Councillor Offers Indigenous People's Day Proclamation

City-County Councillor Jason Larrison (District 12) called for the recognition of Indigenous People’s Day in Indianapolis, saying it's “long overdue.”

“As Indianapolis celebrates its bicentennial,” Larrison said, “it’s important to remember that this land was home to Native peoples and communities for thousands of years. Our city is named for the State of Indiana, which means ‘Land of the Indians’—but the Miami and Delaware and other Nations were removed from their homelands through treaties and takings. My hope is that we as a city will do a better job reflecting our roots moving forward.”

Larrison was joined by Dr. Scott Shoemaker, who is a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and curator of Native American art, history and culture at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. Shoemaker offered his appreciation for the effort to acknowledge the past and present realities of Native Americans.

“As a Miami person and Miami Tribe of Oklahoma citizen whose people have lived here since time immemorial, whose ancestors signed the numerous treaties ceding the lands that would become the State of Indiana and City of Indianapolis, and as a resident of this city,” Shoemaker said, “I would like to thank the City of Indianapolis for recognizing today as Indigenous People’s Day.”