US Indigenous People’s Day marked with celebrations, protests

More than a dozen protesters sat along the White House fence line on Monday to call on the Biden administration to do more to combat climate change and ban fossil fuels.

Indigenous people across the United States marked Monday with celebrations of their heritage, education campaigns and a push for the Biden administration to make good on its word.

The federal holiday created decades ago to recognize Christopher Columbus’ sighting in 1492 of what came to be known as the ‘Americas’ increasingly has been rebranded as Indigenous People’s Day.

For Michaela Pavlat, a cultural interpreter at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, the day is one of celebration, reflection and recognition that Indigenous communities are fighting for land rights, for the U.S. government to uphold treaties, and for visibility and understanding.