North American First People’s Day

North American First People's Day

Help us honor the first people who walked the Portage Path — every first Monday in October in Akron and Summit County, Ohio.

How the day came to be

2016

Northern Cheyenne, local schools and the community walk the path

2018

Lippman School students’ resolution passes Akron City Council

2019

Summit County Council extends the day county-wide

2026

Our tenth walk — Sunday, October 4

This year’s celebration and every walk before it

Our tenth walk and the full list of events around the first Monday in October.

Photos and stories from every walk since the first steps in 2016.

From a student challenge to city and county law

The Lippman School, the Northern Cheyenne Nation, and why the path matters.

January 22, 2018 — the students’ proposal, the vote, and the press that followed.

April 15, 2019 — the day extended to the whole county, with video of the vote.

For classrooms, families and anyone walking the path

Lessons and collections curated on the Smithsonian Learning Lab.

The student challenge that built this site — and how to run your own.

Come and experience the Northern Cheyenne through their own stories.

Back on the path

NAFPD is one stop on the 8-mile Portage Path. See where it sits between Stan Hywet and the Perkins Stone Mansion.