Indigenous Peoples’ Day

So... Did Columbus Really “Discover” America?

If you grew up in the U.S., you probably learned the rhyme: “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue and discovered America.”

But here’s the truth: that story leaves out far too much.

Columbus never set foot in what we now call the United States — and he was not the first foreign explorer to reach the Americas. Most importantly, his arrival was not a beginning, but a violent turning point for the Indigenous peoples who had lived here for tens of thousands of years.

According to his own journals, Columbus and his men enslaved, assaulted, and killed Native people. His voyages opened the door to centuries of colonization, forced land loss, and devastating population decline. Within just 130 years of first contact, the Indigenous population of the Americas is estimated to have dropped by 95%.

For decades, the U.S. celebrated Columbus Day — a holiday established in 1934 to honor a man whose legacy is far from heroic. But today, more and more communities are moving beyond the myth and reclaiming the narrative. Cities, states, and tribes across the country are replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of Native nations.

This shift matters because it’s about more than renaming a holiday. It’s about truth-telling, healing, and recognizing resilience. Here’s why:

- - Columbus did not discover America; Indigenous tribes inhabited these shores before Columbus and other explorers who preceded him.
  - Columbus landed in what he thought was the East Indies and mistakenly called the inhabitants ‘Indians’ — a mislabel that stuck.
  - In his own journals, Columbus cites how easily Native people could be enslaved and exploited — and he quickly proceeded to do so.
  - Columbus opened the door to many ills that forever harmed the tribes, including a mass migration of settlers into the ‘new world’, massacres, policies of genocide, the introduction of diseases, killing millions of Indigenous people to take their homelands, and disrupting a centuries-old way of life — all in the name of God and manifest destiny.
  - Columbus also opened the door to more than 500 treaties made and broken by the U.S., millions of acres of reservation lands allotted and then taken back, and the creation of the hardships and realities we see on the reservations today.
  - The Indigenous peoples have made countless contributions to western agriculture, the environment, the U.S. military, and even the U.S. Constitution — this is true and worthy of celebration.

What is Indigenous Peoples’ Day?

Indigenous Peoples’ Day, observed on the second Monday of October, is a holiday dedicated to honoring the history, cultures, and ongoing contributions of Native peoples who have lived across the Americas for thousands of years.

For Native communities, Columbus’s arrival marked the beginning of centuries of colonization, violence, and displacement. By replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, cities, states, and communities across the U.S. are choosing to tell a fuller, more accurate story and one that acknowledges past harms while celebrating Indigenous resilience and survival.

Today, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is not just about correcting history. It’s about recognizing the sovereignty of Native nations, honoring their contributions to society, from agriculture and environmental knowledge to art, language, and military service, and amplifying their voices in the present.

Who are Indigenous people?

What is the significance of Indigenous Peoples Day?

The movement to honor Indigenous peoples instead of Columbus began gaining traction in the late 20th century. In 1977, at a United Nations conference on Indigenous issues, leaders called for the abolition of Columbus Day. South Dakota became the first state to officially replace the holiday in 1990, followed by Berkeley, California, in 1992. Since then, the observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day has spread nationwide, with states, cities, and schools embracing it to acknowledge Native history and resilience.

NDN Collective founder and CEO Nick Tilsen explains: “When we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day in place of Columbus Day, it shows a victory for Indigenous people. It represents how we won’t be erased, how we still stand in our power, no matter what they did to try to kill us off and steal our land. We celebrate our survival of Columbus and all that he brought.”

In this way, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is both a correction and a celebration. It confronts the myths of the past while uplifting the resilience, strength, and enduring presence of Native nations today.

What are some of the major issues Indigenous peoples face to this day?

Indigenous Peoples’ Day not only honors Native cultures — it also raises awareness of the challenges Indigenous communities continue to face, including:

Climate Change & Environmental Harm

Indigenous peoples are disproportionately impacted by climate change and often bear the brunt of mining, drilling, pipelines, fracking, and other large-scale projects that disrupt their lands without consent.

Violence Against Women, Girls & Two-Spirit People

Native women, girls, and Two-Spirit people experience violence — including sexual assault, trafficking, and murder — at rates significantly higher than the national average. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S) crisis remains an urgent issue.

Health Disparities

Indigenous communities face higher rates of chronic illness (such as diabetes and heart disease) and often lack access to adequate healthcare due to underfunded services and the legacies of forced displacement.

Land Rights & Sovereignty

Tribal lands are continually threatened by government and corporate projects, weakening sovereignty and disrupting cultural practices tied to the land.

Systemic Discrimination & Marginalization

From underrepresentation in political systems to barriers in education, housing, and employment, Indigenous peoples continue to experience inequities rooted in colonization and broken treaties.

Sign the pledge today to become more #NativeAware
and help champion hope for a brighter future!

Native Aware Pledge

^{Cited Sources:}
^{https://www.nytimes.com/article/indigenous-peoples-day.html
https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/informational/columbus-day-myths}
^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Peoples%27_Day_(United_States)}
^{https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/5-things-to-know-about-indigenous-peoples-day}
^{https://www.unc.edu/posts/2019/10/11/what-is-the-history-behind-indigenous-peoples-day/}
^{https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/12/us/christopher-columbus-slavery-disease-trnd}

Indigenous Peoples’ Day