Hundreds of people gathered for the 34th anniversary of the Indigenous People’s Day Powwow at MLK Jr. Civic Center Park on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. The powwow featured an activity-filled program organized by the Indigenous Peoples’ Day committee, led by Randy Pico of the Luseño tribe and Aurora Mamea of the Blackfoot tribe.
Berkeley is the first city in the United States to recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day, serving as a trailblazer for cities across the country. Berkeley has celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a powwow, a ceremonial gathering of indigenous tribes since the first recognition of the holiday in 1992; for many, honoring Indigenous culture has become an act of resistance to colonization and genocide.
In the present day, many people in the Bay Area have formed their own personal connection to the Berkeley powwow. “There are over 200 different tribes in the Bay Area. A lot of people don’t know that,” Marie Hernandez, a member of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day committee said, “A lot of people think that we’re no longer here and it makes me so happy that they see that no, (we are) … It reminds us that we’re all human, we are all connected.”
During the event, attendees supported Indigenous artists, gained information regarding topics such as Indigenous mental health and the West Berkeley Shellmound, and witnessed traditional forms of prayer through dance and drums. The Yaqui Deer Dancers and the drummers from All Nations and So Ex Style could be seen anywhere in the festival by nature of the powwow’s circular layout.
Joyce Ledezma, a community member partaking in the ceremony of the Mashika people and member of the vendor’s committee, voiced opinions on how the ceremony should be recognized. “Many people think it’s a performance. It may look like one because we look very flashy and beautiful. But it’s 100 percent a prayer. This is how our people used to pray in the past, through our feet,” she said, referring to how the people in the ceremonies were barefoot, “We’re not doing it for the spectators. We’re doing it as a form of connecting with our ancestors and putting energy back into Mother Earth.”
BHS junior Luca Macquart-Moulin described the event as educational and an opportunity to learn about a culture he’s less familiar with. “This is made for … allies of the Native American movement and people who want to learn more about Indigenous heritage,” he said, “I actually don’t (know much about the history of the event), and that’s why I came here, to understand the Indigenous culture.”
While the event is highly regarded within the community, some people of Indigenous heritage noted that they don’t believe the city is doing enough to actively resist the culture of colonization. “They’re trying. They have ‘you’re on Ohlone land,’ on the signs and stuff like that,” a vendor Crystal Salas said, “(But) I think sometimes Berkeley can be like a double-edged sword. It can portray itself as being extremely liberal, yet there are times that they are just tone deaf to what’s going on.”
The annual Berkeley powwow ceremonies mark one of the biggest efforts to highlight the Indigenous community, providing avenues for community members to honor Indigenous cultures. “We don’t have enough of us to have a neighborhood,” Salas said, “So in order to create a community, we gather.”