In front of a crowd of mostly non-indigenous people, Gov. Hobbs read a proclamation for Indigenous People’s Day from Rep. Mae Peshlakai and the Indigenous Peoples Caucus. The event was to announce the donation of Eddie Basha’s valuable native art collection to the swanky Heard Museum and Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.
While most of the country continues to recognize Monday as Columbus Day, Arizona’s embattled Governor Katie Hobbs continued the state’s recent on-again, off-again tradition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day declarations.
Governor Doug Ducey was the first Arizona Governor to issue such a proclamation in 2020, but he took a pass on the declaration in 2021 before issuing again in 2022. The holiday has mostly been advanced as a substitute for Columbus Day.
Hobbs tweeted, “Arizona is defined by the Indigenous People who have called our state home for millennia. That’s why, I was proud to sign a proclamation declaring today Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Today and every day, let’s continue celebrating their rich contributions to our state and commit to building a better Arizona for everyone.”
Hobbs’ proclamation has no legal weight and is simply a veiled political statement in support of decolonization.
In 2018, Governor Ducey signed SB1235, which was sponsored by then Senator Jamescita Peshlakai, that permanently established June 2nd as “Native American Day” in Arizona, making Indigenous People’s Day little more than a political stunt.
Arizona is defined by the Indigenous People who have called our state home for millennia.
That’s why, I was proud to sign a proclamation declaring today Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Today and every day, let's continue celebrating their rich contributions to our state and commit… pic.twitter.com/9XYYleVzq1
— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) October 9, 2023