The recognition of Indigenous People’s Day every second Monday in October was federally recognized during President Obama’s tenure, intended to “replace” Columbus Day, which was officially recognized in 1937.
The change makes sense: Christopher Columbus never set foot in North America, and Norse explorers landed in the continent 500 years before any other Europeans, and there were an estimated 50-100 million people already here by that time.
Side note: Wisconsin was the first to make Leif Erikson Day a state holiday in 1929, occurring every October 9 to recognize the first Europeans to land in North America - a journey with its own tangled history, but one with far fewer war crimes. Minnesota began recognizing the holiday in 1931, and its popularity has grown since that time.
Hawaii designated “Discover’s Day” in 1972, celebrating the Pacific and Polynesian navigators who settled the islands thousands of years ago.
South Dakota followed with Native American Day in 1989, and from there Co…
