Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Observes Indigenous People Day
Oct 7, 2015
AKWESANSE, NY - The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is proud to announce that it will be observing Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, Kenténha/October 12, 2015. In observance; all Tribal Offices, Transfer Station and the Akwesasne Employment Resource Center will be closed. This year marks the first time the Tribe will observe a designated holiday that promotes and commemorates Indigenous Peoples.
On December 10, 2014, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council adopted Employee Handbook Version 001 to replace the 2004 Personnel Policy. The purpose of the updated policy is to better reflect the needs of the tribal organization and the services provided to the Akwesasne community. Contained within the new policy is recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day.
"Prior to this year, the second Mondaywas observed as Fall Heritage Day and Columbus Day before that," stated Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Executive Director Tsiorasa Barreiro. He noted, "In feedback received from tribal staff during the policy’s development, there was a shared sentiment to have a designated holiday to recognize the culture, history and contributions of Indigenous Peoples."
The Tribe asks community members to keep the October 12th office closures in mind and to please plan accordingly.
About Indigenous Peoples Day
Indigenous Peoples Day is a holiday that began as a counter-celebration to the federal observance of Columbus Day, which is typically observed on the second Monday of October. First envisioned in 1977 at the United Nation’s International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas; an increasing number of state, tribal and city governments have begun replacing Columbus Day with a day to celebrate Native Peoples of North America—either as "Indigenous Peoples Day" or "Native American Day."
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Please direct media inquiries to the Communications Department at 518-358-2272.