Indigenous Peoples Day

“Still Here: Refusal, Remembrance, and the Future Beyond 150”

CU Boulder students, staff, faculty and members of the Boulder community are invited to participate in a community celebration and observance of Indigenous Peoples Day through campus programs on October 12 through 14, 2026. Details will be provided in the coming weeks. 

This year’s theme, "Still Here: Refusal, Remembrance, and the Future Beyond 150," critically reflects on 150 years of CU Boulder within the longer arc of Indigenous presence, perseverance, and survival. It centers enduring legacies of Indigenous being and refusal – the refusal to disappear, to assimilate, to be misnamed, or erased. It creates space to simultaneously mark institutional history and affirm Indigenous continuance in body, tradition, art, scholarship, and activism.

 

Moderated Keynote and Luncheon

Oct. 12, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom

 

Event Details

Parking 

Paid parking for the keynote event is available in the Euclid parking garage, just east of the University Memorial Center (UMC) between Broadway and 18th Street. This is a "pay-by-plate" lot and payment can be made at a pay station or by using the ParkMobile app (Zone 63205).

Check-in Process

Doors will open at 10:15 a.m. For pre-registered guests, please proceed to the check-in line. On-site registration will be limited based on capacity. 

All guests will have to pass through security screening during event check-in. Only clear bags will be permitted in the event venue and metal water bottles are not permitted. Complimentary bag check will be available on-site. 

Panel Discussions & Film Screening

Wednesday, Oct.14

9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Lunch is provided

Register
 

  • Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
  • Location: Center for Global British & Irish Studies (CBIS), Norlin Library, Room M549
  • Description:This panel discussion, with three individuals representing South, Central and North America respectively, considers the future of Land Back initiatives and related efforts, with consideration of similar issues and differing challenges across Indigenous communities of the Americas.
  • Panelists:
    • Dr. Luis Cárcamo-Huechante (Mapuche), University of Texas at Austin
    • Cristina Coc (Q’eqchi Mayan), Julian Cho Society
    • Rick Williams (Oglala Lakota/Northern Cheyenne), Founder and Executive Director, People of the Sacred Land
  • Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
  • Location: Center for Global British & Irish Studies (CBIS), Norlin Library Room M549
  • Description:Connecting session with James Rattling Leaf, Sr. (Rosebud Sioux), Environmental Science Innovation and Inclusion Lab.
  • Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
  • Location: Center for Global British & Irish Studies (CBIS), Norlin Library, Room M549
  • Description:This panel discussion will explore Indigenous-led bison restoration initiatives in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain West, with a focus on the cultural, ecological, and community significance of bringing bison back to their ancestral landscapes. Panelists will discuss the importance of Indigenous stewardship, the challenges and opportunities of bison restoration, and how these efforts are shaping relationships between communities, land, and bison.
  • Panelists:
    • Helen Augare (Blackfeet Nation), Blackfeet Community College
    • Lucille Contreras (Lipan Apache), Texas Tribal Buffalo Project
    • Elsie DuBray (Oóhenuŋpa Lakxóta/Mandan/Hidatsa), Buffalo First
    • Dr. Libby Lunstrum, Boise State University
  • Time: 3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. 
  • Location: Chancellor's Hall, CASE Building, 4th floor
  • Description:By deconstructing colonization's role in the contemporary landscape of Colorado’s Front Range, Oglala Lakota + Cheyenne elder Richard Williams is correcting a false narrative, illuminating the widely untold history of Colorado and uncovering the causes of the extensive damage endured by Native peoples.

REGISTER FOR A PANEL DISCUSSION 

Program Sponsors

Additional Resources

 

About Indigenous Peoples Day

Indigenous Peoples Day, a federal holiday in the United States, celebrates the continuing presence and millennia-deep contributions, history, traditions and long-standing concerns of the First Peoples who are indigenous to North, Central and South America and Hawaii. Officially adopted in 2021, the holiday is observed nationally on the second Monday of October.

Honoring History and Building Community 

These programs provide the opportunity to:

  • Honor history and amplify legacy: Uplift the lived histories of Native and Indigenous communities at CU through storytelling, archival recovery and alumni engagement.
  • Curate space for critical community dialogue: Explore local and global Indigenous perspectives on pressing issues such as environmental justice, research divestment, language preservation and spiritual resilience.
  • Build cultural continuity and collective vision: Engage current students, faculty, staff, and community members in preserving and evolving Indigenous traditions and wellness strategies across generations.
  • Foster critical consciousness and institutional accountability: Invite CU Boulder and local and regional constituents into critical reflection on institutional practices – past and present – and advance strategies that promote Indigenous student success, visibility and cultural affirmation.

Resource Guide

Prepared by CU Boulder University Libraries, this resource guide supports the goals and outcomes for CU Boulder's Indigenous Peoples Day Signature Events by centering resources related to Indigenous knowledge in Hawaii, especially the coral reef, reclamation narratives by Indigenous artists, the notion of Indigenous reciprocity, cultural relevance, multiracial identity, and scholarly literature for North American regions. 

Campus Resources

Past Events