Resources for Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Many have learned the phrase, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. But Columbus was not the first foreign explorer to land in the Americas, and neither he nor those who came before him discovered America—because Indigenous Peoples have populated the Western Hemisphere for tens of thousands of years. 

Celebrating Columbus and other explorers like him dismisses the devastating losses experienced by Indigenous Peoples of the Western Hemisphere in the past and the ongoing effects of colonialism today.

In 2019, joined by Wabanaki tribal leaders and representatives, Governor Janet Mills signed legislation to establish Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Maine. It is now celebrated on the second Monday of October recognizing the resilience and diversity of Indigenous Peoples instead of honoring Columbus.

Now we ask ourselves, what does it mean to honor Indigenous People?  See below for resources for educators, parents, and those in the education community.

Local Impact (Dawnland specific)

Resource Type	Title/Link
Statement	Maine Memo — The importance of Indigenous People’s Day (Office of the UMO President)
Statement	Indigenous Peoples’ Day statement (City of Lewiston)
Statement/article	Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Maine Audubon)
Article	Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the Dawnland (Freeport Historical Society)
Statement/article	Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Native American Day Eradicate Columbus Day October 9, 2023 (USET)
Article	Multiple Events Planned in Celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Healthy Acadia)

 

Global Impact (all Indigenous)

Resource Type	Title/Link
Fact sheet/article	Who are indigenous peoples?
Statement/declaration	United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Publication	The Role of Indigenous Peoples in Biodiversity Conservation
Lesson Plan	Indigenous Peoples’ Day (IllumiNative)
Article	Indigenous storytellers share scary stories and the wisdom they hold (CBC)
Video	Indigenous Peoples’ Day | All About the Holidays (PBS)
Video	The word Indigenous — explained l CBC Kids News
Sample lesson plans	Lesson Plans (Whose Land)	3 lesson plans: k-5, middle, high school
Article	Cultural Appropriation: What’s an Educator’s Role? (PBS Teachers Lounge)

Why not Columbus Day?

Resource Type	Title/Link
Collection/case study	Abolish Columbus Day: Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples (Zinn Education Project)
Article/lesson preview	The People vs. Columbus, et al. (Zinn Education Project)
Handout	Unlearning Columbus Day Myths: Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Article	Why more people are celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day | PBS NewsHour