Under a new bill, the State of Michigan would recognize the original inhabitants of North America instead of Christopher Columbus on the second Monday of October.

Senator Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, introduced Senate Bill 568 on Oct. 8 to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Michigan.

“Michigan, at the heart of the Great Lakes basin, has a rich and long history, extending long before Europeans first arrived,” Irwin said in a statement. “It is only fitting that we more prominently recognize and celebrate the rich and vibrant, tribal tradition of the indigenous people of Michigan, and of this continent.”

Columbus Day was adopted as a federal holiday in 1937. On the second Monday in October, the country recognizes Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the Americas.

Aaron Payment, chairman of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, said Indigenous Peoples’ Day is important because a lot of people don’t know the history.

“Christopher Columbus didn’t find the Americas,” Payment said. “It’s kind of ridiculous that we celebrate a person who was lost.”

Payment said if the bill were to pass, he envisions the day becoming a celebration of the country’s diversity, but also the origins of the original inhabitants of North America.

The idea of Indigenous Peoples Day was first proposed in 1977 by a delegation of indigenous nations to the United Nations-sponsored International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas. The day wasn’t adopted by American communities until 1992.

Several Michigan cities such as Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Ypsilanti and more have already made the change to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Irwin said the state should follow their lead.

If the bill were to pass, it would make Michigan the eighth state in the nation to rename Columbus Day in honor of indigenous and tribal communities.

“I really appreciate our legislators introducing legislation to take that next step,” Payment said.

The bill has been referred to the committee on Government Operations. The bill would have to pass the Senate and the House, then be signed by the Governor to become law.