Tulsa’s Native American Day Celebrations Connect, Inspire People Amid Pandemic

Thousands of people across the country joined the Tulsa Native American Day Celebration online this Monday.

One family said the day helps them connect with their heritage and inspires others. The theme this year is Protect the Sacred. 

The second Monday of October is an important day for families all over the country, especially for families right here in Tulsa. Mayor G.T. Bynum signed a resolution in 2017, officially making the day Native American Day. It is a day of recognition and celebration.

"When Tulsa chose to recognize Native American Day instead of Columbus Day, it was a really big deal and it meant a lot to the indigenous community here," said Native American Day Committee member Brittany Dias.

This year, Tulsa's Native American Day Celebration went virtual.

"The reality of it is, we as a people have been forgotten about and left behind in the discussion,” Dias said. “That is why today is so important because it allows us to have a voice again, it allows us to talk about the things that we have gone through. It allows us to kind of take back that narrative and tell our story.”

Singers, dancers, artists, students and families came together to celebrate and honor Native American culture and history.

"We got to do an intertribal, female, Color Guard. I was very privileged and honored to be able to coordinate that," said Native American Day Committee member Jessica Meyers.

During the pandemic, community members from groups like The Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission got together to plan the virtual version of the event, a gathering that has grown every year since 2017.

"Having that culture and that heritage and having access to it, it is spiritual,” Dias said. “Having that for my children especially, to ground you, to be one with who you truly are- that is everything.”  

For more information about the event, visit the Facebook page here or the City of Tulsa website here.