Community comes together for Native American Day Parade

RAPID CITY – There was a general air of excitement and community-sharing as volunteers worked to get their last-minute float decorations finished and spectators began to line the streets with their chairs and baskets to collect candy. The weather was unusually cooperative as the chill temperature quickly faded away to near summer-like temperatures.

The Indigenous People’s Day Parade, sponsored for the second year by the Great Plains Tribal Leader’s Health Board, featured around 70 floats in the 2024 parade. Tori Whipple who works for the Health Board was attending the host table where they were giving out free coffee and donuts. A half-hour before the event was set to begin, Whipple said they were still signing up participants.

Rob Black Bear, who works for Monument, was behind the wheel of a parked super-duty cab pickup pulling a flatbed adorned with quilts and chairs awaiting the start of the parade. “Once we get started, all of the Monument executives will be riding on the float.” He said he comes as an observer but this year he was recruited to drive because the usual coordinator was getting married. “So, I jumped on it right away when I was able to volunteer. I’m glad to be here today. This is a representation of who I am and what we do. There are a lot of excellent successful people that are Indigenous who work in the medical field.”

Black Bear noted his experience of this day always been a recognition of Christopher Columbus. “I think we lost some over those years and I’m glad it’s our day now.”

Since the celebration is so close to Halloween, there were many dressed in their costumes. Kaitlyn and Orlando Moreno, who came to the parade with their two small children. All four were dressed in their Halloween ghost ponchos made by Kaitlyn. “I am a toddler teacher with Rural American Initiatives, so we are here supporting and representing RAI.” She threw in a quick plug, “we are always enrolling,” as they excitedly ran off to find their parade places. The RAI program promotes readiness of kids ages birth to 5 from low-income families.

Five young cadets from the Central Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corp or JROTC and the Color Guard were wearing their blue uniforms. The mission of the program is to motivate young people to become better citizens. Cadet Kanin Booth said they do a bunch of events. “We love to be here right now. Throughout the year we get more and more trust from our army instructors. They aren’t here today. They trusted us to come out here and support our nation at this parade and we are honored to do it.”

Columbus Day was federally founded in 1968. Efforts to recognize Native American heritage nationally had been underway since at least the early 1900’s. The South Dakota legislature in the 1970’s had changed Columbus Day to Pioneers Day. Native Sun News Today founder and editor Tim Giago challenged then-Governor George Mickelson to declare 1990 a Year of Reconciliation. Mickelson accepted and asked the South Dakota legislature to declare 1990 a Year of Reconciliation, the same year of the centennial anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre, and to rename Columbus Day/Pioneers Day as Native American Day.  In 2020 then-President Trump disavowed Indigenous Peoples Day. More than 30 years after Mickelson’s designation, relations between Native Americans and the non-Native population in South Dakota remain strained.

(Contact Marnie Cook at cookm8715@gmail.com)

The post Community comes together for Native American Day Parade first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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