Goshen honors Indigenous Peoples Day
Oct. 12—GOSHEN — The Goshen Theater set the stage for the city's first ever Indigenous Peoples Day Tuesday with quilts, paintings and other items on display, serving as a tribute to cultures that existed for thousands of years before white settlers arrived.
Cynthia Friesen Coyle, Goshen, was on hand for the event.
"I was on the planning committee," Friesen Coyle said as it was getting underway. "I'm excited so many people showed up."
Sponsored by the Community Relations Commission of the City of Goshen, the event saw guests arriving by 6 p.m. and the opening ceremony starting around 6:30 p.m. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, Goshen Public Library, the Goshen Historical Society, Miami Ribbon Work and Rooting Through Corn were among the groups which hosted information tables.
"People are very interested," said Diane Hunter, a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. "People are asking a lot of questions."
Prior to the opening ceremony, a display of an offering of harvest food items, "Ofrenda" in Spanish, a type of display common across Latin America, was set on the theater stage. It was meant to offer thanks — for the elements and for the Earth.
Others who were taking part in the event were also encouraged by the turnout.
"We checked out a book!" said Tina Ervin with GPL.
To learn more, visit goshenindiana.org/indigenousday.
Steve Wilson is news editor for The Goshen News. You can reach him at steve.wilson@goshennews.com.
