Indigenous Peoples' Day

October 6, 2023

Monday, October 9th is Indigenous Peoples' Day. First celebrated in California in 1992 - Joe Biden became the first President to formally commemorate it in 2021. 

It is recognized on the same day as Columbus Day - to celebrate his "discovery" of North America. But Columbus hadn't discovered North America. Indigenous Peoples had been living there for tens of thousands of years before he crossed the Atlantic. And it's estimated that in the 130 years that followed after 1492 - Native Americans lost 95% of its population due to [among other things] warfare, slavery, forced relocation, and disease.

However - Indigenous Peoples and their culture are still here. The Indigenous Peoples who inhabited the land that became Philadelphia were the Lenape. Many of our streets and towns [and stations] are from the Unami language spoken by the Lenape.

Aramingo, Cohocksink, Kingsessing, Manayunk, Moyamesing, Passyunk, Pennypeck, Shackamaxon, Tacony, Weccacoe, Wingohocking, Wissinoming, Wissahickon—these and other Lenape place-names mark the map of present-day Philadelphia.

The name Manayunk comes from the Lenape Indian word for the Schuylkill River “manaiung” which literally translates to “place to drink” in English. Passyunk got its name from Lenape word meaning "a place below the hills." Wissahickon comes from the Lenni Lenape word wisameckham, for "catfish creek" - a reference to the fish that were once plentiful in the Wissahickon Creek.

And the location and name of our newest Regional Rail station - Wawa - was home to a tribe of Lenni Lenape Indigenous People who noticed it was a favorite stop for migrating geese - which they called “wawa.” By the time settlers from Philadelphia and New Jersey arrived in the 18th century - the area was known by that moniker.

Below are some more examples!

You can read more about Indigenous Peoples' Day and its history here!