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In the United States, 21 states and Washington, D.C. now celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, or a holiday of a similar name, on the second Monday of October, as an official holiday or via proclamation. In 2021, Biden issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples Day, however he did not replace Columbus Day.

By commemorating Indigenous Peoples Day, we recognize colonization persists today and perpetuates oppression and violence against Indigenous Peoples as well as their sovereignty and self-determination.

KatieLee Riddle descends from the Iwi of Rongowhakaata on the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island. She is a Māori researcher at Te Kotahi Research Institute, an interdisciplinary research hub based at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand that specializes in Māori-focused initiatives, research, and capacity-building to support the aspirations of Iwi, Māori, and Indigenous communities.

By Candyce Testa (Pequot), Maya Lazzaro (Quechua), Kelsey Armeni, Pablo Xol (Maya Qʼeqchiʼ)

The Cultural Survival Bazaars are a mainstay of the impactful, Indigenous-led, non-governmental organization Cultural Survival, and were co-founded 49 years ago by Pia and David Mayberry Lewis. After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Cultural Survival Winter Bazaar returned to the Prudential Center in Boston last December, and the first post-COVID Summer Bazaars were held in July 2024 in Newburyport, MA, and Tiverton, RI.

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