Indigenous Peoples' Day
✨2025 Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration✨
nilh tu o: Weaving the Past, Present and Future
📅 Monday, October 13, 2025
🕠 Doors open: 5:30 p.m. (with dinner service)
🎤 Program: 6:00–8:00 p.m.
💃 Jam + dancing: 8:00 p.m.–late
📍 Location: Lummi Nation School
2334 Lummi View Dr, Bellingham, WA
Please join our local community in celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This year’s theme is: nilh tu o: Weaving the Past, Present and Future. Nilh tu o (pronounced Neesh tu o) translates from Xwlemi language to “since the beginning/creation". Since the Beginning of Creation: Weaving the Past, Present and Future.
We will enjoy a community dinner catered by local caterer Seawolf Surf n Turf managed by local business owner Cesarita Ballew. A special thank you to community members who have donated over 200lbs of salmon for this celebration.
This year's event will be joined by local Washington State Poet Laureate, Rena Priest (Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation) who will share a keynote address with our gathering. The student ASB from Lummi Nation School will be presenting include speakers, Shane James, Isabella O’Leary, Madelyn Williams
Singing, dancing and jam out to follow events! All drum groups are welcome to jam. Host drum group is the BlackHawk Singers.
🌎 All are welcome!
This family-friendly, intergenerational community event for everyone in Whatcom County. This event is also inviting students from:
- Lummi Nation School
- Northwest Indian College
- Whatcom Community College
- Bellingham Technical College
- Ferndale & Bellingham School Districts
- Western Washington University
- Dinner, community, student speakers, music, and dancing — come celebrate with us!
What is Indigenous Peoples’ Day and who celebrates it?
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a holiday celebrated on the second Monday of October in the United States, in lieu of Columbus Day. Indigenous Peoples’ Day, at its core, aims to celebrate and honor the past, present, and futures of Native peoples throughout the United States and acknowledges the legacy of colonialism, which has devastated Indigenous communities historically and continues to negatively impact them today. More importantly, however, Indigenous Peoples’ Day moves beyond the narrative of oppression and honors the histories, cultures, contributions, and resilience of contemporary Native peoples.
The original intention of Indigenous Peoples’ Day was to acknowledge the contributions of the first caretakers of this land. This continues to be true and this year’s event furthers this goal by centering the leadership and knowledge Indigenous people bring forward to address today’s pressing issues. We hope you join in on listening and participating in the dialogue!
Acknowledgement
In gathering for Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we acknowledge the important history that built what we enjoy today. In 1977, a delegation of Native nations to the United Nations-sponsored International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas, held in Geneva, proposed (and passed) a resolution to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In 1990, the Berkeley, California city council stood with Native communities and allies by establishing the first Indigenous Peoples’ Day formally acknowledged by a major U.S. city as a counter-protest to the upcoming 1992 quincentennial “celebration” of Christopher Columbus’ landing that was being planned in the Bay Area. In 2013, Whatcom Community College (WCC) organized by students and allies organized the first iteration of Whatcom County’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In 2014, Bellingham City Council member Roxanne Murphy proposed the establishment of Coast Salish Day that was passed unanimously. In 2017 WCC invited Bellingham Technical College, Northwest Indian College, and Western Washington University to co-collaborate in organizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day forming the growing coalition we enjoy today!
Supporting Partners
This event is sponsored by the Community Consortium for Cultural Recognition. Learn more at Indigenous Peoples’ Day .
A special thank you to Puget Sound Energy (PSE) for being a community sponsor of this event. Many thanks to the partner organizations who contributed to this celebration including:
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is funded and coordinated through the support of many community partners that make up the Community Consortium for Cultural Recognitions.
All are welcome to join us for this celebration! AA/EO for questions, feedback, and accommodations please contact Tribal.Relations@wwu.edu #IndigenousPeoplesDay
Contact Information
simone-calais staley | she & her
Assistant Director, Lhaq’temish-ew’xw ets’e Xwlemi’ - House of Healing - Tribal Relations Office
Western Washington University
516 High Street, Bellingham WA 98225
staleys3@wwu.edu| VU 733 | 360-650-7404
I live and work on the homelands of the Lhaq’te’mish Lummi and Nuxwsá7aq Nooksack Peoples