Indigenous Groups Advocate for Statewide Recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day

The Pequossette people once walked upon the lands now known as Belmont. Yet today, although Belmont celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day by closing town offices, the town’s website provides limited information about the people who once lived on these lands.

According to the town’s History and Facts webpage, in 1638, the Pequossette people sold the land where Watertown now stands to colonists for 13 pounds, 7 shillings, and 6 pence, and “the original settlement spread inland extensively into the present towns of Watertown, Waltham, Weston, Lincoln, and parts of Cambridge and Belmont.”

However, we must consider the greater context of this transaction to fully understand it, wrote History and Theory of Architecture Professor Mark Jarzombek, Ph.D., in a Belmont Citizens Forum article entitled “Native Peoples Lived in Belmont”; after smallpox and other diseases wiped out most Indigenous peoples of the area, “the survivors had little choice. There were not enough warriors to defend the land from the newcomers.”

From 1675 to 1676, the surviving Indigenous peoples of the northeastern woodlands banded together and fought against the colonists in King Philip’s War, he wrote. However, “the brutal war ended badly for the [Indigenous people].”

He added that “families were separated, and some were sold as enslaved people and sent to Caribbean sugar plantations. The surviving were forcibly clustered together in enclaves in Cape Cod and the islands.”

Then, in 1869, the Massachusetts Act of Enfranchisement effectively abolished Indigenous peoples’ tribal control of lands, wrote Jarzombek. This created a legal justification for colonists to purchase additional Indigenous lands. “To become a citizen of the state, the newly minted ‘Native American’ had to become complicit in government structures that unraveled ancient bonds of community,” he wrote.

According to Data USA–a website that visualizes data from the US Census Bureau–in 2022, only 14,740 people in Massachusetts (approximately 0.2% of the population) identified themselves as “American Indian and Alaska Native.”

Although 28 towns and cities across Massachusetts—including Belmont—now recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, it has not yet been established as a statewide holiday. That said, Indigenous groups are advocating for a bill that could change that.

The Fight for Statewide Recognition

Introduced in February 2023, H.2989/S.1976 puts forth that “the governor shall annually issue a proclamation setting apart the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day and recommending that it be observed by the people, with appropriate exercises in the schools and otherwise, to acknowledge the history of genocide and discrimination against Indigenous peoples, and to recognize and celebrate the thriving cultures and continued resistance and resilience of Indigenous peoples and their tribal nations.”

S.1976 was passed by the Massachusetts Senate in May, and H.2989 is awaiting review by the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

In March 2021, Representatives Jack Lewis of Framingham and Brandy Fluker Oakley of Boston introduced a previous version of the bill. However, it was tabled by the Massachusetts House of Representatives in January 2023.

The current bill was proposed by House Representative Christine Barber of Somerville.

These bills build upon a national movement for the renaming of the holiday; “Native peoples have been advocating for the renaming of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day since the 1970s,” states the website for Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness (MCNAA).

MCNAA provides opportunities for Indigenous people to express and preserve their cultural traditions, as well as to access support for meeting their basic needs. The non-profit also works to increase public education about Indigenous peoples, and to improve racial equity in the region.

To honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day, MCNAA suggests that people read books by Indigenous authors, support Indigenous businesses, share knowledge about the holiday, engage in deeper conversations, attend events hosted by Indigenous organizations, and donate to organizations that support Indigenous people.

This year, several advocacy groups are leading a march downtown to demonstrate support for Massachusetts to establish Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a statewide holiday.

The march is scheduled for noon at the Park St. MBTA station, and the advocacy groups sponsoring the event include Indigenous Peoples’ Day MA, United American Indians of New England, North American Indian Center of Boston, Cultural Survival, MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda, New Democracy Coalition, and Italian Americans for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The Belmont Religious Council (BRC) will also be holding an event called “Belmont Serves” on Oct.14 at 9 a.m. at First Church in Belmont Center on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

According to a memo about the event, “this year’s choices include a conservation project with the Belmont Conservation Volunteers to remove invasive species within walking distance, a food collection for the Belmont Food Pantry, and helping at the [Pequossette Park] playground. Work gloves and long pants and sleeves are recommended for conservation and park projects. After our work together, join us for a celebration, pizza lunch and Rancatore’s ice cream.”