October 13, 2025
Location: Spurlock Museum of World Cultures
600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana
What is Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October 2021. In 2021, President Joe Biden formally commemorated Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a presidential proclamation, becoming the first U.S. president to do so. This day is meant to encourage reflection, recognition, and celebration of the ongoing contributions of Indigenous peoples. Additionally, it is a day to gain some understanding of the diversity of Indigenous peoples.
Indigenous Peoples' Day Tree at Illinois
In 2018, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign planted a sugar maple tree on the South Quad to commemorate Indigenous Peoples' Day. A plaque placed next to the tree is inscribed with the following statement:
This tree is to remind us of the indigenous peoples, past and present, for whom Illinois was a home prior to the university’s founding in 1867 and remains so to this day. These lands ground indigenous communities and root their understanding of themselves. The dedication of this tree acknowledges the indigenous historical context in which we exist.
The Indigenous Peoples’ Day Tree graphic was created by Yanaba Schroeder (Navajo, Undergraduate Student, Major: Human Development and Family Studies, College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences) and David Eby (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma/Muscogee Creek, Doctoral Student, School of Information Sciences). The graphic contains the geographic coordinates of the tree.
Indigenous Peoplesʼ Day Programming Theme
Honoring our Relations: Building Awareness of Indigiqueer and Two-Spirit Experiences
In the beginning, Turtle Island was queer. Put another way, gender and sexuality were not understood in binary, “either/or” terms before the arrival of Europeans.
What is Two-Spirit? Part One: Origins (2025, July 22)
Indigiqueer is a term that emerged from the intersection of Indigenous and queer identities, used by some Indigenous people to describe their gender and/or sexual identities in ways that are rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems, traditions, and worldviews, rather than Western LGBTQ+ constructs.
Two-Spirit is a culturally specific identity that reflects diverse understandings of gender and sexuality within Indigenous communities. The term itself does not originate from any Indigenous language, nor does it have a direct equivalent in the expressions traditionally used within those languages.
The Native American House and the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center at Illinois invite you to join us for programs and activities that highlight how Indigenous knowledge systems have long embraced expansive understandings of gender and sexuality, while celebrating the enduring presence of Indigiqueer and Two-Spirit communities.
This event is open to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, or national origin. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request, please contact nah@illinois.edu.
Reference
- City of Winnipeg. (2021, September 7). Two-Spirit–A movement born in Winnipeg [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu4xNUq2hGE
Indigenous Peoplesʼ Day Schedule of Events
10:30 a.m.
Location: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
Welcome and Indigenous Peoples’ Day Proclamation
The Native American House and Gender and Sexuality Resource Center invites DeShawn William, Mayor of Urbana, and Debra Frank Feinen, Mayor of Champaign, to deliver a joint reading of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day proclamation. Following the proclamation, university leaders will offer a welcome to attendees.
11:00 to 11:50 a.m.
Location: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
Anti-trans Policies Jeopardize Indigenous Peoples’ Rights & Religious Expression
Dr. Rosalyn LaPier
Blackfeet Tribe of Montana/Métis
She/They
Professor, Department of History, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
LGBTQ+ people,” today, “and in particular transgender people, have been the target" of President Trump’s anti-transgender agenda, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Rosalyn will discuss how Indigenous people are threatened by anti-trans policies, which will result in individual suffering and the diminishing of Indigenous peoples’ rights to practice their own religions.
About the speaker: Rosalyn is an award-winning Indigenous writer, environmental historian, and ethnobotanist. They work within Indigenous communities to revitalize traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and to strengthen public policy for Indigenous languages. They are the author of two books including Invisible Reality: Storytellers, Storytakers and the Supernatural World of the Blackfeet, produced two Blackfeet language lexicons, and written dozens of articles and commentaries. Rosalyn is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana and Métis.
Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Core Gallery, Spurlock Museum
Community Feed
For many Indigenous Peoples, feeding the community, fosters connections and serves as acts of reciprocity and well-being. We invite you to share a meal with Native American House and Gender & Sexuality Resource Center relatives. Food is first come, first served!
1:15 to 2:05 p.m.
Location: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
IndigeQueerness: A Navajo Lens on LGBTQ2S+ Kinship
Byron Tsabetsaye
Diné (Navajo)/Shiwi (Zuni)
He/Him
Tribal Liaison, University of Arizona
In Navajo culture, queer kin have been respected members of our society and have played key roles in our cultural ways. While these cultural teachings have sometimes been complicated by Western thought and the adoption of LGBTQ2S+ terms in the English language, there remains a rooted relationship to understanding queer inclusion in our Indigeneity. While some structures in Navajo culture perpetuate a gender binary in a Western sense, much can be learned from Navajo epistemologies and being a good relative to our LGBTQ2S+ kin.
About the speaker: Byron Tsabetsaye belongs to the Diné (Navajo) and Shiwi (Zuni) people. He identifies as IndigeQueer (Indigenous + Queer) which he describes as a state of being that blends cultural and queer identity. Byron serves as the Tribal Engagement Liaison with the office of Native American Advancement & Tribal Engagement at the University of Arizona. He is also a PhD student studying higher education with a focus on American Indian higher education at the U of A.
3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Native American House (1206 W. Nevada Street, Urbana)
10 Books to Read on Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Indigiqueer Pop-up Library
Curated in collaboration with María Emerson, Student Success Librarian, the pop-up library is an opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to see themselves represented in the University Library collections. Visitors can view materials about Indigenous peoples onsite and engage with María about the range of library resources and services available on campus.
Native American House (NAH) and Gender & Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) Tabling
Stop by to learn more about resources, programs, and support celebrating Indigenous identities, Indigiqueer and Two-Spirit communities, and building inclusive spaces at Illinois.
F&T Desserts Food Truck
F&T Desserts is a local Native American-owned business managed by Tom Mendoza (Muscogee Creek) and his wife, Flora Mendoza. In celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day, the Native American House (NAH) and the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center invite you to enjoy a free, delicious, made-from-scratch treat from this local Native business! The F&T Desserts food truck will be parked on Nevada Street in front of the NAH from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. or until homemade treats are gone!
4:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Pennsylvania Avenue Dining Hall (PAR) (906 W. College Ct., Urbana)
Native-themed Meal
In celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day, University Housing will bring a taste of Indigenous food flavors to PAR. Visit the Illinois App or Housing website for details.