Native Americans celebrate their histories and cultures on Indigenous Peoples Day

Women drummers sing as they lead a march during an Indigenous Peoples Day event, Oct. 9, 2017, in Seattle. Native American people will celebrate their centuries-long history of resilience on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, through ceremonies, dances and speeches. The events across the United States will come two years after President Joe Biden officially commemorated Indigenous Peoples Day. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Native people celebrated their history on Monday with events across the U.S. marking Indigenous Peoples Day, from a sunrise gathering in Minneapolis to a rally in Maine.

The ceremonies, dances and speeches came two years after President Joe Biden officially commemorated Indigenous Peoples Day. At the time, he said the day is meant to “honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today.”

In Minnesota, about 150 people, including the governor and lieutenant governor, attended a sunrise prayer and ceremony at Bde Maka Ska, a lake surrounded by parkland on the south side of Minneapolis.