While much of the rest of the country is celebrating Columbus Day today, in South Dakota the state government, schools and citizens are recognizing a different holiday: Native Americans' Day. South Dakota is the only state in the country to celebrate today devoted to Native Americans rather than the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus -- and it's done so for a long time.
Why does South Dakota celebrate Native Americans' Day instead of Columbus Day? Part of it is demographic. Much of the impetus from Columbus Day comes from Italian-Americans, which are not among the biggest ethnic groups in South Dakota. Native Americans are close to 10 percent of South Dakota's population.
