OKLAHOMA CITY –
Oklahoma City leaders have officially named the second Monday of every October Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The City Council passed a resolution designating the day as a celebration of Oklahoma’s tribal nations.
The push for Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Oklahoma City started more than a decade ago at City Hall. Advocates faced opposition from former city leaders, but never stopped until they had full support.
The Culture Hub in the city’s Capitol Hill District has been turned into an art gallery for Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 12.
“We are hosting an opening reception for an art show called Collective Wisdom,” said Sarah Adams, advocate.
Sarah Adams, a Choctaw Nation citizen, is excited to celebrate a day she has been advocating for since 2015. Adams saw the day go from a proclamation made by Mayor David Holt to a resolution passed by the Mayor and all city council members this year.
“Our kids will see this, our grandkids,” said Adams. “It’s really a great opportunity for us to be able to build on something that gets bigger and better every year.”
Adams and other community leaders will also be involved in events at the First Americans Museum in southeast Oklahoma City. couple
“Indigenous Peoples’ Day has definitely become a draw,” said Adrienne Lalli-Hills, First Americans Museum. “We see visitors from all over the country, a couple of international visitors as well.”
FAM is the headquarters for local Oc. 12 events celebrating Oklahoma’s 39 federally recognized tribes and their citizens.
“We’re going to have performances, dancing, and singing presentations,” said Lalli-Hills. “We’re opening a new exhibition called ‘By the Dawn’s Early Light Oklahoma Tribal Songs’.”
All of that kicks off at FAM on Monday at 10 a.m., events run all day until 4 p.m. The Indigenous Peoples’ Day art show and celebration will be held at Culture Hub in the Capitol Hill District starting at 6 p.m.
