The First International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples at UN Headquarters

On 9 August 1995, a world sacred pipe ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York honored the first-ever International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

• Categories: News & Features / Features / Stories from the UN Archive
• Video Length: 00:02:03
• Production Date: 7 August 2025
• Asset Language: Original
• Personal Subject: OREN LYONS
• Subject Topical: INDIGENOUS PEOPLES; CEREMONIES; HISTORY; AUDIOVISUAL ARCHIVES; INTERNATIONAL DAYS
• MAMS Id: 3434931
• Parent Id: 3434931

Description

On 9 August 1995, a world sacred pipe ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York honored the first-ever International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. At that ceremony, Chief Oren Lyons of the Onondaga Nation, along with Melissa Fawcett of the Mohegan Tribe, delivered powerful messages calling for unity, recognition and Indigenous rights. Every 9 August, people around the world are encouraged to spread the UN’s message on the protection and promotion of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

Utilizing footage from the UN Audiovisual Library, this episode takes viewers back to the first commemoration of International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.