“Bring your drums, rattles or clappers. You are going to learn a drum song,” Gina Corpuz said to kick off the annual Bainbridge Island Indigenous People’s Day celebration at Woodward Middle School Oct. 14.

Over 150 attendees enjoyed fry bread tacos and cookies, local art and goods by native vendors, a screening of the documentary “Honor Thy Mother,” a dance by the Carribbean Grupo Bayano Music Group and a presentation by Toni Jones of the Nooksack Tribe and Chastity Malatesa of the city’s Multicultural Advisory Committee.

Indigenous People’s Day is a federal holiday Oct. 11 that honors the history, culture and resilience of native people in the United States. Many communities have opted to replace Columbus Day, which typically falls in mid-October, with Indigenous People’s Day as a demonstration of solidarity.

Corpuz, advocate for BI’s unique Indipino community and organizer of the Oct. 14 celebration, shared that for her community, the holiday is about “remembering our aboriginal mothers who migrated to the ancestral territory of the Suquamish people.”

For Jones, her work as an educator and advocate for indigenous people of the Salish Sea region began with her parents, former teachers Ron and Penny Miguel. Their influence is still felt. Over half of the attendees at the festival knew her parents, including Lilly Kitamoto, who shared some images of Jones’ family. A few of her parent’s students, Teresa and Sharon Cronin and Denise Almojuela, shared that they would have never made it through school if it weren’t for her parents’ support.

It was a touching moment, especially as an educator herself, Jones said. “My parents helped to elevate student voices. It reminded me that as educators we need to elevate and empower our students,” she said in a social media post. “This is why we do the good work in Indigenous education. Every day is a great day to be Indigenous.”

Grupo Bayano Carribbean Dance and Music Group performed at the event.