Indigenous and native people, including Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ identities, have inhabited our lands for thousands of years. Today, we celebrate and honor them by ensuring their voices are heard, their stories are shared, and their rights are recognized.
This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we’ve highlighted a few of those voices, as well as powerful quotes from interviews they’ve given. From athletes and actors to government officials and musicians, these individuals reflect the vibrant cultures, rich histories, and invaluable contributions of Indigenous communities around the world.
Kali Reis (she/they)
Once boxing’s first Indigenous American female world champion, Kali Reis is now making history on TV. The Cape Verdean and Seaconke Wampanoag tribe member recently became the first Indigenous co-lead of an HBO series when cast in this year’s True Detective: Night Country. Throughout their career, they’ve amplified ongoing issues facing the Indigenous community, such as environmental concerns and high suicide rates among youth.
Speaking to W Magazine: “I’d like to see more diverse representation. Just like how there are so many different ways of being Latina or Asian, there are so many different ways of being Indigenous. I’d also like to see more contemporary stories that aren’t just sad and somber with the typical abusive, drunk husband with a wife who does drugs living on a reservation.”
“And we don’t just have to tell Indigenous stories. I want to see more opportunities open up for Indigenous performers to play superheroes, villains, cops, nurses, lawyers — not just to check a box but because we’re the right person for the part.”
Scott Wabano (they/he)
Scott Wabano is a model, stylist, and fast-rising fashion designer. A Two-Spirit Cree from the Mushkegowuk and Eeyou Istchee territories, they use their sustainable fashion brand Wabano to bring greater visibility to their family traditions and practices, as well as the impacts of colonization on Indigenous peoples.
Speaking to Voyage LA: “Fashion has always been an important aspect of my life. Raised up on following our ceremonial and traditional ways as Indigenous Cree people, fashion has always been used as a form of storytelling for a lot of us. Especially within my family, creating arts and crafts was a way for not only my family to continue traditions but to also make a living for themselves. Growing up, I was introduced to the mainstream fashion industry and fashion giants such as Dior, Givenchy, Gucci, Chanel, and more brand names… But also made me think, why didn’t I see people like myself (Indigenous) folk within these magazines? It created a drive within me to help change that.”
Representative Sharice Davids (she/her)
Congresswoman Sharice Davids, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, is the U.S. Representative for Kansas’s 3rd congressional district. When she was elected in 2018, she became one of the first two Native American women and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve in Congress. As an attorney, she assisted various Native American reservations with economic and community development plans.
Speaking to GLAAD: “I never want to shy away from acknowledging who I am, being authentic as much as I can be. It’s an important thing to be able to say, as a now public figure, which feels very strange, ‘Yes, I’m out. I’m not ashamed of any part of who I am.’ I think that can be really important.”
“…I know so many people spend a lot of their life not feeling seen. I’m not immune to that. None of us are immune to that. And it can be because of being part of the LGBTQ+ community, it can be as a woman or as a Native person, there are a lot of different reasons why we might not feel seen or heard. Being able to just acknowledge things helps reduce that level of invisibility that we might feel.”
Black Belt Eagle Scout (she/they)
Katherine Paul is the heart and soul behind indie rock project Black Belt Eagle Scout. Paul, who is Swinomish-Iñupiaq, frequently uses their music to talk about their connection to nature and their spirituality, such as on the 2023 Saddle Creek records album The Land, The Water, The Sky.
Speaking to Them: “Specifically from a mental health perspective, I do think it helps people when they can see that there are other people around the world who look like them, who have similar values. It helps us survive. It helps us continue on, when we know that we’re not alone, when we know that we can feel happy and inspired by people.”
Devery Jacobs (she/they)
Devery Jacobs is an actor, writer, and director best known for their portrayal of Elora in Reservation Dogs, an award-winning and groundbreaking series that follows the lives of four Indigenous teens residing in rural Oklahoma. Raised on Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory in Canada, Jacobs uses her platform to shine a light on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis and the need for more Indigenous representation in Hollywood.
Speaking to Elle: “Over a thousand bodies have been found of Indigenous children who were forcibly removed from their homes and made to attend these [residential and Indian boarding] schools so that they could ‘kill the Indian and save the man.’”
“I don’t think it’s getting nearly enough media attention. … It’s a very heavy subject, but it’s American history and it’s important. It’s North American history. So often in the U.S., stories of Indigenous folks being modern are erased, and I firmly believe that we cannot move forward in a positive way towards healing if not for acknowledging the history of what’s happened to Indigenous peoples in North America.”
Lily Gladstone (she/they)
Acclaimed actress Lily Gladstone became the first Native American to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama — and the first nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress — for their role in Killers of the Flower Moon, directed by Martin Scorsese. Gladstone often speaks about her pride in her Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage, the importance of decolonizing gender, and what she describes as the “epidemic” of missing and murdered Indigenous people.
Speaking to People: “I think it’s really cool that we’re seeing ‘performer’ [awards categories] and we’re seeing everybody brought in together. I do feel that historically having gendered categories has helped from keeping women actors from a lot of erasure because I think historically people just tend to honor male performances more. I know a lot of actresses who are very proud of the word ‘actress’ or are very proud of being an actress. I don’t know, maybe it’s just an overly semantic thing where I’m like, if there’s not a ‘director-ess,’ then there shouldn’t be actresses. There’s no ‘producer-ess,’ there’s no ‘cinematographer-ess.’”