REMINDER: NOT YET, BUT SOON IT WILL BE YOUR CHANCE TO SUGGEST THEMES FOR NEXT YEAR’S THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! YOU CAN DO THAT IN ONE WAY AND ONE WAY ONLY. BY LEAVING YOUR SUGGESTIONS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THE LAST THE WEEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE POST THAT PUBLISHES IN OCTOBER (OCTOBER 26) AND THE FIRST THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE POST THAT PUBLISHES IN NOVEMBER (NOVEMBER 2).
Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day. A holiday that we celebrate at Photography 139. You will find it on the physical Photography 139 Calendar.
Why do we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated to honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of Indigenous peoples while promoting a more accurate understanding of American history. It also recognizes the resilience of Native communities who have endured centuries of colonization, displacement, and forced assimilation.
Part of why we celebrate is visibility and recognition. Native histories and perspectives have often been overlooked or misrepresented, and the observance creates space for Indigenous communities to be acknowledged on their own terms.
The history is also connected to correcting historical narratives about colonization. Historians estimate that Native populations declined by as much as 95% in the 130 years following European contact due to violence, disease, and forced displacement.
At the same time, the meaning is rooted in resilience, not victimhood. Indigenous peoples continue to preserve their languages, cultures, artistic traditions, ecological knowledge, and community leadership across generations.
Celebrating the day also means recognizing challenges that Native communities are still rebuilding, fighting, or struggling with the consequences of colonization today. Including food insecurity, lack of clean water, and language loss.
How to Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day
There are many meaningful ways to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, from learning more about Native history to directly supporting Native communities and creators. The most impactful actions are often the ones that continue beyond a single day and help build long-term awareness, respect, and connection.One simple but meaningful first step is learning which Indigenous nations originally lived on the land where you currently live, work, or study. Resources like Native-Land.ca help people better understand the histories and communities connected to their region.
This is also where many people first encounter land acknowledgments, statements that recognize the Indigenous peoples who have longstanding ties to a place. While acknowledgments are not a complete action on their own, they can help build awareness and encourage deeper learning.
Read, Watch, and Listen to Indigenous Voices
Another meaningful choice is engaging with books, films, podcasts, and artwork created by Indigenous storytellers and educators. Listening directly to Native voices helps create a more accurate and personal understanding of Indigenous histories and experiences.
Readers can explore resources such as the American Indian Youth Literature Award list to discover books by Native authors and illustrators.
One recent project that highlights Indigenous storytelling is Remaining Native, a documentary connected to 2022 Dreamstarter Ku Stevens (Yerington Paiute). Directed by Native filmmaker Paige Bethmann (Haudenosaunee), the film follows Ku as he retraces the 50-mile route his great-grandfather escaped from the Stewart Indian Boarding School as a child.
The documentary connects personal family history with the broader legacy of boarding schools and cultural survival. It also reflects how Native youth continue to carry stories forward through leadership, art, and remembrance.
Source: https://indianyouth.org/indigenous-peoples-day/
And of course:
And I found a video that sums it up pretty well. Here is the text from the video by @indigenousconyang:
This is just your reminder that Indigenous people are still here.
Indigenous people’s day is everyday.
F*ck Columbus. He did not discover sh*t.
F*ck ICE. Nobody is illegal on stolen Native land.
And what they do to the land they do to the women and children.
So we must protect our women, girls and two spirit relatives.
COLORFUL! A great theme! But was it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!
As of 12:01 PM on Monday, October 5, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks:
*1-Mary Green – 2 weeks
*2-Sabas Hernandez – 2 weeks
3-Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks
4-Johnathan Stensland – 2 weeks
5-Sara Lockner – 4 weeks
*6-Alexis Stensland – 8 weeks
7-Suzie Brannen – 10 weeks
*8-Linda Bennett – 10 weeks
9-Willy McAlpine – 10 weeks
10-Jason Baier – 16 weeks
11-Monica Jennings – 16 weeks
12-Logan Kahler – 19 weeks
13-Sarah Karber – 37 weeks
14-Deanna Peters – 41 weeks
15-Deb Powers – 110 weeks
16-Mike Vest – 124 weeks
17-Lowell Davis – 144 weeks
18-Scott Degeneffe – 163 weeks
19-Sheri Fakhouri – 172 weeks
20-Nathanial Brown – 175 weeks
21-Tamara Peterson – 186 weeks
22-Mindi Terrell – 190 weeks
23-Sarah Toot – 220 weeks
24-Angie DeWaard – 223 weeks
25-Dawn Krause – 226 weeks
26-Kim Barker – 234 weeks
27-Joe Duff – 235 weeks
28-Teresa Kahler – 246 weeks
*29-Carla Stensland – 246 weeks
30-Micky Augustin – 248 weeks
31-Andy Sharp – 249 weeks
32-Bill Wentworth – 250 weeks
33-Cathie Morton – 253 weeks
34-Elizabeth Nordeen – 255 weeks
35-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 257 weeks
But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:
Alexis Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 9 weeks
Alexis Stensland (Ogden, Iowa)
Andy Sharp (Clinton, Iowa) – 250 weeks
Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa) – 224 weeks
Becky Parmelee (Bella Vista, Arkansas) – 3 weeks
Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 251 weeks
Carla Stensland (Arnolds Park, Iowa) – 247 week
Carla Stensland (Arnolds Park, Iowa)
Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 254 weeks
Christopher D. Bennett (Ames, Iowa)
Dawn Krause (Fraser, Iowa) – 227 weeks
Deanna Peters (Perry, Iowa) – 42 weeks
Deanna Peters (Madrid, Iowa)
Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa) – 111 weeks
Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa)
Elizabeth Nordeen (Ames, Iowa) – 256 weeks
Jason Baier (Fort Dodge, Iowa) – 17 weeks
Joe Duff (Kemah, Texas) – 236 weeks
Johnathan Stensland (Boone County, Iowa) – 3 weeks
Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 235 weeks
Linda Bennett (Easton, Kansas) – 11 weeks
Logan Kahler (Boone County, Iowa) – 20 weeks
Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa)
Lowell Davis (Boone, Iowa) – 145 weeks
Mary Green (Holt, Michigan) – 3 weeks
Mary Green (Holt, Michigan)
Micky Augustin (Ames, Iowa) – 249 weeks
Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 125 weeks
Mindi Terrell (Urbandale, Iowa) – 191 weeks
Mindi Terrell (Urbandale, Iowa)
Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 17 weeks
Nathanial Brown (Boone County, Iowa) – 176 weeks
Sabas Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa) – 3 weeks
Sara Lockner (Johnston, Iowa) – 5 weeks
Sarah Karber (Hastings, Minnesota) – 38 weeks
Sarah Toot (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida) – 221 weeks
Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 164 weeks
Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa)
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Lake Okoboji UM Camp – Spirit Lake, Iowa) – 258 weeks
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 173 weeks
Suzie Brannen (Perry, Iowa) – 11 weeks
Suzie Brannen (Perry, Iowa)
Tamara Peterson (Boone, Iowa) – 187 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 247 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)
Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 11 weeks
Willy McAlpine (Woodward, Iowa)
Submissions from 36 participants this week. A popular week!
A huge thanks to everyone that included the location of their picture with their submission! And a huge thanks to everyone that submitted before Monday morning! Makes my job so much easier! (Request not related to Andy’s submission this week.)
- Week 578 Submission Geography
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- Texas
- Year 13 Submission Geography (1st Submitter)
- Arizona (Sara L.)
- Arkansas (Scott)
- California (Sabas)
- Colorado (Nathanial)
- Delaware (Sarah T.)
- Florida (Cathie)
- Illinois (Nathanial)
- Indiana (Nathanial)
- Iowa (Tamara)
- Kansas (Linda)
- Kentucky (Scott)
- Maine (Angie)
- Maryland (Sarah T.)
- Michigan (Mary)
- Minnesota (Sarah K.)
- Mississippi (Adam)
- Missouri (Scott)
- Montana (Joe)
- Nebraska (Bill)
- Nevada (Nathanial)
- New Hampshire (Angie)
- New Jersey (Sarah T.)
- New York (Sarah T.)
- North Carolina (Sarah T.)
- Ohio (Nathanial)
- Oklahoma (Mike)
- Pennsylvania (Sarah T.)
- South Dakota (Deb)
- Tennessee (Sarah T.)
- Texas (Joe)
- Utah (Nathanial)
- Washington D.C. (Sarah T.)
- West Virginia (Nathanial)
- Wisconsin (Dawn)
- Wyoming (Nathanial)
- Bahamas (Cathie)
- Dominican Republic (Scott)
- England (Nathanial)
- France (Sarah T.)
- Japan (Sabas)
- Scotland (Michelle)
- South Africa (Nathanial)
That is 34 states! 1 district! 7 foreign countries!
I’m definitely not tracking this, but I believe we had submissions from the following unique counties in Iowa this week: Boone, Clayton, Clinton, Dallas, Dickinson, Polk, Warren, Webster, and Story.
There were no milestones this week, BUT for the 2nd week in a row… no streaks were snapped! WooHoo!
Enough dwelling on the past! Time to look to the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future! This week’s theme:
COMPETITION – SUGGESTED BY SCOTT DEGENEFFE
COMPETITION! What a great theme for Year 13 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!
I’m not making this a special rule, but a special request. Please! Please! Please! No pictures of a sporting even on a television. It is a CHALLENGE! I’m sure you can at least pull out a board game and photograph that!!
Here are the Year 13 rules!
- YEAR 13 – THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE RULES
- The picture must be taken between 12:01 PM today and 11 AM next Monday. This isn’t a curate your photos project. This is a get your butt off the couch and take pictures challenge!
- There is a limit of 2 submissions per person per theme. If you send me more than 2, I will use the first 2 that you submit. If you submit 2 pictures, make sure they are of different subjects.
- Deadline to submit your submission is 11 AM Central Time the following Monday. But that is a deadline. Pictures can be submitted as soon as you take them. In fact, pictures being submitted by Sunday night are GREATLY APPRECIATED!
- To be considered the photographer of an image, you have to be the one that clicks the shutter. If you hand your camera over to somebody else to take a picture of you, you are NOT the photographer of that image.
- No screen captures. This is a photography challenge. Not a “look at what I found on the internet” challenge.
- Please include the location of where the picture was taken with your submission. PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME ASK YOU!
- Please submit images that are OVER 1000 pixels at their largest side. DON’T OVERCROP! Look at this page on a computer, if your images are considerably smaller than everyone else’s pictures, then you are sending too small of images!
- ABSOLUTELY NO USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE!!
- How to Submit
- Email your submission to bennett@photography139.com.
- Text your submission to my Google Pixel 10 Pro. I’m not putting my phone # here. If you know, you know.
I look forward to seeing your interpretation!
Until next Monday, may you run and not be weary. May your heart be filled with song. And may the love of God continue to give you hope and keep you strong.