History was made in early October of 2019 when recently-elected Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers declared a statewide change that would rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. The move, completed via an executive order, made Wisconsin one of several states that no longer mark the second monday of October as Columbus Day and instead celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

While it would make 2019 the first year Wisconsin celebrated the day, Oneida Nation chairman Tehassi Hill told WPR that Wisconsin’s Oneida nation had observed it since 2012.

This begs the question: when will Minnesota join the list?

Minneapolis has observed the day for several years, according to Al Jazeera. Minneapolis has allowed both days to take place since 2014, but the state of Minnesota has yet to put through a bill that would make Indigneous Peoples’ Day a state-wide event.

A recent article from the Post Bulletin tackled the issue, clarifying that while Gov. Tim Walz has made a proclamation designating that Indigenous Peoples’ Day takes place, these designations are one year policies with no long term effect. 

As the Post Bulletin puts it, “Walz will have to issue another proclamation next year.”

While Minnesota may be behind in recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day, many students at UMD are not. On October 14th, the Indigenous Students Organization (ISO) tabled in the Kirby Commons to promote the day in addition to a film screening held later that day. 

In addition to stickers, magnets, and a raffle, the organization posted a sign proclaiming, “F**k Columbus” in bold, black letters. An edited illustration of the Italian explorer was also featured on the poster.

ISO president Reilly Manzer shared that many students reacted positively to their tabling on the 14th.

“Feedback from students is overwhelmingly positive,” Manzer explained. “We get some weird looks every now and again, but more often than not people will come up to the table to tell us they love the sign… It's really encouraging to see random people walking down the hall resonate with that message”

For many indigenous students, Indigenous People's Day represents a chance to celebrate communities that are otherwise almost complete ignored.

“Indigenous People's Day celebrates, well, indigenous people,” Manzer continued. “It's easy to forget that this country was founded on the bones and backs of others when the average student has little to no interaction with actual Native people or our history. Indigenous People's Day is a way to show people that we are still here, and that we're not going anywhere.”

Manzer added that in addition to hoping to bring more attention to the cultures, contributions, and modern lives of indigineous people, many see the day as an opportunity to counteract the praise and misconceptions surrounding Columbus Day and Christopher Columbus himself.

“Native students make such a small percentage of the campus, and it is important to have visibility, especially around a holiday that venerates a man responsible for so much pain and suffering to Native peoples,” Manzer stated. “It can feel invalidating to see a celebration of your genocide on the national stage… Folks tend to have this very ahistorical view of Columbus… To have Columbus remembered as a hero while he was selling 9 year old girls to European men is insulting.”

Professor Jill Doerfler, who teaches several courses in the UMD American Indian Studies department, feels that the limited understanding and mentioning of modern day American Indian peoples and nations warrants the need for a day which highlights them.

“There’s a research group studying the portrayal of American Indians in the media right now and the lack of representation is just astronomical compared to other groups,” Doefler explains. “I think there’s a special need for Indigenous Peoples Day because of the lack of visibility that exists for American Indian peoples and nations… people need to know that tribal nations continue to exist and operate governments today.”

Doefler is optimistic about the direction Minnesota is going in, even if at a slower pace. She notes signs of progress in the current lineup of state officials and in other programs.

“We currently have a lieutenant governor in Minnesota who’s American Indian,” Doefler continued. “I won’t be surprised if we see some change on that front soon. I think though that the Walz administration have focused their efforts in other directions.”

Those other directions include in depth improvements in the ways state and local officials in Minnesota interact with their counterparts within the various nations in the state.

“We have seen the administration make some moves in regard to the state and its agencies and how those agencies interact with nations in Minnesota.” Doefler explained. “One thing that our department does in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Transportation is they run a program called tribal-state relations training. Most recently in the last month, we had the governor there and all of the higher-up state officials.”

Further information on the status of Indigenous Peoples Day and other issues facing indigenous communities in the Duluth area, consult UMD’s American Indian Studies department, the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) and relevant local, state, and tribal nation officials.