Indigenous Persons day

Once I asked a Native American friend what she preferred to be called. She said, "Indian."

But my granddaughter's boyfriend told me recently, "I am one-quarter Native. Cherokee." He's from Oklahoma. So maybe some of them just call themselves Natives.
 

When I was in High School I remember a history teacher that told of the wicked ways that Christopher Columbus treated other people. I have never celebrated Columbus Day or know of any of my family members who have.

He was certainly a European man of his time. Ferdinand and Isabella who financed him were leaders of the Castile phase of the Spanish Inquisition. Our family has never celebrated it either other than enjoying a long weekend.
 
What kind of day?
Who?
What, Who, get outt'a here!
Don't forget the benefits package available to indians
 

In 1992 we went to San Juan, Puerto Rico. By pure luck it happened to be Columbus Day 500 years. We stayed in Old San Juan and there was no one bad mouthing Columbus as there was on the US media. They had fiesta and everyone enjoyed it.

In the years that we lived in Arizona, we encountered many Navajos and others. I never once heard any of them refer to themselves as "native americans".
 
This Indigenous People’s Day the Italian American community had a wreath laying ceremony at the Columbus circle monument.

Parking for the event was difficult because the city chose today to repair the streets around the monument.

I missed seeing the local organizations advertising their traditional Columbus Day spaghetti dinner fundraisers.

I wish we could let go of Columbus Day and not try to paper over it.

We could acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of the American Indian on Thanksgiving Day.

Maybe it’s just me being selfish about seeing more of the traditions that I grew up with being erased instead of being put into the proper historical context.
 
Do Native Americans celebrate Indigenous Persons Day?

I don't think too many people give Columbus a second thought on Columbus Day other than remembering that a guy named Columbus and his crew came here in 1492/1493. That probably the extent of it, unless you're an advocate for Indigenous people, in which case, you're against the celebration of Columbus.

And is Columbus Day really a good day to substitute Indigenous Persons Day? That's like having a National Jewish Day on the day that Hitler began to murder Jews in mass numbers. It's more of a memorial day. Indigenous Persons Day should be to commemorate something positive. I'm not sure what that would be.

This webpage lists a bunch of Native American holidays:
https://www.brownielocks.com/nativeamerican.html
 
While i agree 'Indigenous People's Day' doesn't roll of the tongue, 'Discovery' day not quite accurate--it was at very least an intrusion if not an slow but just as destructive invasion.

Over the years some Indigenous People's have argued that they are not really 'Native' because their ancestors came across the land bridge according to scientists. Others had oral histories that said their people were here long before that influx, i believe usually put at around 10,000 yrs ago. And now they've been validated by this find:

My cousin posted a meme with pictures of Native Americans that puts them here 23,000 years ago. I wondered if that was accurate but didn't take time to research it today.
As for the OP: I'm so glad they changed the name of the holiday. It's about time the Native Americans get the kind of recognition they are due.
 
I never did understand all the hoopla over Columbus anyway. He got lost on his way looking for China, landed in the Caribbean , thought he was India [ hence his referring to the natives as indians ] Then proclaimed he found/discovered the 'new-world' !

He didn't find/discover anything the land & the people here were already here.

IMO, the first from the European continent to land on the N/American continent were the Vikings.
 
You're probably right, rgp, but it's too late to change anything. Imagine having to change all the places with Columbus, Columbia, etc. in their names.
 
You're probably right, rgp, but it's too late to change anything. Imagine having to change all the places with Columbus, Columbia, etc. in their names.

Yeah, I agree.... but maybe just tone it down a-bit ? And perhaps start recognizing what more accurate history seems to reveal ?

Bottom line .... does it really matter anyway ? I mean we're here .... I'm not overly concerned with who was here first. My concern is more about what we do with our country & our world, now & in the future.
 
Ok, so what if it wasn't Columbus? It would have been someone else. Because the indigenous people were literally still living in the Stone Age. First contact rarely works out well when the people involved are at different technology levels. Columbus had a vision. And the guts to carry it out.
 


Back
Top