A full day of dancing competitions, panel discussions, art, live music and a powwow at Grand Park and City Hall commemorated the first Indigenous Peoples Day in the city of Los Angeles on Oct. 9, one of the largest celebrations in the country.

“By illuminating the truth, we can eliminate the harm,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, a member of the Wyandotte Nation, who led the charge to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day on the city’s calendar. “As we right a historical wrong of epic proportions, we can help in the healing of a nation.”

The day’s events began at 7 a.m. with a sunrise ceremony at First and Main streets, and concluded 12 hours later with performances from the Black Eyed Peas and Native American rock band Redbone. Pat Vegas, one of the band’s founders, said he’s been waiting decades to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day in Los Angeles, where Redbone started.

Thousands attended the inaugural Indigenous Peoples Day in the city of Los Angeles at Grand Park and City Hall. (photo by Luke Harold)

Food trucks lined up along Broadway, and vendors in the park sold dreamcatchers, traditional instruments, artwork, and other Native American clothing and accessories. Grand Park’s Christopher Columbus statue was covered with a box as it awaits removal.

“It’s a wonderful way to have the native community together and show that we are still here. It’s not something of the past, it’s present, it’s happening and it will forever happen,” said Roxy Escoto, who attended with her husband, a member of the Cheyenne Tribe, on behalf of the Torres Martinez Tribal TANF, a nonprofit that offers financial assistance to families in need.

Cities including Seattle, Berkeley, San Francisco, Denver and Portland have adopted Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day on their local calendars as the legacy of Christopher Columbus continues to be called into question. O’Farrell introduced a motion in 2015 for the city of Los Angeles to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day on the second Monday every October. The City Council made it official in August 2017 after a 14-1 vote.

Leading up to the council’s vote last year, Columbus Day supporters, including Councilman Joe Buscaino, 15th District, argued that the explorer symbolizes immigrants who come to America seeking a better life, and that his namesake holiday serves as a day of pride for Italian-Americans. But opponents argued that his role in the genocide of indigenous people, and the ensuing erosion of their culture as more settlers came to the Americas, demanded a change. Columbus Day is still a federal holiday.

Coinciding with Indigenous Peoples Day, the Cleveland Indians were eliminated from playoff contention, marking the end of the team’s 71-year-old Chief Wahoo logo, a Native American caricature that some fans find offensive. The team announced in January that it planned to discontinue the logo starting in 2019.

Council members Monica Rodriguez, 7th District, and Paul Koretz, 5th District, were among the elected officials who joined the celebration.

“We all need to learn to honor and coexist with each other. I look forward to facing those challenges together in partnership with all the indigenous people on Turtle Island,” Koretz said, referring to the name some indigenous people have used for North America.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis presented the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission with a proclamation honoring their contributions to the community and role in bringing about the newest holiday. Last year, the county supervisors also voted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day on the county calendar.

“The county of Los Angeles is rich because of you, because of your culture, because of your history, because of your talents and who you represent,” she said. “And yet for the longest time, our country and our state and our region didn’t honor and recognize the importance of your contributions.”