Indigenous Peoples Day

While New Jersey's tribal legacy is not well-known, awareness is much higher in Seattle, my favorite destination in the PNW (Pacific Northwest). Washington State has many tribal lands and the cultures are celebrated on the holiday known elsewhere as Columbus Day. The Seahawks are named for an emblematic bird seen on totem poles and masks, including the original seahawk mask at the Burke Museum. The city itself is named for Chief Sealth, the 18th century leader of a tribe that inhabited the Central Puget Sound area for 10,000 years.

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Central Jersey's legacy lives on in place names such as Piscataway and Raritan. The Lenni Lenape tribe's trails established travel routes that are still used today.

Plainfield advocates for Columbus met challenges from opponents including the late Rasheed Abdul-Haqq, who objected to having an Albert Bierstadt painting in Municipal Court behind the judge's seat. The painting, now on a side wall, depicts natives bowing to the explorer and his men as they landed on San Salvador.

Columbus Landing at San Salvador

Whether you celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day or just go shopping for sales, enjoy the day off!