when was indigenous peoples' day created

Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the United States grew out of organizing in the 1970s and was first officially created at the local level in the early 1990s, then later formally recognized by the federal government in 2021.

Key dates in its creation

• In 1977, Indigenous activists and allies proposed replacing Columbus Day with a celebration of Indigenous peoples at a United Nations conference on discrimination against Indigenous populations in the Americas.

• On October 22, 1991, the Berkeley, California, City Council formally adopted Indigenous Peoples’ Day, first observed in 1992, making it one of the first U.S. jurisdictions to officially create the holiday.

• In 1989, South Dakota became the first U.S. state to replace Columbus Day with a holiday honoring Indigenous people, with celebrations beginning in 1990 (often referred to as Native American Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, depending on the source).

Federal recognition

• On the federal level, the second Monday in October was long marked only as Columbus Day, but in 2021 President Joe Biden issued the first presidential proclamation formally recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the United States.

• Since then, annual presidential proclamations have continued, and more states and cities have officially adopted Indigenous Peoples’ Day alongside or in place of Columbus Day.

Quick Scoop: what to remember

• The idea was created in 1977 at a UN conference.

• The first major city adoption was Berkeley in 1991, first celebrated in 1992.

• The first state-level change was South Dakota in 1989, with 1990 celebrations.

• The first U.S. presidential proclamation was in 2021, giving it national-level recognition as Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday in October.

In everyday terms, when people ask “when was Indigenous Peoples’ Day created,” they are usually referring either to Berkeley’s 1991 decision and 1992 celebration, or to its 2021 recognition by a U.S. president as a nationally acknowledged day.