By Dawn Knickerbocker, Board President, Urban Native Collective
When I first joined the Urban Native Collective as a volunteer and a board member, I helped create the very first Indigenous Peoples’ Day Convergence - alongside many volunteers, artists, culture bearers, and Indigenous leaders. From the beginning, we knew this gathering needed to be more than a single event to replace the so-called ‘Columbus Day’. We wanted it to be a space where Native Peoples could see themselves reflected in art, the songs, the foods, and the city as a whole for an entire weekend. And, we wanted allies to join and meet each other honestly, learn (and un-learn) together, and celebrate the strength of Indigenous life.
We chose to call it a Convergence, not a powwow, not a protest, and not a ceremony. Convergence means many paths coming together. It reflects the truth that our communities carry different histories and traditions, yet can stand side by side. It also reflects our hope that the day would welcome Native and non-Native people to move forward together.
Why We Celebrate- There are still voices that resist the shift from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Some cling to harmful myths that erase or distort the history of Native peoples. Our gathering is not about opposition. It is about truth, healing, and renewal.
At the Convergence, you will find children learning, elders teaching, artists creating, and families sharing food and ceremony. You will hear languages that have survived against great odds and see practices that carry memory into the future. This is not only a day of remembrance. It is a celebration of life, community, and the inseparable relationship between people and the land.
A Little Truth Telling- Columbus Day was never about discovery. It was about conquest, genocide, and a mythology meant to erase Indigenous Peoples. When Columbus returned from his first voyages, even in his own homeland he was criticized and stripped of titles because of the atrocities he committed. It was altogether shameful.
The celebration of Columbus Day glorifies European mythology while ignoring the lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples. To continue honoring Columbus is to overlook violence, enslavement, and theft. Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and our Convergence, calls us to tell the truth and to honor the survival, our ancestors visions and our future dreams.
As a young girl growing up in the 1970s and 80s, I was always struck by the lack of authentic representation of our People in everyday life. As an Anishinaabe girl, I saw the Jeep Cherokee, the tomahawk missile, the butter maiden on a package, and especially the sports mascots. But I did not see the beauty, artistry, creativity, or diversity of Indigenous Peoples in unexpected places.. What I saw instead were stereotypes, distortions, and images that erased who we really are. That erasure is connected to why Columbus was celebrated as a hero, while the genocide and atrocities he committed were hidden or excused. It is time to end that era of lies.
An Invitation- For Native Peoples, the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Convergence affirms that we are still here. For our allies, it is an open invitation to grow in relationship with us. Healing requires honesty, but it also requires hope- and a whole lot of fun! Step by step, story by story, we are building that hope together. It is a way for us to become friends, feast, enjoy art, music, dance, and all of the unanticipated and extraordinary rewards of togetherness!
I welcome you to join us at the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Convergence. Come with humility and curiosity. Come ready to be part of a circle that honors the past, embraces the present, and prepares the way for generations yet to come. Future vision with us!
*For the purposes of this blog post:
Indigenous refers broadly to all Indigenous Peoples, including Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Peoples from the United States territories of Guam, Hawai’i, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as the Indigenous Nations connected across the northern and southern medicine lines between Canada and Mexico. These communities represent diverse and unique cultures, and their presence deepens the circle we share.
Native American refers to American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples whose sovereignty and identities are recognized within the boundaries of the United States.
Tribal Nations refers to specific sovereign nations with their own governments, cultures, and territories