Indigenous Peoples Day celebrated with an eye on the election

By James On Oct 14, 2024

As Native Americans across the U.S. gather Monday Indigenous Peoples’ Day To celebrate their history and culture and recognize the ongoing challenges they face, many will do so with a focus on the election.

From one voting meeting in Minneapolis with food, games and raffles for a public conversation About the Indigenous Voice at Virginia Tech The holiday, which falls approximately three weeks before Election Day, will include a wide range of events focused on the mobilization and outreach of Indigenous voters, amid a strong recognition of the power of their to vote.

In 2020, Indigenous voters proved decisive in the presidential elections. Tribal voter turnout in Arizona increased dramatically compared to the previous presidential election, helping Joe Biden win a state that had not supported a Democratic candidate in a White House election since 1996.

Janeen Comenote, executive director of the National Urban Indian Family Coalition, which is involved in at least a dozen such voting events across the country, said it is especially important to mobilize indigenous voters this year as the country chooses the president. But she cautioned that Indigenous people are by no means a monolith when it comes to how they vote.

“We are actually concerned with getting native voters to vote, and not with telling them how to vote. But some kind of understanding that you have a voice and that you are a democracy, a democracy that we helped create,” said Comenote, a citizen of the Quinault Indian Nation.

In Arizona, her coalition is teaming up with the Phoenix Indian Center to hold a town hall on Monday ‘Democracy is indigenous: the power of the indigenous voice’ with speakers and performances, along with indigenous artworks focused on democracy.

In Apex, North Carolina, about 14 miles southwest of Raleigh, the coalition is working with the Triangle Native American Society on an event that is expected to include a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and a booth with nonpartisan voter information and giveaways.

Although not a federal holiday, Indigenous Peoples Day is celebrated by 17 states, including Washington, South Dakota and Maine, as well as Washington, D.C., according to the Pew Research Center. It typically takes place on the second Monday in October, the same day as the federal holiday of Columbus Day.