‘Erase Columbus Day’? Nevada may move Indigenous Peoples Day

A bill that would move the celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day to the same date as Columbus Day was presented at the Nevada Legislature on Tuesday, adding to a slate of bills related to the state’s Native American communities.

Assembly member Shea Backus, D-Las Vegas, is introducing Assembly Bill 144, which would change the date of Indigenous Peoples Day from Aug. 9 to the second Monday in October.

“Indigenous Peoples Day is being celebrated throughout the United States to celebrate the vast contributions of Indigenous communities and to recommit respecting tribal sovereignty and self determination, and working to usher a new era of government-to-government relationships,” Backus said at an Assembly Committee on Government Affairs hearing Tuesday.

Indigenous Peoples Day is celebrated across the country in October. Though it is not an official federal holiday, former President Joe Biden issued a proclamation recognizing the day in 2021. A 2017 Nevada law authorizes the governor to annually issue a proclamation designating Aug. 9 as Indigenous Peoples Day in Nevada, and Backus’ bill seeks to have it celebrated in Nevada the same as the rest of the country.

Over a dozen people spoke in favor of the bill Tuesday, including tribal members, spokespeople for Indigenous groups as well as representatives of organizations such as the Nevada Conservation League and UNLV. Three people spoke in opposition, saying they are concerned that celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day on the same date as Columbus Day would erase Italian heritage.

“I have a deep respect for our Native Americans and a very great love for them,” said Janine Hansen, state president of Nevada Families for Freedom. “I don’t oppose an Indigenous Peoples Day, but when you put it on Columbus Day, you essentially erase Columbus Day.”

Christopher Columbus is seen as an important icon to the Italian-American community, and the holiday celebrates the beginning of the cultural exchange between America and Europe, Hansen said.

Backus said the bill would not erase Columbus Day, as it does not seek to repeal the holiday.

“We have nothing against our Italian brothers and sisters, the Italian heritage that has been brought into the U.S. as they come as migrants, as immigrants to this country,” said the Rev. Augustin Jorquez, who spoke in support of the bill.

Sydney Williams, member of the Walker River Paiute Tribe, said Indigenous people across the state already celebrate the holiday on the second Monday in October with food, dancing and other celebrations.

“This bill would mean that the state of Nevada recognizes an already celebrated holiday by its Indigenous peoples,” Williams said. “By passing this bill, Nevada continues to foster a good relationship with its Indigenous communities by simply recognizing something that is already there.”

Other Indigenous-related bills in the session

Nevada is home to 28 federally recognized tribal groups, and over 60,000 urban Indians live in Nevada, according to Stacey Montooth, executive director of the Nevada Department of Native American Affairs.

Every legislative session, legislators bring forward bills aimed to help the state’s Indigenous community. This session is no different. Indigenous groups have their eyes on several bills.

Mathilda Miller, government relations director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada, said state Sen. James Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas, has legislation that would provide funding to allow tribal nations to recruit their own election workers rather than wrangle over who is responsible for recruiting poll workers to serve on tribal property, Miller said.

“I’m excited to actually see where that goes, especially because I’m all for any bill that is supporting nation-to-nation relationships, and I feel like this idea actually does a lot of good work to respect tribal sovereignty,” Miller said.

Assembly member David Orentlicher, D-Las Vegas, is also working on legislation that would create a state website with resources relating to elder care, Miller said.

“This is our year to make sure that our elders and our loved ones and every single Nevadan has the opportunity to make informed decisions and to feel confident about what’s going on,” she said.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.