Xbox's International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples celebration goes beyond The Americas
Microsoft and Xbox have announced a series of initiatives to commemorate this year's celebration of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. This is the United Nations' dedicated holiday to raise awareness of conditions faced by Indigenous populations across the globe.
The United States and Canada each celebrate their own Indigenous People's days in October and June, respectively.
Xbox first marked the holiday in 2021. This year the company took extra steps not only to celebrate groups like the Anishinaabe, Yurok, and the Snoqualmie Tribe, but also looked farther afield to recognize to Polynesian Māori people and the Nordic Indigenous group of the Sámi.
The company is supporting and recognizing these peoples by commissioning art pieces from artists who hail from these groups, encouraging players to donate to various nonprofits through Microsoft Rewards, and spotlighting stories from Indigenous players in its Xbox Ambassador program.
Those nonprofits include the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, the First Nations Development Institute, and Indspire.
Additionally, the company is promoting its collections of games featuring Indigenous characters or created by Indigenous developers that are purchasable on Xbox or PC. These include Tell Me Why, Raji: An Ancient Epic, Never Alone, and Button City.
This expanded set of actions by the Xbox team represents extra work that the company has taken to connect with different Indigenous peoples. The UN's holiday is meant to recognize people from all over the world who may have incredibly distinct cultures and practices, but also "share common problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples."
Jenn Panattoni, head of Xbox Social Impact and
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