Sarah Adams, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, has worked with other community members for over a decade to make this designation happen. For her, it pushes back against the longstanding tradition of the erasure of Indigenous people.
"It is significant because it is on Columbus Day," Adams said. "So it not only is a time to reflect, but it's a time to celebrate how our Indigenous communities are thriving today. It's an opportunity to talk about sovereignty."
While Mayor David Holt (Osage) has formally proclaimed Indigenous Peoples Day since 2018, the resolution keeps it protected amid leadership changes.
It does not recognize the date as a formal holiday, nor does it create any additional time off from employment obligations. It also follows the Tulsa City Council's 2017 decision to recognize "Native American Day" in the second week of October each year.
"Organizers of these events, the primary one at First Americans Museum, would really like some certainty that is mayor-proof as they continue to plan — particularly the event at First Americans Museum has become really arguably the largest in the country and has become a really major landmark in their calendar," Holt said during the council meeting.
Kelli Mosteller, a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, advocated on behalf of the museum as its executive director and CEO.
"We are coming up on our fifth year to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day…and we welcome over 3,000 guests every Indigenous Peoples Day," Mosteller said.
Adams said she plans to attend the festivities at FAM to celebrate the day as well as at Culture Hub, an Indigenous community center in Oklahoma City.
"We have an art opening for Collective Wisdom, which is a show with over 30 Indigenous artists," Adams said about Culture Hub's event. "The event starts at six and goes till nine, with the artist panel at seven. It really will be a day full of art and community conversations."
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.
