Hey there everyone and welcome back for the fifth installment of Keeping it Native! This blog is a little different compared to my past blogs. Instead of talking about recent powwows and events that I have been to, Today we are going to have a little bit of a history lesson YAY!.
(JK some of you are going to find this a little boring so click away if you so please but without further ado, let us get on with the blog!)
Many of you may not know but October 11th was Indigenous Peoples Day, formerly known as Columbus Day.
The federal holiday officially changed from Columbus day to Indigenous People’s Day in order to reverse the wrongdoings of American history that have been upheld for centuries. Following an article by NPR, they define this as
Indigenous Peoples’ Day advocates say the recognition helps correct a “whitewashed” American history that has glorified Europeans like Italian explorer Christopher Columbus who have committed violence against Indigenous communities. Native Americans have long criticized the inaccuracies and harmful narratives of Columbus’ legacy that credited him with his “discovery” of the Americas when Indigenous people were there first.
These long-standing traditions that honored Christopher Columbus set a plethora of discriminatory ideologies towards Native Americans in stone. With this enaction for reversal, Indigenous peoples’ are now beginning to get the coverage and recognition that has been hidden. This may not solve a ton of problems but it is a great starting point. A simple name change may sound silly and not beneficial to most people, but in order to reverse the wrongdoings and real issues of the past, there has to be a point where some sort of change is enacted, and this is that instance.
The struggle that Natives face has always been swept under the rug and is continually being hidden even till today. In an article written by USA Today, they explain this by showing the negative effects of celebrating Columbus day.
“ ‘For over 500 years, Indigenous people have been fighting for their survival, land, and rights,’ Les Begay, a Diné Nation member and co-founder of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Coalition of Illinois, said at a rally Monday in Chicago. ‘Each October, when Columbus is honored, it further diminishes and erases Native people, their history and their culture.’”
The painful and atrocious history that is unfortunately tied to Indigenous peoples is sad but needs to be covered and remembered. If we were to try to forget everything bad that has happened in the past we would never learn from our mistakes.
Some ways to celebrate Indigenous peoples’ day include the following:
- Get educated! Go out and learn something new about the culture
- Support local Native artists. There are many groups and events in which you can do so.
- Attend a local or even virtual celebration
- Get involved! Whether that be through movements or giving your support
- Spread the word!
Although it may not seem like it, any action whether that be small or big still has a large impact.
Questions of the day:
What do you think of the change from Colombus day to Indigenous people’s day?
Did you have an abundance of assignments and tests like I did this week?
How are you doing, be honest?