International Indigenous Peoples’ Day
By: Maggie Laubscher
Hey United Nations, thank you for creating this holiday! It may not be a public holiday, but International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is an annual UN holiday every August 9. And we are here for it. The holiday honors the first UN meeting on Indigenous populations, which was in Geneva in 1982.
The goal of the holiday is to raise awareness and solve the myriad of problems faced by Indigenous people. As a refresher, Indigenous people refers to groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area, rather than people who settle in the area later on. They are inherent to the land around them and bring meaning to it. Yet, although they make up 6 percent of the global population, they account for about 15 percent of the extreme poor, according to the World Bank. Their life expectancy is also up to 20 years lower than most.
So, let’s pull up. Follow their feeds, donate to their organizations, read up on their issues. Because it’s true: we are all in this together.
Hāwane Rios
Hāwane Rios is a Hawaiian Indigenous activist, singer and dancer. Her Instagram is filled with insights, marches and issues that desperately need highlighting.
Dream of Wild Health
Dream of Wild Health rocks the farmers market life. Based outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, the company runs an Indigenous Food Share CSA, selling farm-fresh produce grown by Native Americans. Dream of Wild Health also runs a Garden Warriors program, where kids can learn about gardening, seed saving, and other aspects of farming.
Native Seed/SEARCH
Native Seed/SEARCH is a nonprofit that helps Native Americans grow native foods and aims to revitalize native foods across the US. Native Seed preserves crop diversity and offers free seed packets to Native Americans in the southwest.
Winona LaDuke
Winona LaDuke is a well-known Indigenous rights activist and farmer, as well as a beautiful, outspoken educator on Indigenous people’s rights and issues.
Thunder Valley Community Development
Thunder Valley Community Development is a rad grassroots Lakota organization that fosters healthy food habits on the Pine Ridge Reservation in North Dakota. The group has upped food production on the reservation and trains people on food history and gardening.