Find out why we celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day

In the United States on the second Monday of October, we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. You may ask yourself: Who are Indigenous people? Why do we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day? The word indigenous is used to describe people and other living things that are native to an area. This means that they have always been there. Today many of the people in countries all over the world are not Indigenous. They can often be traced back to colonialism. In the 1400s European countries began invading distant parts of the world and claiming the land as their own. They established colonies in those areas. Many Europeans moved to these colonies and settled there. The Indigenous people who had always lived there were pushed off their land. Some were enslaved, and millions were killed by war or disease. For many of the Indigenous people in these places, their way of life disappeared, but they held onto their traditions and culture. Today many governments and individuals want to bring attention to Indigenous peoples and acknowledge that they were mistreated. There are hundreds of Indigenous groups in the United States. They have different names, cultures, and histories, but they are all celebrated on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.