October 13, 2025

Location: Spurlock Museum of World Cultures
600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana

What is Indigenous Peoples’ Day?

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October 2021. In 2021, President Joe Biden formally commemorated Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a presidential proclamation, becoming the first U.S. president to do so. This day is meant to encourage reflection, recognition, and celebration of the ongoing contributions of Indigenous peoples. Additionally, it is a day to gain some understanding of the diversity of Indigenous peoples.

Indigenous Peoples' Day Tree at Illinois

In 2018, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign planted a sugar maple tree on the South Quad to commemorate Indigenous Peoples' Day. A plaque placed next to the tree is inscribed with the following statement:

This tree is to remind us of the indigenous peoples, past and present, for whom Illinois was a home prior to the university’s founding in 1867 and remains so to this day. These lands ground indigenous communities and root their understanding of themselves. The dedication of this tree acknowledges the indigenous historical context in which we exist.

The Indigenous Peoples’ Day Tree graphic was created by Yanaba Schroeder (Navajo, Undergraduate Student, Major: Human Development and Family Studies, College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences) and David Eby (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma/Muscogee Creek, Doctoral Student, School of Information Sciences). The graphic contains the geographic coordinates of the tree.

Indigenous Peoplesʼ Day Programming Theme

Theme details for 2025 will be added when available.

Indigenous Peoplesʼ Day Schedule of Events

The schedule of events for 2025 will be added when available.