- by Graham Holton
- The Guardian
- Issue #2181
A member of the Apache tribe from New Mexico. Photo: Marvin Lynchard/Department of Defense – flickr.com (PDM 1.0)
Native American parades across the United States in January and February have celebrated education and community strength, in a cultural affirmation that honours Native peoples’ ancestors, sharing their living traditions, and asserting their place in the public story of the present. They serve as living reminders that Indigenous cultures are vibrant, continuing traditions, and not relics of the past. They included the Plains tribes, Lakota and Dakota, the Apache, the Navajo, Iroquois, and many others.
These parades help build community solidarity, wellness, and mutual support within and across tribal nations. Organisers highlight the importance of coming together to reinforce social bonds, celebrate achievements, and uplift collective identity, which contributes to a stronger sense of belonging and cultural continuity. These Native American parades, and related Indigenous celebrations, in January are significant, culturally and politically, especially in the context of ICE arresting Native Americans as non-American. Holding a parade signals “We are still here. We govern ourselves.”
By visibly centering Indigenous presence, communities challenge the treatment of Native peoples as political actors. Public events serve as a way to maintain that ICE must coordinate with tribal authorities, and demand the recognition of tribal ID documents.
There are over 570 federally recognised tribes in the United States and each tribe has its own unique language, history, traditions, and beliefs. Elders are honoured for their wisdom and experience, and children are taught to respect their elders and to contribute to their community. Yet ICE (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has arrested dozens of tribal people, with some nearly deported to Mexico, based solely on racial appearance. ICE has continually ignored tribal cards carried by members, with agents going onto tribal land to make arrests.
The Oglala Sioux tribe have pointed out that their citizens being detained by ICE during the Minneapolis raids is a federal overreach and a violation of their tribal rights. The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) publicly condemned ICE’s actions, citing racial profiling, illegal detentions of Native Americans, and violations of treaty and constitutional protections, and urged accountability and support for affected tribal citizens.
Indigenous parades are public displays of Native culture and history that function as powerful political statements, when communities are targeted by ICE agents. They act as Native cultural displays that shift the narrative by asking: Who is “illegal” on stolen land? Whose borders are being enforced? And who defines belonging?
