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Oklahoma City declares Indigenous Peoples Day at First Americans Museum

OKC Mayor David Holt stands with FAM CEO Kelli Mostellar at the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration
Abigail Siatkowski
/
OPMX
OKC Mayor David Holt stands with FAM CEO Kelli Mostellar at the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration

Tribal citizens from across Oklahoma traveled to the First Americans Museum to celebrate their heritage on Indigenous Peoples Day.

The event featured food, festivities and an announcement from Osage citizen and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt.

While no tribe is headquartered in Oklahoma City, the area has one of the highest concentrations of Indigenous people.

According to Holt, the proclamation is part of an effort to ensure the city’s place as a capital for preserving the heritage and culture of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations.

“We're sort of a neutral place where everybody can come together,” Holt said. “Our capital city, our largest city, certainly should speak to the Native experience when that is such an important part of not just our history–but our contemporary life.”

Holt was the first mayor to recognize the holiday officially in a proclamation in 2018.

Recently, many states and cities have switched from celebrating Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. As of 2023, Oklahoma, which has the 2nd largest tribal population per capita in the United States, has not.

However, Holt said he believed the city should celebrate Indigenous peoples, not Christopher Columbus.

“I'm well aware that there is tension over this day or the particular choice of when it occurs. But you know, I always remind people, Christopher Columbus Day has never been recognized in the city of Oklahoma City,” Holt said. “I'm not taking anything away from anybody. It simply doesn't exist. And we are the capital city of a state with 39 tribal nations. This is our focus…our Indigenous people.”


This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.

Katie Hallum covers Indigenous Affairs at KOSU.
Oklahoma Public Media Exchange
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