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Though other cities, including Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix and Washington, have designated the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day, New York has so far not followed suit. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo marched along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in the 75th annual Columbus Day parade Monday and did not make appearances at the event honoring Native Americans.
“Politicians not showing up, that’s something we’re accustomed to. We’re the side New York seems to have forgotten about,” said Cliff Mattias, the founder of the Indigenous Peoples Day New York City event. “But look around. There’s an eclectic mix of people here. Indigenous. Black people. Anglos, allies from around the world. That makes it special.”
He added: “This isn’t a day about protesting Columbus, it’s about celebrating indigenous people.”
The two-day event, branded a “communal gathering,” was free, inviting and festive. Attendees sat in a large circle (traditionally called a “continuous hoop”) and were entertained by musicians, dancers and speakers from around the world — in addition to North America, there were representatives from the Caribbean, Polynesian Islands and South America.
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Outside the circle, vendors and artisans sold incense, native clothing, custom jewelry and more.
The longest lines were for the food — traditional dishes like Native American fry bread, venison, bison and maize.
Activism was part of the celebration, too. Pua Case, a climate activist from Hawaii, left a protest against the building of a telescope on Mauna Kea to attend. LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, a Lakota historian and principal founder of the camps protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, also came.
For some, supporting indigenous people also meant voicing disapproval at honoring Columbus. After a review last year of statues in the city, de Blasio announced that the statue of Columbus would remain in Midtown Manhattan with the addition of “markers” explaining the history of the period.
“Columbus Day is an insult and a slap to the face,” said Serena Davis, a black woman from Harlem. “I came to pay homage to the true natives of this country.”
Still, the overall tone of the event was one of positivity and fellowship.
Anthony Vairacocha, a 25-year-old from Manhattan and member of the Kichwa tribe, has been coming to the New York event since it began in 2014. He has made lasting connections, he said. “I’ve met friends through this. Bonds have been formed here.”
This article originally appeared in
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