The Department of OBGYN celebrates Indigenous Peoples' Day

Today we celebrate Indigenous People’s Day. This holiday falls on the 2nd Monday of October and replaces Columbus Day. Parts of the U.S have recognized this day as early as 1989, with each seeing more states and organizations following suit. This is a day to celebrate the rich and longstanding culture of the Native American people.

Much of the city of Seattle resides on the traditional land of the Coast Salish people, most notably the Duwamish People. As of 2021, there are 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington, and 574 nationally. Each tribe may differ in languages written & spoken, ceremonies, celebrations and regalia.

The Department of OBGYN would like to acknowledge that we gather on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish peoples, who have resided on and stewarded this land since time immemorial. We honor the sovereign caretakers of this land, past and present, who are here and strong. 

What are some things that you can do to honor this day as a non-Indigenous person?

Learning & Reading List

• Find out what land you’re on: https://native-land.ca/
• Burke Museum’s tips about teaching: https://www.burkemuseum.org/ 
• American Library Association: https://www.ala.org/

Safety

• Washington State Patrol launched the first missing Indigenous person alert system in the nation this past July. More information can be found: https://www.wsp.wa.gov/
• Visit Seattle’s Native American Heritage Guide: https://uploads.visitseattle.org/

Events

• October 15 – 26th Annual Spirit Walk & Warrior Run. This is a change to celebrate and support local Native communities: https://runsignup.com/
• November 3 – 2nd Annual James Welch Prize reading, celebrating two Indigenous poets from the US. Information can be found at: https://lectures.org/
• Bellevue Art Museum Presents: New Art and Sounds from the Pacific Northwest: Indie Folk https://www.bellevuearts.org/

Film and Representation

• You can easily Google search for films and TV which focus on representation of Indigenous people, or highlight Native culture/stories/actors:
  8 New Indigenous Shows and Film to Stream Now & 3 More to Come
  5 Native Films You Should Be Streaming in 2022
  Your Guide to All Indigenous Works at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival

Sign Petitions

• Federal Recognition for the Duwamish: https://www.change.org/

Donate & Spend

• Real Rent, an organization that calls on people who live and work in Seattle to pay rent to the Duwamish Tribe: https://www.realrentduwamish.org/
• Local Snoqualmie owned Art & Lifestyle Brand: https://eighthgeneration.com/
• List of small businesses: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/
• Local Native owned businesses in Seattle: https://bottomline.seattle.gov/