Yesterday, as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I joined you in recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I have the humbling honor of serving as the Department’s first General Counsel while also being a member of a Tribal community whose own history precedes the birth of this nation. This day calls us to remember our unique relationship with Indigenous peoples and Tribal Nations that started before the founding of the country. As our President stated in his Proclamation recognizing this day, Indigenous peoples have and continue to safeguard land, language, spirit, knowledge, and traditions that are integral parts of our communities and our country. He recommitted us to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations and declared October 11 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Our colleagues at HHS shared with us the note to mark this day circulating to their staff. We thought it important to share with you. Their message states: “(W)hile Columbus Day remains the official name of the Federal holiday, many organizations and state or local governments have instead adopted Indigenous Peoples’ Day, recognizing the legacy of oppression, displacement, and violence associated with European colonization of the Americas.”  They go on to reflect on President Biden’s message: “(O)n Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we must both recognize the past that has brought us here and commit to one another to write a new future of promise, partnership and equal opportunity…”

Indigenous People’s Day honors and shows respect for the unique and invaluable contributions of indigenous peoples. Our governmental structures were informed in part by the principles of collaborative self-governance already in place among tribal nations present on these shores. Our most popular foods - corn, potatoes, pumpkins, and many others - were first cultivated by indigenous agriculturalists in the Americas. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) has informed, and continues to inform, sustainable and regenerative agriculture, environmentally-sound fire management, and related land stewardship practices. One of the reasons I am so passionate about USDA is the unique opportunities we all have to share stories of the land, of stewardship, of feeding one another, building promising futures, restored lands, hunger eradication, and improved livelihoods.

Every agency and office within USDA has unique responsibilities in achieving our overarching missions of land stewardship and conservation, climate resilience, building robust rural economies, food access for vulnerable communities, food safety, research and trade. Many Native communities have left indelible marks on the fabric of this nation. As we take time to recognize the importance of October 11, let us also remember America’s first farmers, the original caretakers of these lands, and their contributions to agriculture and to the strength of United States.

Janie Simms Hipp (Chickasaw)
General Counsel, USDA