native communities and Tribal Nations throughout our country. Today, we acknowledge the significant sacrifices made by Native peoples to this country — and recognize their many ongoing contributions to our Nation.

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today. I encourage everyone to celebrate and recognize the many Indigenous communities and cultures that make up our great country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2021, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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