Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Once a year, the sound of the drum and intertribal dancers echoes from the Getty Center’s museum courtyard as part of an annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day event. Now in its fourth year, Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day is one of Getty’s most popular and well-attended family events, drawing up to 1,000 attendees. This year, the Getty Research Institute is partnering with The Chapter House and Jana Schmieding to host this year’s meaningful and memorable community gathering.

This year’s MC is actress, writer, producer, and comedian Jana Schmieding (Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux) of Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls fame. Schmieding also serves on The Chapter House’s board of directors. She would be a full-time powwow MC if women were allowed, she jokes.

“Indigenous Peoples’ Day is significant because it is a day of recognition we have taken back from Columbus Day. Native people are constantly fighting for visibility and one day out of the year helps with that. It’s good for everyone, not just Native people, to understand the historic struggles and contributions of Indigenous peoples,” said Schmieding.

The theme of this year’s event is Indigenous libraries and storytelling featuring poetry readings, music performances, and zine and collage-making workshops that showcase the talent of Southern California's vibrant Native American communities and cultures. Los Angeles County has the largest urban population of Native people in the US.

As a former educator, Schmieding expresses nothing but affirmations for Native researchers who work in universities and libraries. “I am here for these people, for the people who are creating data, collecting data, researchers telling the truth, for us, by us. We need you. This space is for them and us. They deserve love and care. They are so crucial to who we are,” said Schmieding.

The Chapter House is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that provides space for the Los Angeles Indigenous community to cultivate Indigenous joy through art, culture, performance, and celebration. A women-led and volunteer-run organization, The Chapter House is unique in its focus on empowerment through arts and culture programming and partnerships.

“Being here in Los Angeles and on the board at The Chapter House gives me that much needed connection to my people, to my intertribal community that I love to be a part of. And I really care about Native kids, I really, really give a lot of shits about the way our kids are raised and making sure they have safety, visibility, and opportunity as they come into adulthood,” said Schmieding, “The young Native kids I grew up with in Oregon, we were raised to be community leaders, and now look at us. We are all in our own lives, creating and cultivating the same kind of community. The Chapter House really embodies that mission to me personally.”

In a time of political censorship and immigration raids, The Chapter House’s work has focused on protecting and supporting Central and South American community members during this challenging time. As many cultural institutions face historical revision, The Chapter House steps in to ensure Indigenous leadership and contributions are recognized in American history, art, and culture. From beading workshops to improv classes, drag shows to monthly walking groups, the organization promotes the importance of Indigenous joy to sustain resistance.

“I hope folks laugh and have a good time. For Indigenous people, joy is absolutely necessary, and it’s a cornerstone of how we function with each other. We make sure we keep each other joyful and have a reprieve from the hardship we all experience,” said Schmieding. The role of Native women, as culture bearers, is especially important to the event. “We are Nation builders, Native women. When we show up, we show up in a big way, and we make sure that it’s fun and that there's food, laughter, joy, song, and dance. Not just for us, it’s for everyone.”

The fourth annual Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day event is open to the public at Getty Center on Saturday, October 11th at 11am–4pm. Find more information, a full schedule of events, and free RSVP.