Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrations unite generations

Decades ago a celebration like this wouldn’t have been possible. It wasn’t until 1978 that the American Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed, allowing Native people to freely celebrate their religious and cultural practices.

Betty Handley, a Hunkpapa Lakota elder descended from Sitting Bull’s camp, sat alongside her grandson Christopher Piña watching the festivities downtown. For Handley, the celebration was groundbreaking.

“I’ve lived here since 1945 and we never saw anything like this,” said Betty Handley. “We never had powwows, dancing or anything.”

Born in 1940, Handley moved to Rapid City at five years old, leaving her home in Little Eagle, S.D., on the Standing Rock Reservation. In Rapid City, Handley spent 10 years living along Rapid Creek in a small clapboard housing village called Camp Oshkosh.

Handley grew up speaking Lakota in Camp Oshkosh but like many boarding school survivors, she eventually forgot her language and parts of her culture. She said the most celebration she remembered was when dancers from Pine Ridge would be brought into the city to perform for tourists.

“We have to stand up, speak for ourselves, and show that we are proud to be here,” Handley said.

The entire weekend was filled with festivities. Friday night, the annual Black Hills Powwow/He Sapa Wacipi kicked off at the Monument convention center with over 1,500 dancers gathering to compete in one of the nation’s most prestigious powwows.

Saturday morning, the Great Plains Tribal Leader’s Health Board organized its second annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day parade in downtown Rapid City.

Monday, NDN Collective ended the long weekend with a bang, bringing over 1,000 people downtown.

The festivities began with a march down Fifth Street, from the Memorial Park Bandshell to Main Street Square. Throughout the march, community members proudly waved flags from various tribal nations across South Dakota and even the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, representing the people who live in Rapid City.

In Main Street Square, Indigenous artists such as Tia Wood, Stella Standingbear and NorthSideBaby performed all afternoon and into the evening. Organizers ended the night with a special live performance from Macklemore.

“Originally this day was known as Columbus Day; however, here in South Dakota and across the country, we’re starting to recognize and decolonize this holiday and celebrate Indigenous people,” said Valeriah Big Eagle, NDN Collective director of strategic partnerings and Ihanktonwan Nakota/Hunkpati Dakota.

South Dakota was the first state to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, or Native American Day, in 1990 following a 1989 proclamation from Gov. George Mickelson. On Oct. 8 2021, President Joe Biden was the first president to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Only 16 states still officially recognize Columbus Day, according to the Pew Research Center.

Several states celebrate American Indian Heritage Day, Native American Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day in conjunction with Columbus Day on the second Monday of October each year.

“To be able to have a day to celebrate our culture, our lifeways, our language – it’s a tremendous celebration for us today,” Big Eagle said. “So that’s what we’re doing today, we’re celebrating Indigenous people all across Turtle Island.”

This year’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration focused on investing in the community, Big Eagle said.

Several community members were available to discuss Native voting, local organizations and sell handmade crafts. Indigenous cooks such as Oyul Fusion and Mercy Tacos set up stations in The Square to dish out Indigenous foods.

“We’re calling on all of Mni Luzahan, all of Rapid City to continue investing in the community,” Big Eagle said.