More US cities are recognizing Native Americans on Columbus Day this year as the community revives a movement to change the name of the holiday to celebrate the history and contributions of indigenous communities across the US.
As the US observed Columbus Day yesterday, it was also Indigenous Peoples’ Day in at least nine US cities for the first time this year, including Albuquerque, New Mexico; Portland, Oregon; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Olympia, Washington State.
Encouraged by city council votes in Minneapolis and Seattle last year, Native American activists made a push in dozens of cities to get leaders to officially recognize the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day. Their success was mixed.
Photo: Reuters
The campaigns say the holiday honoring Christopher Columbus — and the parades and pageantry accompanying it — overlook a painful history of colonialism, enslavement, discrimination and land grabs that followed the Italian explorer’s 1492 arrival in the Americas.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day takes into account the history and contributions of Native Americans for a more accurate historical record, activists said.
Columbus Day supporters said the holiday celebrates centuries of cultural exchange between the US and Europe, commemorates an iconic explorer and honors Italian-Americans, a group that has endured its own share of discrimination.
“For the Native [American] community here, Indigenous Peoples’ Day means a lot. We actually have something,” said Nick Estes of Albuquerque, who coordinated a celebration due to be held yesterday after the Albuquerque City Council issued a proclamation. ”
Native Americans make up about 2 percent of the US population. In recent decades, a significant number of tribal members have moved from reservations to urban areas, where a large majority live today.
The shift makes the cities’ resolutions and proclamations more meaningful, Estes said.
US Congress set aside the second Monday of October as a federal holiday honoring Columbus in 1934. Over the years, Native Americans have slowly begun winning more recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
South Dakota, where Native Americans represent about 8.5 percent of the population, renamed Columbus Day to Native American Day in 1990 and it has been an official state holiday ever since. Berkeley, California, has observed Indigenous Peoples’ Day since 1992.
Parades and festivals that developed around Columbus Day have faced protests that are known for being confrontational, especially in Denver.”
The renewed push for Indigenous Peoples’ Day carries the sentiment of past decades’ protests against Columbus, but it has proven less confrontational, with advocates instead finding traction at Albuquerque City Hall.
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