Washington Tribes celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, highlight climate crisis

In celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, communities across Washington state came together to honor Native peoples, their diverse histories and cultures on Monday, Oct. 11. Streamed live from the Lummi Nation Wex’liem Community Building near Bellingham, Children of the Setting Sun Productions hosted a virtual gathering via Zoom and Facebook.

Other Indigenous Peoples’ Day events included a virtual event featuring Matika Wilbur of the Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes, who spoke about her work on Project 562, a documentary dedicated to changing the way we see Native America. The event — “Changing Who We Are” — was hosted by Northwest Indian College, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Education Department, Lhaq’temish Foundation, Western Washington University, Whatcom Community College, Bellingham Technical College, Bellingham Public Schools and the city of Bellingham via Zoom.