(ABC 6 News) — Monday is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which was first celebrated in Iowa in 2018 and in Minnesota in 2019.

Members of the Rochester community gathered at Peace Plaza to acknowledge and honor indigenous individuals who came before us.

A Dakota elder remembered her family and thanked the community for coming together to celebrate the day.

“I know my mother would be very shocked to see us here,” said Betty Smith, the co-founder of Celebrate Dakota! MERG. “Since she spent her entire school years at Indian boarding schools, she was taught to be embarrassed to be Native American.”

The celebration included a powwow drum and dancers as well as a proclamation from City Council President Brooke Carlson, declaring the day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Rochester.