October 11: Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated every year on the second Monday in October, this year on October 11. More than 130 cities celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day – and the list grows yearly. More and more people are coming to greater awareness of the realities and struggles of North American history and its impact on Native Americans. It’s estimated that in the 130 years following the first contact with Europeans, Native America lost 95 percent of its population. Indigenous peoples are still experiencing the ongoing effects of colonialism today and continue to fight to maintain the integrity and viability of Indigenous societies.

Indigenous American history is one of cultural persistence, creative adaptation, renewal, and resilience.

At Compass Health, we acknowledge that we occupy the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, in particular the Semiahmoo, Nooksack, Lummi, Samish, Nuwhaha, Swinomish, Upper Skagit, Stillaguamish, Sauk-Suiattle, Tulalip, Snohomish, and all Coast Salish Peoples.

We respect your right to sovereignty and self-determination, and we will work to promote including Indigenous perspectives, like those of the Coast Salish Peoples, to provide a more complete narrative as it pertains to mental health.

The following are some resources to learn more about Indigenous Peoples’ Day:

• Children of the Setting Sun Productions/Lummi Nation https://www.facebook.com/events/826377584744112?ref=newsfeed
• Western Washington University https://www.wwu.edu/indigenous-peoples-day
• Mitchell Museum of the American Indian (Illinois) – student presentations and presentation and discussion with guest speakers about Indian Boarding schools in North America.
• National Museum of the American Indian (Washington DC) https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/student-programs/distance-learning/#indigenous-peoples-day
• Seattle Center Indigenous People Festival http://www.seattlecenter.com/events/featured-events/festal/indigenous-people-festival
• United Indians of All Tribes Foundation https://www.unitedindians.org/events/indigenous-peoples-day/
• Bellingham Public Schools https://bellinghamschools.org/news/indigenous-peoples-coast-salish-day/
• Washington Tribes https://www.washingtontribes.org/