Oct 122015
 

If you forgot and tried to go to most banks today, you were quickly reminded it’s Columbus Day.  No doubt it brought back grade school memories of singing:

Columbus-Ships-Boats_1492

In fourteen hundred ninety-two,

Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

He had three ships and left from Spain.

He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.

On those lyrics all Americans can agree.  After that, the story in song – and in deed – quickly diverges from facts to some pretty amazing myth.

Congress set aside the second Monday of October as a federal holiday honoring Columbus since 1934.  But Native Americans are slowly winning more recognition to transform it to Indigenous Peoples Day.

Back in 1990, South Dakota voted to rename Columbus Day to Native American Day.  And a number of cities, let by Berkeley, California since 1992, have succeeded in renaming it Indigenous Peoples Day.  That list now also includes Seattle, Minneapolis, Albuquerque, Lawrence KS, Portland OR, Olympia WA, St. Paul and a few others.

Map_Columbus-Day_Indigenous-Peoples-Day

CLICK MAP TO ENLARGE

Clearly this is a controversial issue with those wanting to honor Columbus and those wanting to recognize the history of Native Americans having valid points.  I would hope that there’s enough Solomon-like wisdom among us that we can reach a fair compromise recognizing both cultures’ contributions.

So what are your thoughts?

This one has an even-handed look at the historical background of Columbus Day:

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/how-to-reinvent-columbus-day

And for more background reading and resources used for this short post:

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/10/08/making-promise-monday-will-be-indigenous-peoples-day-portland-162003

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/10/12/3711539/indigenous-peoples-day/ [MAP GRAPHIC – for a larger view]

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/were-off-for-columbus-day-2/

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/10/11/us/ap-us-columbus-day-name.html

 

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  13 Responses to “Americans Also Have a Holiday Today – But Should We?”

  1. Learned something new – didn't know that just clicking on the map will open a larger view.

  2. Thanks Nameless–I always argued (I am part Scandinavian) that Leif Eriksen deserved it more than Columbus so I can appreciate the better right of Native Americans even more readily.

    • I have no Scandinavian and no Italian ancestry (that I know of), but Eriksen at least hit the mainland, which Columbus never did.  However, any claim to be the discoverer of land which real human beings had been living on for centuries …..

      Fascinating that South Dakota was one of the firs to re-name the day after Native Americans, when their "Child Protective Services" are among the worst for judicially kidnapping Native Americam kids, in their case from the Lakota.  (bites tongue)

  3. I agree, never heard of Devaca before but plan to research.  I am part Cherokee, thanks to my maternal grandmother, yet know very little, to my shame.  It should be Indigenous people's day!

  4. To have a holiday may be fine but to link it to the discovery of America by one particular man is rather meaningless.

    Let's peel down this onion: First of all Columbus never reached the mainland of what is now called North America, on none of his four trips. He discovered islands before the coast of South America, but never made it past Cuba and the coast of Honduras and Panama. On his first trips Columbus himself thought he had discovered a new passage to India, calling the native islanders Indians. Historically people have honored "discoverers" who brought their countries or patronage enormous wealth, so celebrating a Columbus day in Spain seems logical as Italian Columbus couldn't find sponsors for his search for a gateway to India in his own country and had to wear the court of Spain down for money. The day is also celebrated, logically or not,  in a few Latin American countries, remnants of the Spanish colonial dominance no doubt.

    But why America has chosen in 1937 to celebrate Columbus day as a national holiday is a mystery to me as Columbus neither colonized North America nor did America (= USA) did not exist at that time. It is believed that Leif Erickson and his clan did have a small settlement on the coast of North America, so for all practical ends and purposes he is a more likely candidate for a celebration, were it not for the fact that we now have a less colonialist view on "discoveries" and don't term them that way if the lands "discovered" by Europeans were already inhabited. And killing all indigenous people afterwards doesn't count. We frown upon that sort of rewriting of history nowadays. ;-{

    In this day and age America should do away with the celebration of its discovery, as it had been "discovered" by its indigenous people thousands of years before Leif or Christopher were born or any who have touched upon the shores in the period in between.  As it stands now, there are other holidays which celebrate the unity and identity of the United States of America, there was no need for such an ill-chosen "discovery" celebration, unless it was to underscore the white dominance in America at that time. It's about time this was rectified, Columbus Day abolished and the Indigenous People's Day introduced. Perhaps not on the same day and perhaps not as a day of celebration but of remembrance. But in the current political climate I'm sure the Republicans will turn Columbus Day into "their day", refuse to let it be taken away from them and will denounce Indigenous People's Day as unconstitutional to have as national holiday.

  5. Leif Erikson discovered America but didn't try to conquer it.

    Columbus was rescued by Native Americans in the Carribbean after getting lost. In return for the favor, he spread disease and slaughter.

  6. Respect and recognize Native Americans. It should be
     Indigenous Day.

    Happy Indigenous Peoples Day!

  7. In Argentina october 12 was declared, since 2010,  Day of Cultural Diversity.

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