Indigenous Peoples Day On The Rise
For decades Tribal people have fought to shift attention from one of the chief symbols of Native American genocide and colonization, Christopher Columbus, to the resilience and perseverance of Tribal cultures and communities. Not only did Columbus land in an entirely different area than North America, but he also had no approximation of where he was on the globe. This is shadowed by the fact that neither Tribal Peoples in North America nor their traditional homelands were in need of discovery. While Christopher Columbus discovered nothing at all, the false narrative that he discovered America is still being taught in schools across the country. Yet a shift is upon us! This shift is due to the hard work of Indigenous Peoples everywhere.
Official Declarations of Indigenous Peoples Day. States, such as South Dakota, Maine, Nebraska, and New Mexico have recognized Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day while other states have decided not to recognize the Columbus holiday at all. How did this begin? On December 19, 1989, the governor of South Dakota, George Mickelson wrote a letter to the publisher of Lakota Times, Tim Giago, stating that he acknowledged the need to reconcile the differences between the history of South Dakota and that of the Lakota people. Part of doing so would include the co-development of a proclamation to create a day to celebrate Native Americans. South Dakota was the first state to acknowledge such a day. Read the letter here. [CB1] Counties and cities across the country, beginning with Berkeley California in 1992, recognize Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day. Some of these places include Humboldt County(2019) read the article here and Crescent City (2020) read the announcement here. President Joe Biden is the first U.S. President to acknowledge Indigenous Peoples Day, read “A Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, 2021.”
Indigenous Peoples Day on Campus. College campuses across the country have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. Collegiate Tribal student clubs have long highlighted Indigenous People’s Day on their campuses. In celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day 2022 at Cal Poly Humboldt an artist exhibit, “Recalling From The Source,” will open on October 13 in the Goudi’ni Gallery. At Southern Oregon University, students have organized an event “Recognizing Sovereignty of Tribal Nations” from 11:00 am to 3:30 pm. These events occur on campuses across the country and rely on the support of student organizers, advisors, Tribal student programs, vendors, and community support.
Removal of Columbus Statutes. To aid with the formation of the United States, the North American founders memorialized Columbus as a non-British hero who could provide a symbol of American independence. Statues were eventually erected from coast to coast to commemorate the myth that Columbus discovered America. Yet in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, the American Civil Rights Movement turned its attention to challenging issues that impact Tribal people, including the indoctrinated symbol that permits complacency for human atrocities such as genocide, murder, and rape. The result was the removal of many Columbus statues across the United States. According to an MIT analysis, “At least 40 monuments to Columbus have been removed since 2018.” Visit this interactive map to explore the data.
Restoring Community Balance. The symbols of genocide are reminders of the violence inflicted upon Tribal people making it difficult to heal the soul wound. The response that Tribal people face as a result of genocide can lead to struggles within Tribal communities and within individual Tribal members. Tribal Courts have a wide range of approaches to justice. Some Tribal Courts meet these challenges with a horizontal approach to justice rooted in community, rather than a top-down approach. With hard work, this offers an offender the opportunity to repair the crime they committed with the victim of crime and the community they both harmed and are responsible to. Ultimately, the goal is to pay restitution to the individual they offended and to restore the offender back to the community as a rehabilitated member and relative (L. Colgrove, personal communication, November 28, 2021). In many different ways, Tribal people are working towards empowering Tribal communities by replacing genocidal imbalance with empowering traditional cultural lifeways. This is a lifestyle and everyday occurrence, in a way, making everyday Indigenous Peoples Day.
The myth of Columbus has gripped a stronghold in American society. It takes great fortitude and education to create a cultural shift in society, especially in a society rooted in genocide, land theft, and slavery. With hard work and many hands, Indigenous Peoples Day has begun shifting the cultural narrative of Columbus Day by building a nationwide community momentum to support Indigenous cultural celebrations and education. Indigenous Peoples Day is on the rise.
The Weaving Wellness Library has been made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Sustaining Humanities through the American Rescue Plan in partnerships with the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this blog do not necessarily represent those of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums or the National Endowment for the Humanities.