International Day of the World’s Indigenous People celebrates the achievements of my family

International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (on August 9) was declared a worldwide holiday in 1994.

Katherine Ogle

A holiday like International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is important to me because I want to see others celebrate the achievements of my family and my tribe. I view August 9 as an opportunity to carry on the beautiful culture that my mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and those before them worked so hard to keep alive. This holiday is an opportunity for Indigenous people to have the spotlight to speak on hardships and over comings, and an opportunity for others to lift Indigenous people up.

International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is an important event because it brings awareness to the Indigenous tribes around the world. Due to the gruesome history that was caused by new colonizers, Indigenous people do not have enough forms of representation.

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When the first settlers came to North America, it was the beginning of the destruction of Native American tribes and the cause of the dramatic decrease in the native population. The settlers that came to North America came with the intention of wiping out the culture of the Native people.

Holidays that celebrate the successes and mourn the loss of Indigenous tribes are greatly important because Indigenous people make up such a small portion of the world’s population, especially in the U.S.

Because of this, it has become easy for countries to silence the outcries coming from Indigenous people.

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This holiday is important and makes significant progress for the future of Indigenous people, but more work needs to be done.

Indigenous people only make up approximately two percent of America’s population. As a consequence of this, majority of the representation of Native Americans are themselves. Because the Native population is low compared to other demographics, the outcries of Native Americans are not heard by the rest of the country.

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An important cause that needs significant representation is murdered and missing Indigenous women. All over the United States, Indigenous women are going missing and found dead. A majority of the women that are going missing are never found. Because Native Americans are such a small demographic, they are receiving little help and attention about this issue.

It is important to not speak for Native Americans, but to uplift and shine light onto their voices.

Katherine Ogle is a student at Michigan State University and plans on going into a career in counseling. She is a descendent of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Aug. 9 celebrates my family’s achievements