Indigenous Peoples’ Day
By Jeanine Gordon, Special Assistant to the President for Native American Outreach in the Office of the President
Indigenous Peoples of the United States are the original inhabitants of North America, Alaska, and Hawaii prior to European contact. American Indians of North America, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians have maintained their respective cultures, protected their respective homelands, preserved their native languages, passed on cultural knowledge and shared cultural traditions since time immemorial and long before the colonization of America.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a holiday in the United States that celebrates the contributions and spirit of resilience of America’s Indigenous peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. On this day, people are encouraged to pause and reflect on the Indigenous peoples of the homelands where they reside, work, live, thrive, recreate, etc. One can take some time on this day to learn about these peoples, their cultures, their work in relation to their lands and treaty rights, their languages, their history, their present and their future.
Whitman College is located on the traditional Weyíiletpuu, Imatalamłáma, and Walúulapam (Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla) homelands. Whitman College recognizes the historical implications of colonization and respects Tribal elders both past and present and extends respect to the Indigenous peoples of this region. Whitman honors their stewardship of the land and ecosystem and their commitment to continuing that important work.
Whitman College entered into a formal Memorandum of Agreement with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) in 2017. That Memorandum of Agreement was updated and signed at the historical Long Tent event on Whitman campus in 2022 and updated and signed again in October of 2024 as the oversight of ensuring that the colleges fulfills the responsibilities of the Memorandum of Agreement has transferred from the Provost to the Special Assistant to the President for Native American Outreach.
The Šináata Scholarship was first announced in 2022 and two scholarships were awarded for the 2022–2023 academic year to Aiden Wolf ’26 and Lindsey Pasena-Littlesky ’26. Three scholarships were awarded for the 2024–2025 academic year to Allen Zamudio ’28, Sky Smith ’28 and Anthony Crawford ’28.
Whitman College and the CTUIR are taking steps forward together in recognition of the college’s dedication to help our students understand the history of the local Tribes of the Weyíiletpuu, Imatalamłáma and Walúulapam peoples, their history in relation to Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and the history of the emergence of the college as we lift up the importance of building a strong partnership. Together, we are moving forward to create and cultivate a strong and vibrant Native American community, presence and student support program at Whitman College.
As a part of creating and cultivating a strong and vibrant Native American community, presence, and student support at Whitman College, among many other things, we have established programming for the annual Pášx̣apa Powwow, the annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Day event, the annual National Truth and Reconciliation Day event, the annual Indigenous Peoples Day event, and the annual First Foods Festival. Tebraie Banda-Johns, Director of the Whitman College Intercultural Center, is a member of the powwow committee and has been a co-sponsor of our annual Indigenous Peoples Day events.
I am excited to announce that we are working in partnership with Shannon Null, General Manager of Bon Appétit to feature a culturally educational First Foods Station in the Cleveland Commons dining hall on campus. More details will be coming soon!
Learn more about Native American Outreach efforts at Whitman on our website or on Facebook.