Dozens braved the rain Monday to honor Native history, heritage and identity during Philadelphia's 9th annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration.

Held each year on Columbus Day , the event reframes the holiday with a focus on indigenous voices.

"I was raised in the culture, so I know who I am," Vaughnda Hilton, CEO of Native Nations Dance Theater, said. "I've always known and always embraced it."

Hilton, who is Seminole and Creek, was among many performers who took the stage at Penn Treaty Park in Fishtown to share traditional music and dance. For her, each beat of the drum is a declaration of presence.

"The songs mean a lot to us and it goes along with us because we're able to keep our culture alive that way," Hilton said.

The celebration featured Indigenous instruments, such as

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