The community of Lewiston will also be celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day. And they suffered from ongoing discrimination in the U.S. Seattle followed suit in 2014; the city council’s vote was greeted by the joyful throb of beating drums and a performance of the American Indian Movement song in City Hall. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving is not only a day devoted to indigenous peoples but, better still, one dedicated to peace and harmony between indigenous and nonindigenous Americans. The very name evokes images of young commissars meeting at Berkeley coffee houses and of indignant, middle-aged white people tootling off to campus in their Volvos, people with comfortable lives who must therefor be perpetually angry on other people’s behalf.
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This commemorative day has officially replaced or challenged Columbus Day in in parts of the United States.
The account of Bartolomé de las Casas, a priest and contemporary of Columbus, affirms the atrocities of the conquest of the Indies.
Of course, we should celebrate Italian-American Heritage Day in a sensible, respectful fashion that reflects the contemporary values and practices of nonbigoted Americans.
Rudy Perez, a representative of the Native American peoples of San Antonio, said this designation is a long time coming, and he hopes it will bring to an end a few misconceptions about Native Americans, like they are a “mixed race” people.
That’s all true. After Columbus came a wave of Spanish conquistadores, a mostly thuggish bunch with gold on their minds and the casual propensity to torture, maim, enslave and kill anyone in their way. Still, they remain among the most marginalized groups in the country – even compared to newly-arrived immigrants.
By the early 20th century, after Native populations finally began rebounding from the population collapse, the USA government dealt another blow to native identity with the forced boarding school programs.
The fact remains that Columbus was incredibly fearless.
But he was also wrong.
1843: 400 years after his first voyage, Columbus’ likeness was placed on a USA postage stamp.
If he hadn’t run into the new world, he would have. “The Arawaks had no weapons; their society had neither criminals, prisons nor prisoners”, Kasum wrote.
What about those Vikings?
To add insult to injury, the man who “discovered” America never actually landed on American soil. And then the Vikings mislaid the information and forgot about it. A pity, that. The day will honor their ancestors. We migrated from Africa, the only place to which we are indigenous.
The exploitation of Native American’s suffering extends beyond the government’s choice to continue dedicating a day to Columbus. He would just like to see another Italian historical figure honored.
Just don’t bother to define or identify “natives”.
In Vermont, on Monday, Champlain College’s People Advocating and Uniting for Social Equity is teaming up with local Abenaki artists to host Indigenous Peoples’ Day: A Reclamation Celebration of Abenaki Art and Culture. Their success was mixed. But if you think about it, the whole concept of discovering America is, well, arrogant. And certainly “native” flows from the tongue more gracefully than “indigenous”. The city of Minneapolis passed their resolution a year ago.
Genetin-Pilawa said the name of the holiday should be formally changed.
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In the United States, October 12 is significant as the date explorer Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas.The achievement, which is commemorated on the second Monday of October, is a source of pride, particularly within the Italian-American community because Columbus was Italian. Written permission must be obtained before reprint in online or print media.
