Today, the Board of Larimer County Commissioners proclaimed Monday, Oct. 14, Indigenous Peoples' Day in Larimer County. Larimer County encourages our community to recognize its strong relationships and celebrate its Native and Indigenous members. Larimer County recognizes the values of the social, economic and cultural values they bring to our community. The text of the proclamation is below:

PROCLAMATION OF THE LARIMER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

RECOGNIZING THE SECOND MONDAY IN OCTOBER AS “INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY” TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND SUPPORT THE NATIVE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES LIVING IN LARIMER COUNTY AND AFFIRMING THE COUNTY’S COMMITMENT TO RECOGNIZE AND INCLUDE THE VOICES AND INTERESTS OF NATIVE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES.

WHEREAS, Larimer County Board of County Commissioners recognizes that the continents now known as North and South America have been occupied since time immemorial by many diverse and established Native and Indigenous Peoples; and

WHEREAS, Areas of Larimer County are situated on the ancestral homelands of many tribes, including the Arapaho, Cheyenne Ute and other Tribal peoples; and was an important site of trade, gathering, and healing for numerous other Tribes and Nations; and is now home to a diverse Native community with individuals and families from many different Tribal Nations; and includes important cultural sites, landscapes and historic structures situated in northern Colorado,

WHEREAS, Larimer County acknowledges that this County was built upon the homelands of the Native and Indigenous Peoples of this region, resulting in their forced
displacement from their lands; and

WHEREAS, Native and Indigenous peoples in Larimer County, as in all parts of the Americas, suffer from the legacy of colonization and national policies designed to erase and marginalize their presence; and

WHEREAS, Larimer County benefitted, and continues to benefit, directly from Native American removal policies that violated human rights, broke federal treaties, and forced Native and Indigenous Peoples from their homelands; and

WHEREAS, Larimer County recognizes the resilience of Native and Indigenous Peoples despite the harms these systems and policies have caused, and greatly values the social, economic, and cultural contributions they make; and

WHEREAS, Indigenous Peoples’ Day was first proposed in 1977 by the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas and has been adopted by several Colorado municipalities; and

WHEREAS, Native and Indigenous Peoples encourage Larimer County and its residents to be educated to respect and honor traditional practices regarding the interdependence of all humanity and living things and to celebrate a vast and rich living tradition through ancestral recognition and diversity of knowledge and perspectives, including sustainable practices; and

WHEREAS, Larimer County promotes closing the equity gap for Native and Indigenous peoples through policies and practices that respect sovereignty and Indigenous self-
determination aligned with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (“UNDRIP”), which establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the Indigenous Peoples of the world and elaborates on the existing human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to the specific situation of Indigenous Peoples.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY the Larimer County Board of County Commissioners:

Section 1. That in the pursuit of shared responsibility in promoting knowledge about Native and Indigenous Peoples and combating prejudice and discrimination, the Larimer County Board of County Commissioners does hereby resolve and declare the second Monday in October to be Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and may at that time support events that encourage awareness, understanding, and appreciation of Native and Indigenous Peoples, their traditions, culture, and our shared history in these ancestral lands.

Section 2. That Larimer County recognizes that harm was done and acknowledges that we have a shared responsibility to support the Native and Indigenous Peoples residing in Larimer County and to communicate, collaborate, and coordinate with Tribal Nations that have historic interests and presence in the area.

Section 3. That Larimer County will encourage businesses, organizations, public institutions, and county departments to recognize, cultivate strong relationships with, stand in solidarity with, and celebrate Native and Indigenous Peoples.

APPROVED AND SIGNED this 8th day of October, 2024

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

By: Commissioner John Kefalas, Chair