Indigenous People’s Day [Monday Memo]

What Is Indigenous People’s Day?

Today is Indigenous People’s Day and Clifford Beers wanted to acknowledge this special day and provide information to further educate ourselves on our nation’s rich indigenous history.

For hundreds of years various Indigenous communities have pushed for October 12th to be a day to honor the native peoples of what is now the United States as opposed to celebrating those responsible for the destruction of Indigenous cultures. The following article goes into the history of Indigenous People’s Day and all of the places in our nation that recognize it:

Indigenous People’s Day: Rethinking How We Celebrate American History | Smithsonian Magazine

The Land We Inhabit

In New Haven, our land was originally inhabited by the Quinnipiacs, whose name lives on in the Quinnipiac River, Quinnipiac University and other state landmarks and monuments. They inhabited the shoreline as far east as Madison and as far north as Meriden. This land was stolen and inhabited by European settlers during the Pequot War in the 1600’s.

Further reading:

The Quinnipiac Tribe: Cheshire’s First Native People | Cheshire Herald

Quinnipiac: The People of the Long Water Land | ConnecticutHistory.org

Quinnipiac | Native Northeast Portal

How We Can Recognize Indigenous People’s Day

The Native Northeast Portal was founded by the Yale Indian Papers Project, a collective of tribal members and academics who have come together to properly archive Indigenous resources and make them more accessible to the public. This movement has scanned thousands of historic papers and shared the biographies of many prominent Indigenous leaders.

ANAAY and NACC Celebrate Indigenous People’s Day Virtually | Yale Daily News

The Association of Native Americans at Yale and the Native American Cultural Center came together to produce a video in celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, Oct. 12.

Are you planning to do a land acknowledgement? | American Indians In Children’s Literature

This blog post details how we can acknowledge the land we inhabit in a respectful way that pays tribute to and raises awareness for the Indigenous communities that came before us.