Indigenous Peoples Day opens with ceremony and sunrise


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The event has been held since 2014. In 2023, Minnesota recognized Indigenous Peoples Day as a state holiday.

Sage and chatter filled the morning air as people made tobacco offerings at Bde Maka Ska. The large turnout gathered on the shores of Thomas Beach in Minneapolis for a prayer and celebration ceremony at the dawn of Indigenous Peoples Day.

Organizers have held the ceremony since 2014, the year the Minneapolis City Council voted to observe Indigenous Peoples Day.

 “One of our values as a people is our people, our loved ones, our community, our relatives, our neighbors — the fact that our existence is resistance,” said Christine McDonald, American Indian Community Specialist with the City of Minneapolis. McDonald, who is Anishinaabe and Hunkpapa, said she advocated for the sunrise ceremony when the city first adopted Indigenous Peoples Day.