Portland Celebrates Its First “Indigenous People’s Day”
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Monday, October 12, 2015
GoLocalPDX News Team
Photo via Edward Curtis, Black Eagle, Nez Percé, 1911, photogravure, from The North American Indian. (Image cropped)
Today, Portlanders enjoying the last hours of a three-day weekend should be grateful not to Christopher Columbus, the explorer for whom today’s federal today is named, but to Portland’s native population.
Last week, Mayor Charlie Hales signed an ordinance declaring the second Monday in October, as “Indigenous People’s Day” as opposed to the traditional Columbus Day.
"We can drift and hope, or we can paddle to where we want to go," Hales said. "We should decide that we want to be inclusive and celebrate all of the cultures that make up Portland."
The City Council voted unanimously to pass the measure after hearing testimony from The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Native American Youth and Family Center, the Nez Perce Tribe, and other tribal leaders. Portland is not the first city to pass such a measure, as Minneapolis and Seattle also declared the day “Indigenous People’s Day” last year.
Reyn Leno, the Chairman of the Grand Ronde Tribal Council, told the City Council that naming the day for Portland’s native population was a meaningful gesture.
"You can't erase us with pen and paper,” Leno said, “but you can do something like Indigenous Peoples' Day to acknowledge our history in a meaningful way."
A representative from the Nez Perce Tribe recalled to the City Council a piece of art that said “wherever you are, Indians have been.”
"For too long indigenous history has been ignored," the Nez Perce Tribe representative said. "This declaration gives us the opportunity to acknowledge our history and our sacrifices. We're all connected to this place we call home."
Dante James, the director of the Portland Office of Equity and Human Rights, said, "This is a symbol and a promise -- a promise not to forget what the symbol means."
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