Albuquerque residents celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day amid political tension in Washington

Under cloudy gray skies, people gathered near Albuquerque’s Old Town Monday in rainbow-colored ribbon skirts, beaded medallions and moccasins to celebrate New Mexico’s seventh annual Indigenous Peoples Day.

The state Legislature formally changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in 2019, putting New Mexico among three other states to shed a holiday that many Native American advocates said was disrespectful.

This year’s celebration comes amid tension between the White House’s vocal opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion and states that continue to honor these initiatives.

“The current presidential administration is actively trying to re-glorify Columbus, a man who wasn’t just lost, but whose legacy is soaked in genocide, violence and the beginning of centuries of erasures,” said state Rep. Andrea Romero, D–Santa Fe, the co-sponsor of the holiday change. “I mean, come on, we know this — Columbus did not discover anything. You can’t discover a place where people have lived for tens of thousands of years.”

In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that directed the Smithsonian and the Department of the Interior to remove exhibits and signage that depicted American history “in a negative light,” including material about slavery and colonization of Native Americans.

Here in New Mexico, tensions aren’t as high as on the national stage.

“It’s unfortunate that efforts to change the messaging around these observances have caused controversy, when in truth, both deserve recognition,” said Republican Party of New Mexico chairwoman Amy Barela. “We can acknowledge Columbus Day as a part of our shared history while also celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day as a tribute to the first peoples of this land and all they continue to bring to our society.”

While New Mexico was not the first state to move away from Columbus Day, which had been celebrated since 1937, it was part of the first wave of states and territories to do so. Today, 17 states and the District of Columbia celebrate Native American heritage on the second Monday of October.

The change has special importance in New Mexico, a state that is home to 23 different Indigenous groups— including 19 pueblos, three Apache tribes and the Navajo Nation.

Albuquerque, in particular, has multiple tracts of pueblo-owned land both inside and surrounding the city.

“Albuquerque is the hub of Indian country,” said Darius Lee Smith, of the Navajo Nation.

On Monday, people celebrated at Tiguex Park in Old Town, undeterred by overcast weather. Attendees gathered around booths of beaded jewelry, listened to drum circles and watched children learn how to hoop dance.

Smith, one of the event organizers, said the day’s celebration isn’t just about healing old wounds, but bringing together different tribal communities and exercising civil rights that were hard-won.

“It’s important to exercise your civil right to come out and celebrate,” Smith said as music from a Native American rock band played behind him.

Monday’s celebration was the vision of state Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, who spearheaded the initiative in 2019.

At a ceremony at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on Monday, Lente reflected on the bill’s passage after opening with a greeting in Tiwa.

“Today, this holiday reminds us, or should remind us, that our societal battles are waged, won and sometimes lost in courtrooms, in legislative hearing rooms — no longer do we use our fists, stones, bows and arrows,” Lente said.

Lente also sees the celebration as the beginning of a path to reconciliation and a duty to future generations.

“We come from a resilient culture that is thriving as we heal,” Lente said. “And as we heal, we continue to do so with pride, knowing that we are the blessings that our ancestors prayed for, and someday we will be the ancestors our future is relying on.”