International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

By UMS

Each year, August 9 commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, a day chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the United Nations’ Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982. The U-N’s spotlight for 2025, Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures, highlights a growing concern: many AI systems are developed without Indigenous participation, raising serious risks of data misuse and environmental harm, particularly in rural and sacred lands.

At a time when Indigenous perspectives are often excluded from technological and cultural conversations, UMS is proud to spotlight two powerful Indigenous-led performances in its 25/26 season. These events bring Indigenous knowledge, storytelling, and artistry, to our stages.

Nigamon/Tunai

Émilie Monnet and Waira Nina

Thu Oct 2 – Wed Oct 8, 2025 // Power Center

At the crossroads of friendship and resistance for the protection of water and against extractivism in their respective territories, the two women invite us to a precious sharing nourished by the living knowledge, cosmogonies and struggles that link them. In Canada, mining and oil companies still thrive, while over there, in the Amazon, on the territory of the Inga people, they destroy entire living environments to plunder their resources – including copper, central to Anishinaabe culture.

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Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band

Thu Jan 29, 2026 // Michigan Theater

Led by the celebrated vocalist Julia Keefe (Nez Perce), this 16-piece ensemble of Native musicians highlights an often overlooked by rich history of Indigenous bands that existed on reservations across the country in the early 20th century. The group revives a vibrant legacy of Indigenous improvisation and creativity, blending traditional melodies made famous by earlier Indigenous jazz artists with new works inspired by their Native heritage.

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Honoring the Past, Listening to the Present, Shaping the Future

These two performances offer opportunities to engage with Indigenous voices, histories, and visions for the future. As we mark this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, let’s reflect on how art can challenge exclusion, build community, and celebrate resilience.

UMS invites you to be part of this journey — to listen more deeply, to learn more fully, and to stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities through the transformative power of performance.