JACKSON, Wyo. — Replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day is a campaign that goes back to 1992 in Berkeley, California, but historical and cultural recognition has recently been growing in Jackson Hole.
The aim of Indigenous Peoples Day as an alternative to Columbus Day is to celebrate Indigenous peoples, culture, contributions and resilience in the U.S. and recognize their inherent, ongoing sovereignty.
According to a White House proclamation from President Joe Biden in 2021, Indigenous Peoples Day honors American Tribes, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, and recognizes the need to uphold the rights and dignity of Indigenous people after federal policies historically and systematically forced assimilation, displacement and eradication.
“The contributions that Indigenous peoples have made throughout history — in public service, entrepreneurship, scholarship, the arts and countless other fields — are integral to our Nation, our culture and our society,” the proclamation states. “On Indigenous Peoples Day, we honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today.”
While a number of U.S. states have officially adopted Indigenous Peoples Day as a replacement for Columbus Day, Wyoming is not one of those states. While current State Senator Affie Ellis, a member of the Navajo Nation and the first Native American to serve in the Wyoming Senate, suggested to Cowboy State Daily earlier this year that giving credit to Columbus for discovering land already occupied by other people should be questioned, there have been no state moves to officially adopt Indigenous Peoples Day. Senator Ellis did not respond to Buckrail‘s inquiry for comment on the holiday’s adoption.
However, since 2004 Wyoming has been observing Native American Day as an official state holiday in May, and in 2021 the City of Laramie officially recognized Indigenous Peoples Day with the support of Native American students and organizations at the University of Wyoming.
Locally, Yellowstone National Park (YNP) acknowledges 27 listed tribes who have historic connections to the lands and resources now found within the park, and Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) recognizes 24 tribes with ancestral and cultural connections to the area.
The National Park Service’s Public Affairs Specialist Maria Cavins also confirms to Buckrail that Tribe members or traditionally associated groups are able to enter parks year-round for “traditional nonrecreational activities” without paying an entrance fee. According to the NPS Management Policies, those nonrecreational activities include “traditional religious, ceremonial or other customary activities at places that have been used historically for such purposes.”
Cavins encourages all Tribe members to always consider directly contacting the park(s) they plan to visit for the policy at that location with regards to both recreational and nonrecreational uses.
Speaking of land-use, in June the Jackson Town Council voted unanimously to incorporate a land acknowledgment into town meetings as a first step towards increasing awareness and relationships with local Tribes going forward. However, Wyoming Public Radio recently investigated how these land acknowledgments fall short of what’s actually needed by Indigenous Tribes, which primarily includes land as the key to true reparation.
Teton County has also been hosting a Powwow in recent years to celebrate and share Native American culture and history.
Indigenous peoples have a deep history in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, with evidence of human inhabitants in GTNP dating back to at least 11,000 years ago. Along with that historical prominence, the importance of Indigenous Peoples Day lies in its emphasis on recognizing the vibrant Indigenous cultures that continue to contribute to the legacies of place in the U.S. today.
At the National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA), there is an increasing commitment to amplifying Native voices and experience by bringing awareness to historic indigenous presence and current cultural expression in both the permanent collection and programming.
Most recently, the NMWA partnered with the Wind River Foundation for the second year in a row to bring contemporary Northern Arapaho artist Robert Martinez and Northern Arapaho singer-songwriter Christian Wallowing Bull to the Museum for First Sunday programming.
“We strive to hold events like this one where our venue serves as a platform for Indigenous artists to share their work with the community directly,” NMWA Director of Marketing Madison Webb Stanko tells Buckrail.
Additionally, among new invitees to Western Visions this year were two Native artists, Stella Mall and Starr Hardridge. Hardridge is also represented in the NMWA’s permanent collection.
On Oct. 21, the NMWA will open their first exhibition dedicated to Inuit art called “Transformations: Wildlife in Inuit Art and Culture,” and in November the NMWA is planning to roll out a new Indigenous access program to allow any enrolled Tribal member to enjoy free museum admission.
“We are always working towards inclusivity and elevating underrepresented voices in our spaces,” NMWA Curator of Art Tammi Hanawalt shares with Buckrail. “We see Native artists as part of our community and we look to find ways to recognize from varied perspectives the relationship between humans and wildlife.”
According to the Teton County Land Acknowledgement, Teton County encompasses the ancestral homelands of the Nimi’ (Bannock), Niitsitapi (Blackfeet), Apsáalooke (Crow), Newe (Eastern Shoshone), Aaniiih (Gros Ventre), Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) and Hinono’eino (Northern Arapaho) Peoples, all Tribes that continue to exist and impact American landscape and society today.
