More Than 100 Celebrate Inaugural Cambridge Indigenous Peoples’ Day Event

More than 100 people gathered at University Park for Cambridge’s first Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration on Monday.

The event — which was locally organized with the support of the Central Square Business Improvement District — brought together tribal nations from across the East Coast and celebrated Indigenous culture through music, dance, food, and dress.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which has been officially recognized by the Biden administration since 2021, honors the cultures and histories of Indigenous Americans. It is celebrated in most states either alongside or in place of Columbus Day.

Chali’Naru Dones, a member of the United Confederation of Taino People and the primary organizer of the Cambridge Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration, said the holiday is meant to allow Indigenous people from all over the Americas to celebrate and mourn their ancestry and ancestors.

“It’s also to change the narrative of what Columbus and others in history books have said — that we no longer exist — because that is a false narrative,” Dones said. “We’re here to shout it loud and proud that we are still here.”

Michael Monestime, president of the Central Square Business Improvement District and a Taino member, echoed the sentiment.

“Now we have a new annual event that brings the community together to learn from Indigenous tribes through exhibition, through performance, through storytelling, through dance, to purchase wares from vendors,” Monestime said.

Arawak educator and activist Claudia A. Fox Tree sold handmade traditional jewelry and shared her heritage during the event.

Fox Tree emphasized the importance of the holiday’s name, explaining that history is often centered around the actions of Christopher Columbus rather than “the Indigenous people who created, invented, and made it possible for the rest of the world to access their knowledge.”

Fox Tree also said that identifying with the word “Indigenous” is a way of combatting the misconception that there are no surviving members of the original American tribes.

“To claim your tribal membership and your ancestry as Indigenous is a way to fight that we are not all dead, which is the number one stereotype about Indigenous people,” she added.

Seneca Spears Jr., who performed the traditional Eastern War dance, said it is important for Indigenous people to come together and preserve their culture through displays and performances.

“We’re still here, we’re still thriving, and we’re going to keep on going and bring back everything, bring back our culture,” Spears said.

Stephanie Hamilton, an attendee, spoke about the importance of listening to and uplifting the “voices of the most oppressed.”

“As a white person, I have a lot of work to do to dismantle the white supremacy that this country is run on,” Hamilton said.

Sara Monestime, wife of Michael Monestime, said she has “enormous respect” for Indigenous people who are able to continue honoring their culture through singing, poetry, and drumming despite the “strong genocidal whitewashing” from the world.

“We owe the Native people so much because they’re able to survive given everything that was against them,” Monestime said.

—Staff writer Katie B. Tian can be reached at katie.tian@thecrimson.com.