On Oct. 9, 2023, Iowa City held a celebration in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day from 5-7:30 p.m. While federally still recognized as Colombus Day, several states have begun recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day as a way of honoring Indigenous Peoples.
The celebration had something for everyone, with numerous children’s activities provided by the Iowa Children’s Museum, traditional Native American food, Native American Artists, The Bookmobile, stands about climate change and indigenous speakers.
One such speaker was Regina Tsosie, who sang and gave a speech about Native Americans’ contributions in WW2 as code talkers.
When asked what the Indigenous Peoples Festival meant to her, Tsosie said that the festival gave Native Americans a chance to come together and share a history that, until more recently, was written by the winners. But she was especially happy to see a lot of young people showing up to absorb the stories and knowledge given by speakers.
“It lifts me up, it fills my heart to see young people here”
— Regina Tsosie
Tsosie believes that if the younger generation takes an interest in the environment then we can work towards a better future. One tool that the younger generation has is the internet and its ability to connect people to others, and it has played a large part in increasing awareness about the Land Back movement. It has also made it much easier for young Indigenous People to reconnect with their heritage.
The celebration on Tuesday saw plenty of people coming by whether to listen to speakers, enjoy music, or partake in any of the other activities or stand that were around. Despite getting chillier the later it got, many people still stayed to listen to speakers and artists; it was a great event full of community.
