10th annual Indigenous Peoples' Day festival held on Randall's Island: 'We come protecting our life ways'

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — For the 10th year in a row, the Indigenous Peoples' Day New York City Committee (IPDNYC) is holding a celebration of Native American culture, with this year's festival promoting its themes of unity and protection.

“We come protecting our homeland, our mountains, our waters, our land bases, our languages, our life ways,” Hawaiian culture and environmental protection advocate Auntie Pua told 1010 WINS on Sunday.

The free festival will run until sundown on Sunday, and continue from 7 a.m. through 2 p.m. on Monday. Monday’s programming will begin with a sacred Sunrise Tobacco and Water Ceremony, held where the East River meets the shore.

The ceremony will be led by cultural practitioner Chenae Bullock, an IPDNYC member who represents the Shinnecock Nation and the Montauk people. She will guide attendees through the protocol by calling in prayer offerings, “symbolizing that water holds memories and recognizes those closest to it.”

Throughout the day, attendees can also discover works from Indigenous artisans; eat festival foods like fry bread and buffalo burgers; and attend Powwows featuring traditional dancers who will perform the Eastern Blanket, Smoke Dance and Eastern War vs. Eastern Woodland.

Despite this being the 10th year of programming, neither the mayor nor the governor has attended the festival, which is the East Coast’s largest gathering of its kind. NYC does not officially recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

“I think what’s happened here in New York City, they’ve been able to kind of sweep it under the rug. Because the educational department has somewhat recognized it, but they’ve made it a joint holiday with Italian Heritage Day,” Chenae told 1010 WINS. “I know that people want to please everybody, but you really have to put a foot down.”

IPDNYC has launched a petition to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day in order to pay homage to Native American culture and Indigenous resilience through historical trauma.

“More and more people are questioning the celebration of Columbus Day each year,” Cliff Matias, founding member of IPDNYC and founder of the Redhawk Native American Council said. “This shift reflects a broader understanding of our nation’s full history and the growing recognition of Indigenous peoples’ contributions and resilience.”

Advocates at the festival encourage others to come and learn, and said that events like this work as a strengthening tool for the Indigenous community.

“We’re here to deepen, we’re here to get stronger. We’re here to be clearer. We’re here to pray harder, stand stronger,” Auntie Pua said.