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Today's news
A third day of war is underway as Israel responds to a surprise attack by Hamas. Israeli media says more than 700 Israelis have been killed, and others are being held captive in Gaza. Israel has in turn launched air strikes into Gaza, killing what authorities say is more than 400 people there.
Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza on Saturday.
Fatima Shbair / AP
A tale of two holidays
Indigenous Peoples' Day honors Native Americans, their resilience and their contributions to U.S. society in the face of generations of assimilation, discrimination and genocide. It shifts focus away from the federal holiday named after Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, who is credited with discovering the Americas — despite the devastating effects that colonization had on the Indigenous people who already lived there.
Protesters marched in an Indigenous Peoples Day rally in Boston on Oct. 10, 2020, as part of a demonstration to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Boston Globe / Boston Globe via Getty Images
There are no set rules on how to mark the day, though there are some recommended activities. You can look up — and formally acknowledge — which Indigenous lands you're on, attend a community or virtual event and support Indigenous causes, businesses and authors.
Columbus Day is still a federal holiday and celebrated in many states — the explorer remains a significant figure to many, particularly in the Italian American community.
Picture show
Professor emerita Henrietta Mann (Cheyenne), a pioneer in Native American studies, received a National Humanities Medal from President Biden in 2021. The White House citation honors Mann "for dedicating her life to strengthening and developing Native American education."
Matika Wilbur
Photographer Matika Wilbur, of Swinomish and Tulalip descent, set out on a mission in 2012: to illustrate Native Americans' diversity and complexity by photographing members of all the then-562 federally-recognized U.S. tribes. More than 10 years , 600,000 miles and several vehicles later, she has published her portraits and interviews in a book called Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America — a work she describes to NPR as one of "narrative correction."
Recommended reads and listens
Contenders and My Powerful Hair are two recent children's books about Indigenous heritage.
Henry A. Abrams & Kokila
Many Indigenous authors are writing about the past, present and future of Native life and culture in the U.S. Here are some who have recently shared their stories with NPR:
Check out some of the podcast episodes from the NPR Network that spotlight Native stories:
Stories you may have missed
The waters off Morro Rock could be a bellwether for climate change, since warmer water species may migrate into the area as the ocean heats up.
Robert Schwemmer/NOAA
The Biden administration is one step away from designating the first national marine sanctuary nominated by a tribe. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary would prevent wind turbines and offshore oil platforms from being installed in some 5,600 square miles of ocean off the central California coast — land that has been sacred to the Chumash people for 20,000 years.
The city of Denver donated 35 bison to several Native American tribes and one memorial council in Colorado, Oklahoma and Wyoming. It's an example of Indigenous people reclaiming stewardship over land and animals that their ancestors managed for generations.
After much lobbying, an Alaska school district can now operate on an academic calendar aligned with seasonal subsistence harvests. That lets students participate in the fall moose hunt and spring migratory bird harvest, learning traditional knowledge that can't be gained in a classroom.
This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi. Suzanne Nuyen contributed.
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