Grand Rapids and MacRostie Art Center Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day

The second Monday in October is known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a day to celebrate and remember Native American culture in opposition to the celebration of Columbus Day. The City of Grand Rapids partnered with the MacRostie Art Center to hold a special event to celebrate the holiday.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day was established in 1992, 500 years after Columbus’s voyage, to recognize Native American cultures and histories and to acknowledge the oppression and genocide they have faced. That is why the City of Grand Rapids partners with the MacRosite Art Center to hold an event for the special day.

“It’s kind of a restorative justice action to kind of be more educational and bringing awareness to the greater community at large about the Indigenous community,” explained Samsoche Sampson, the Outreach Coordinator for the MacRostie Art Center.

“It’s a big day, it’s a day to celebrate Indigenous peoples, their voices, culture, to bring everyone together, all walks of life in one spot, and just be,” said Geezis Humphrey, Giinawind Gallery Program Director.

The City of Grand Rapids was one of the first communities in the State of Minnesota to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2015, and every year, the Mayor reads a proclamation to acknowledge the holiday.

“Grand Rapids understands that in order to celebrate the strengths and recognize the challenges of Indigenous people, that government entities, organizations, and other public institutions should change their policies and practices to better reflect the experiences of the American Indian people and uplift our country’s Indigenous roots, history, and contributions,” read Mayor Tasha Connelly.

This event not only gives attendees a chance to look at Native art styles, but also gain some skills in lacrosse, or what was originally called stickball. A closing “hoop dance” performance topped off the day’s events.

“We do a traditional mixed with contemporary influence Indigenous performance, so it spans the gap and reaches a larger audience so that a lot of people can find something that they find interesting [about] it,” added Sampson.

Over 200 students attended the events on the lawn of the Old Central School to learn more about Native culture. Seeing the kids so interested is what stuck out the most to those who were a part of the event.

“When I was growing up, I was never able to do any of this stuff here, it was kind of put on the back burner,” said Branden Bowstring, Indigenous Peoples’ Day MC, while gesturing to the craft tables and other activities. “I didn’t get to do any of this in school, I didn’t know any about this. It’s awesome to see all these kids really get immersed into their culture, in their language, kids that are three or four years old almost being able to introduce themselves in Ojibwe, knowing things like that. This is really kind of – makes my heart fly today.”

Several communities across the state, including Brainerd, also hosted Indigenous Peoples’ Day events on Monday.