In 2021, President Biden officially recognized Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples' Day. Here's what to know.
What Is Indigenous People’s Day and Why Is It Celebrated?
Updated on Jun. 16, 2025
We’ve all heard of Columbus Day—it’s a federal October holiday in the U.S. that marks the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas. But have you heard about Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
This important (and still unofficial in many places) holiday is celebrated on the same day, and for years, Native American communities have been advocating for it to gain recognition. It’s a day to honor the rich cultures, histories and resilience of Indigenous peoples—not the legacy of colonization.
Curious to learn more? You’re in the right place. Below, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about Indigenous Peoples’ Day—its history, how it came to be and why it matters now more than ever.
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What is the difference between Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day?
While Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day may fall on the same date in October, they represent very different perspectives. Columbus Day commemorates Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas. In contrast, Indigenous Peoples’ Day honors the rich history, cultures and contributions of Native communities—many of whom view Columbus not as a hero, but as a symbol of colonization, displacement and the suffering of Indigenous populations that followed his arrival.
When was October 10 recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
On October 8, 2021, President Biden moved the nation closer to the truth by becoming the first to officially recognize October 10 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a holiday that has been proposed by Native tribes for decades. “For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures. Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society,” he wrote in a statement released by the White House.
Biden continued his proclamation with a vague commitment to human rights and a “brighter future and promise of equity for Tribal Nations.” So what are the implications of the president’s words on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, both in terms of history and the future of the country? First, let’s establish some facts.
Is Indigenous Peoples’ Day a federal holiday?
While Biden’s statement represents an extraordinary step forward for the federal government, a press statement does not make Indigenous Peoples’ Day a federal holiday. Congress holds the power to establish federal holidays, as it did with Columbus Day in 1971, and that leap still has not been taken.
But the words of a sitting president do carry weight, and they very well may set the stage for Congress to take up such legislation in the not-too-distant future. After all, Juneteenth, a day marking the military enforcement of President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freeing enslaved African Americans, was just declared a federal holiday in January 2021.
Is Indigenous Peoples’ Day new?
Native Americans have been fighting for the holiday since 1977. While the highest office in the land is only now speaking to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the concept of a holiday about Native American history replacing Columbus Day is not new. The idea was first proposed back in 1977 at a United Nations conference that had been convened to address discrimination against Native peoples.
After that, it slowly began to take hold in states across America. So while the federal government still does not consider it a legal holiday, more than 15 states do—and some have turned away from Columbus Day entirely.
Advocates say making Indigenous Peoples’ Day a national holiday would help counter the whitewashing that’s all too common in American history. Just compare the Thanksgiving story most children hear in school against the real history of Thanksgiving.
What was the first state to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
The first state to abandon Columbus Day was South Dakota, which officially renamed the holiday Native American Day in 1990. Interestingly, the state is home to one of the most controversial monuments, Mount Rushmore, which rests on stolen Sioux land.
Other states followed suit over the years, including Alaska, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. In addition, the state of Hawaii celebrates Discoverer’s Day to recognize the Polynesian discoverers of the Hawaiian islands. Even in states that do not recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, there are many municipalities whose local governments have done so.
Why rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
At the heart of the matter lies the simple, horrible fact that Christopher Columbus and his men committed many atrocities against the Native peoples of the Americas, including rape, enslavement and the spreading of disease. (Not to mention this little fact about Columbus: He wasn’t even the first explorer to arrive at these lands; the Vikings, led by Leif Eriksson, beat him to it by about half a millennium.)
Case in point: The native Taino who greeted Columbus when he stumbled upon the Caribbean islands in 1492 had been living there for thousands of years. By the mid-1500s, they were practically extinct.
Is there conflict with changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
Yes! The main push to keep Columbus Day a national holiday comes from the Italian American community.Being an immigrant in the United States has never been easy. In the late 1880s and early 1900s, when the first wave of Italians resettled in America, they faced intense disdain and discrimination. For this displaced community, the celebration of Christopher Columbus was a beacon of hope that one day the greatness of all Italian Americans would be embraced.
That is why today, despite the controversy surrounding the true history of Columbus, Italian Americans cling to him as a figure of Italian heritage and accomplishment. The National Italian American Foundation still proudly refuses to relinquish Columbus Day, choosing to remember the explorer as “the catalyst that initiated over 500 years of immigration to the Americas by people from every corner of the Earth.”
Times, however, are changing. America is reckoning with its past and rethinking the people and symbols it celebrates in the present. It’s possible that one day the National Italian American Foundation will settle on an alternate historical figure to represent Italian Americans’ rich cultural heritage.
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Sources:
- NPR: “Goodbye, Columbus? Here’s what Indigenous Peoples’ Day means to Native Americans”
- The Wall Street Journal: “Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day: What to Know”
- Smithsonian Magazine: “Rethinking How We Celebrate American History—Indigenous Peoples’ Day”
- Library of Congress: “The Great Arrival”
- Library of Congress: “Exploring the Early Americas”
- National Italian American Foundation: “Christopher Columbus”
- Pew Research: “Working on Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day? It depends on where your job is”
