7 Ways to Honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day

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A handful of years ago, I looked through stacks of our old family photos. I came across one picture that left a pit in my stomach.

How much celebration of white supremacy can fit in a 4 x 6 photo? The photo showed my third grade Christian school class at a Thanksgiving Day celebration. We performed a play for our families and had a meal together, all while further spreading the fallacies of Thanksgiving day.

Half of the students were dressed as Pilgrims and the other half as American Indians, complete with appropriated costumes. We all recited, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Our parents clapped.

Choosing to deconstruct my white-washed education around Columbus Day and Thanksgiving as an adult and parent has shifted my priorities to making sure the generational cycle of oppression celebration ends.

up close image of the hands an older Indigenous woman

The second Monday in October is “Indigenous People’s Day.” If this truth-focused shift is new to you, please check out this resource to learn of the atrocities to the Indigenous Peoples at the hands of the white settlers.

Ideas to Honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day

To further continue generational cycle breaking for our children and families, here are some new ways to honor these specific holidays.

Most importantly, however you decide to beautifully honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day, don’t forget to acknowledge the atrocities and harmful history of it all.

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Amanda
Amanda is a 31-year-old wife and mom, occasional secretary, on-pause knitter, sparse writer, and postpartum doula. Amanda neglects her dishes and laundry to play with her kids. She stays up too late and wakes too early. She loves volunteering at her sons’ school. One of her goals is to get a macaroni and cheese tattoo because she loves pasta that much. She enjoys learning about nature and early childhood education psychology. She’s a strong enneagram 4 which brings all the feelings. She hopes to grow into the hardcore, cool boy mom of her dreams. She mostly grew up in the Portland metro area but has also lived in AZ, VA, ND, and CA. She has been married to her sorta high-school sweetheart for almost 9 years. She and her husband have two sons - Oliver(4) and Osten(1). She currently lives in Unincorporated Hillsboro renting an old farmhouse there.