For years, Oklahoma City has observed Indigenous Peoples Day (IPD), bringing thousands of people together to recognize Tribes, Nations and communities that are an enduring understory to Oklahoma’s cultural landscape. This year carries a new significance: the Oklahoma City Council has formally designated the second Monday of every October as Indigenous Peoples Day.
So, what does it look like to celebrate IPD? Let’s explore Native OKC—not as mere attractions, but as foundational contributions to the fabric of our great city.
Start at First Americans Museum
Whether you celebrate solo or with friends and family, First Americans Museum (FAM) is the perfect place to begin with Sovereignty in Motion, exploring movement as a vital part of community care and the passing of knowledge. Programming includes a mayoral proclamation by Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt (Osage Nation), live music by local Indigenous artists, community booths and a panel led by Matriarch, an Oklahoma-based Indigenous community organization.
If you are new to FAM, an unhurried pass through its mainstays is a must. Visit the Tribal Nations Gallery and OKLA HOMMA Exhibition, a living archive of Oklahoma’s 39 First American Nations that traces our origins through present-day contributions. For little ones, the interactive origin story and fire circles use animation and oral storytelling to hold their attention.
Across campus, take in the mezzanine gallery—home of WINIKO: Life of an Object, Selections from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian—the FAMily Discovery Center, a tactile Oklahoma landscape fashioned like a colorful pop-up book; and 21st Century Mound Builders for a contemplative walk and fresh air. Making a weekend of Native OKC? FAM’s Horizons District neighbor, OKANA Resort & Indoor Waterpark, offers resort accommodations, dining, a water park and lagoon, and a spa.
Food Is Medicine
For Indigenous cuisine, pull up a chair and settle in for a locally sourced and expertly prepared meal curated by executive chef Ben Hutton with consulting chef and James Beard Award finalist, Crystal Wahpepah (Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma) at 39 Restaurant. And, if you’re unsure what to select from their seasonal menu, you can never go wrong with the Kiikaapoa Chiptini (Kickapoo Chili)—a Chef Wahpepah staple. Word to the wise: reserve a table for lunch days in advance for effortless seating.
For a rich treat, pair an espresso with chocolate from SIYO Coffee and Cacao, a Cherokee-owned shop on Route 66 in Oklahoma City’s historic Britton District. Its chocolates are prepared in-house, and several menu items feature ingredients native to the Americas.
Prairie Relatives
It would not be a proper Indigenous Peoples Day without time spent with plant and animal relatives in the sweeping prairie we are blessed to call home. Stroll through The Native Oklahoma Gardens at Science Museum Oklahoma, or hike the approachable trails at Martin Park Nature Center with your eyes open to Brown Eyed Susan, Goldenrod, October Skies Aster, Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Switchgrass, Orange Crowned Warbler and Eastern Bluebird. When you see them, say, “Halito (hello in Chahta Anumpa, the Choctaw language)!”
Shop, See, and Support
Part of exploring Indigenous culture is supporting the people who sustain it, so spend thoughtfully. At FAM Store, keepsakes, books, textiles and locally made candies showcase Indigenous artists and makers. Pop into Chickasaw-owned Exhibit C Gallery, managed by artist Kristin Hoover Gentry (Choctaw Nation), for First American art and artist studios. Downtown, Red Earth Art Center offers Native artwork and handmade jewelry, while Cherokee-woman-owned Plenty Mercantile & Venue fills its Automobile Alley flagship with sustainably and responsibly sourced goods celebrating creativity, ingenuity, and community care.
Gather At Culture Hub
Make time for Culture Hub, an Indigenous-led intertribal arts and cultural gathering place in Oklahoma City’s Historic Capitol Hill District. Through exhibitions, artist studios, community programming, workshops, and gatherings, Culture Hub creates space for Indigenous people to connect, create, and share culture while welcoming the broader community into relationship with contemporary Indigenous life.
On Indigenous Peoples Day, Culture Hub will host the final opening of Collective Wisdom, a traveling exhibition of First American art. Beginning at 6 p.m., visitors can take in works by 30 Indigenous artists, followed by an artist panel at 7 p.m. exploring the meaning and significance of the works from the artists’ perspectives.
A Celebration Well Lived
This year’s IPD celebrations will be one for the books, but let us not allow such a celebration to only live a single day. Indigenous presence—our histories, technologies, kinship, teachings, medicines and care for relatives and neighbors—is a throughline in Oklahoma culture. That is something to be celebrated and supported all year long. So, continue to support Indigenous-owned businesses, Indigenous-curated spaces and Indigenous-led organizations across Oklahoma City and beyond.
Hvchi pisa la chike (I will see all of you later in Chahta Anumpa)!
