Native American Day is a holiday observed in several states in celebration of
Native American culture. In
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, the holiday is designated on the fourth Friday of September, whereas in
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...
and
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, it falls on the second Monday of October. Within each of these states, Native American Day honors the cultural contributions of Native American communities to the respective state's history, as well as to the overall country. The state of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
celebrates Native American Heritage Day on the Friday immediately following the fourth Thursday in November. The state of
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...
observes a similar American Indian Day each year on the fourth Monday of September. President George W. Bush signed into law legislation introduced by Congressman Joe Baca (D-Calif.), to designate the Friday after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day.
California
In 1939, Governor Culbert Olson declared October 1 to be "Indian Day", making California the first state to honor this holiday. In 1968, Governor
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
signed a
resolution calling for a holiday called American Indian Day, to be held the Fourth Friday in September. In 1998, the California Assembly passed AB 1953, which made Native American Day an official state holiday, designated annually on the fourth Friday in September. In 2021, the State of California amended section 135 of the Code of Civil Procedure (effective January 1, 2022), making Native American Day a judicial holiday; Columbus Day remains on the list of holidays in Government Code 6700, but it is no longer a judicial holiday.
Nevada
In 1997, the state of Nevada also declared the Fourth Friday of September as Native American Day.
South Dakota
In 1989, the South Dakota legislature unanimously passed legislation proposed by Governor
George S. Mickelson
George Speaker Mickelson (January 31, 1941April 19, 1993) was an American politician and Vietnam War veteran who served as the 28th governor of South Dakota from 1987 until his death in 1993 in a plane crash near Zwingle, Iowa.
His father, G ...
to proclaim 1990 as the "Year of Reconciliation" between Native Americans and whites, to change
Columbus Day to Native American Day and to make Martin Luther King's birthday into a state holiday.
Since 1990, the second Monday in October has been celebrated as Native American Day in South Dakota.
On October 3, 2017, The Proclamation of Native American day was announced by the Mayor of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Accepting the Proclamation would be the Lakota-Dakota-Nakota representatives of Sioux Falls.
South Dakota and Vermont, which celebrates
Indigenous Peoples' Day, are the only states to practice non-observance of the federal holiday of Columbus Day.
Tennessee
In 1994, the state General Assembly established the "fourth Monday in September of each year" to be especially observed in Tennessee as "American Indian Day"
TCA 15-2-106, "to recognize the contributions of American Indians with suitable ceremony and fellowship designed to promote greater understanding and brotherhood between American Indians and the non-Indian people of the state of Tennessee".
Washington
In 2014, the Washington state Legislature designated the Friday immediately following the fourth Thursday in November, currently a state legal and school holiday" to be recognized and honored as "Native American Heritage Day."
RCW 1.16.050, " recognize and honor Washington state's proud and resonant Native American heritage".
See also
*
Indigenous Peoples' Day
*
Native American Heritage Day
*
Native American Indian Heritage Month
*
Opposition to Columbus celebrations
*
Brazilian Native American Day
Notes
References
California
The text of the 1998 bill
South Dakota
South Dakota legislation
South Dakota holiday legislation
Public holidays in the United States
September observances
Indigenous peoples days
Friday
October observances
Monday observances
Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month)
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