October 9th: Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
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Debra Eichenbaum is a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center. She is a graduate of Brandeis University. |
Most school children can easily recite the catchy rhyme: “In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” It’s engrained into their minds at an early age – In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain with the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria to discover America, or did he? Is it fair to say that Columbus actually discovered America? Because, isn’t it true, that the land had already been inhabited by the Native Americans for generations?
Today around the country government offices, post offices, and schools are closed in commemoration of Columbus Day – a day celebrating the man and the event. Don’t get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with a day off from school and work to think about the sailing of the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. But as we reflect on that fateful voyage I think it is also important for us to look at this day from the perspective of a Native American, from the perspective of one who views Columbus’ arrival as the end of freedom and self-autonomy rather than the beginning of civilization.
It’s not my place to say that one side is wrong and another is right. But, I think they both have a point. So this Columbus Day, as you enjoy your time off from school or work, I suggest you reflect on the day, at least for a minute, the way some Native American Rights advocates suggest, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. A time to celebrate the cultural traditions of Native Americans and remember that even though Christopher Columbus is an important figure in our history, maybe its time to rethink how we teach about him because, after all, for a place to be discovered it needs to be unknown by all beforehand.