# Indigenous Peoples' Day *Concept: observance days recognizing Indigenous peoples, with Minnesota-specific context* Indigenous Peoples' Day is a name used for several annual observances honoring Indigenous peoples. Each falls on a different national or international date. These include a United Nations day on 9 August and a United States day on the second Monday in October.[^1] In the Minnesota record, the U.S. observance of 13 October 2025 is the filing date of a suit against the United States in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The plaintiffs are [[Mdewakanton]] descendants of the [[Lake Pepin]] tract. They seek about $5 billion and federal recognition, and their counsel is [[Erick Kaardal]].[^2][^3] The project records do not give the case's docket number or current status.[^3] The same project record sets that filing beside the *TRUTH Project Report* of 11 April 2023.[^2] The report was produced by the University of Minnesota and the [[Minnesota Indian Affairs Council]] and published on the state agency's site.[^2] According to the project's merged master, the report uses [[Dakota]] terminology for the affected people. The master also finds that the Lake Pepin descendants, who identify as Sioux, do not appear in it.[^2] ## Observances The term's disambiguation entry lists five observances, by country and date.[^1] - International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples: a United Nations day, a public holiday in several countries, held each year on 9 August.[^1] - Indigenous Peoples' Day (United States): marked each year on the second Monday in October.[^1] - National Indigenous Peoples Day (Canada): honors First Nations each year on 21 June.[^1] - Indigenous Peoples Day (Brazil): held each year on 19 April.[^1] - Indigenous Peoples Day (Suriname): held on 9 August.[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### What - The *TRUTH Project Report* ([[TRUTH Project]]) is dated 11 April 2023. Its text includes the phrase "shell corporation through which to launder lands and resources," which the merged master confirms verbatim on the state agency's site.[^2] - The merged master records that the report's quantities do not agree across documents. The executive summary, as checked on 12 June, gives 186,791 acres and $591,119,846. A companion essay and a verification memo give 94,631 acres and $579,431.[^2] The record does not establish which figures are correct.[^2] ### When - In 1830, the [[Treaty of Prairie du Chien]] set aside the Lake Pepin reservation for the Mdewakanton and "Sioux half-breed" descendants.[^2] - In 1851, the Traverse des Sioux and [[Mendota]] cessions removed the Lake Pepin clause. The merged master records that this was done without the descendants' consent.[^2][^3] - On 13 October 2025, Indigenous Peoples' Day in the United States, the descendants filed suit in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims seeking land, federal recognition and about $5 billion.[^2][^3] ### Why - As summarized in the project's dossier, the complaint grounds its claims in two sets of instruments. The first is the 1830 Treaty of Prairie du Chien. The second is the 1851 Treaties of Traverse des Sioux and Mendota, which the complaint says removed the tract's protections. The court has made no finding on these claims in the record.[^3] ### How much - The suit seeks approximately $5 billion.[^2][^3] ### How many - The project's dossier describes the Lake Pepin "half-breed" tract as approximately 320,000 acres.[^3] ## Omissions in official accounts The *TRUTH Project Report* was issued on 11 April 2023 by the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council.[^2] The project's merged master finds that the Lake Pepin descendants are not named in the report.[^2] On 13 October 2025, those descendants filed suit against the United States in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims over the Lake Pepin land and for federal recognition.[^2][^3] The record shows this sequence. It does not establish why the report omits them.[^2] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Indigenous Peoples' Day* (disambiguation, revision 1370976229; retrieved 26 October 2026) — lists observances by country and date. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Peoples'_Day [^2]: Project record, *How Minnesota Got Here* (merged master, footnoted), note [11] (validated) — covers the *TRUTH Project Report* (UMN / Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, 11 April 2023), its quoted phrase and its divergent figures, the 1830 and 1851 treaty history, and the 13 October 2025 Court of Federal Claims filing (about $5 billion; counsel Erick Kaardal). The primary URLs it cites are not among this article's allowed sources. [^3]: Project record, *The Instrument No One Will Name* (densified, 18 June 2026), note [46] (validated, primary-confirmed) — covers the Mdewakanton / Lake Pepin suit filed 13 October 2025, about $5 billion, federal recognition, and its grounding in the 1830 and 1851 treaties; describes the tract as about 320,000 acres. The primary URLs it cites are not among this article's allowed sources.