Indigenous Peoples' Day was officially recognized as a federal holiday for the first time four years ago. The holiday honors Native American people and culture.
WSHU’s Jeniece Roman spoke with Mohegan tribal historian Jason LaVigne about the significance of the day.
Roman: What is Indigenous Peoples' Day and why is it important to recognize it?
LaVigne: I think for me personally, it's a day of reflection. I would say, I would call it more than a day of celebration. I would say it's a reflection of Native history, the impact of colonialism, and I would also say the survival of Native people and how we have managed, you know, to survive, really efforts to erase Native people, and often we still are invisible. You know, in the modern world, we're often seen as relics of the past. So I think Indigenous People's Day, for me, is a day to reflect on that history.
Roman: Can you talk a little bit about what are some misconceptions that people have regarding indigenous people that you think it's important to dispel? And then also, how can people learn more about Indigenous communities in their area?
LaVigne: I would say one of the major myths is that we have disappeared. We somehow are relegated to the past. We have not survived. I am currently the manager at Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum, and we have a lot of school groups. I'd say that's one of the ways that people can engage with Native communities today is by visiting tribal museums like the Tantaquidgeon Museum or Mashantucket Pequot Museum.
There they can see how Native people have survived over the past 300 years of contact, 400 years of whatever it's been. But again, I think a lot of people still think of us as something relegated to the past. We're not modern people and that's, I think, one of the major misconceptions.
Roman: You mentioned the sort of educational programs within the museum that members of the community can visit. What are some other ways that non-Indigenous people can support indigenous communities?
LaVigne: I would say, even just by education, just knowing that Native people exist, and familiarizing themselves with some of the history. There's a lot of misconceptions out there, there's a lot of false history, I would say. Not that it's all necessarily needs to be good or bad, just I think, knowing the struggles of native communities and that our communities still exist within the United States, and the role that we have played and continue to play in American history.
I think Native American history is just as much of the part of American history as anything else. To be perfectly honest, I think just through education, through engagement, through going to museums, visiting tribes, I think is a great way to engage with Native people. Chief Harold Tantaquidgeon used to say that it's hard to hate somebody you know a lot about. So I think that is kind of the key for all of us. It is to kind of learn and understand each other a little bit.
