Indigenous Peoples Day 2023

October 9, 2023 — Today and every day, we recognize and celebrate the invaluable contributions, resiliency and inherent sovereignty of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. 

Leave No Trace, as an organization, believes and wishes to uplift a fact that Indigenous means today. This concept is crucial in dismantling erasure language that comes from the historic genocide and removal of Native Nations and Native Communities. Today, 574 American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native entities hold government-to-government relationships with the U.S. Federal Government. While Hawaiʻi is not recognized as a sovereign nation by the U.S. Federal Government, Native Hawaiian culture, communities and language revitalization deserve the utmost respect and recognition. 

The concept of today also reflects a mindset and important approach to management of lands and waters across the United States. Native Nations and Native Communities are signing historic agreements with federal and state governments to co-manage protected areas. In doing so, the voices of these Native Nations and Native Communities and their traditional methods of stewarding natural environment are triggering a significant shift in the way that government approaches managing public lands. 

We encourage the entire Leave No Trace community to learn more about American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian people, their cultures, their histories, their stories, and the ways that we can all be respectful and responsible visitors. It is always best to learn from the directly Native Nations or Native Communities. In additional to seeking out individual tribe’s and community’s websites, please consider the following digital resources:

• American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association
• National Congress of American Indians
• Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
• Alaska Native Heritage Center
• The Indigenous Field Guide
• Native Americans in Philanthropy