Indigenous Peoples' Day: why it's
replacing Columbus Day in many
places
Susan C. Faircloth , Colorado State University Oct.
7, 2021 Updated: Oct. 7, 2021 10>02 a.m.
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(THE CONVERSATION) Columbus Day celebrations in the United States –
meant to honor the legacy of the man credited with “discovering” the New
World – are almost as old as the nation itself. The earliest known
Columbus Day celebration took place on Oct. 12, 1792, on the 300th
anniversary of his landing. But since the 1990s, a growing number of
states have begun to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day
– a holiday meant to honor the culture and history of the people living in
the Americas both before and after Columbusʼ arrival.
In the following Q&A, Susan C. Faircloth, an enrolled member of the
Coharie Tribe of North Carolina and professor of education at Colorado
State University, explains the history of Indigenous Peoples Day and what
it means to American education.
First, why is Columbus Day a problem?
For many Indigenous peoples, Columbus Day is a controversial holiday.
This is because Columbus is viewed not as a discoverer, but rather as a
colonizer. His arrival led to the forceful taking of land and set the stage for
widespread death and loss of Indigenous ways of life.
When did Indigenous Peoples Day come about?
In 1990, South Dakota – currently the state with the third-largest
population of Native Americans in the U.S. – became the first state to
officially recognize Native Americansʼ Day, commonly referred to as
Indigenous Peoples Day in other parts of the country.
More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia now recognize
Indigenous Peoples Day. Those states include Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii,
Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North
Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and
Wisconsin.
How does Indigenous Peoples Day change things?
Indigenous Peoples Day offers an opportunity for educators to rethink
how they teach what some have characterized as a “sanitized” story of
the arrival of Columbus. This version omits or downplays the devastating
impact of Columbusʼ arrival on Indigenous peoples. Indigenous Peoples
Day is an opportunity to reconcile tensions between these two
perspectives.
Research has shown that many schools do not accurately represent
Indigenous peoples when they teach history. I think this is true not only on
Indigenous Peoples Day, but throughout the school year. Researchers
have found that K-12 schools tend to teach about Native Americans as if
they existed only in the past. By revising the curriculum to better reflect
both past and current histories and stories of Native peoples, educators
can more accurately teach students about their cultures, histories and
traditions.
Has there been any pushback?
Yes, the shift from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day has met
resistance from communities across the country. In 2021, parents in
Parsippany, New Jersey, protested the local school boardʼs decision to
celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day. Among other
things, they cited lack of community input, failure to honor the legacy of
Italian immigrants and the need for a “more balanced picture of
Columbus.” In response, the school board removed the names of all
holidays from its calendar. Now the holidays are just referred to as “days
off.”
What resources do you recommend for Indigenous Peoples Day?
I would recommend “Lies My Teacher Told Me About Christopher
Columbus” by sociologist and educator James Loewen. I would also
recommend “An Indigenous Peoplesʼ History of the United States for
Young People” by historian Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. These books help
illustrate both the impact of the arrival of Columbus on the Indigenous
peoples of the Americas and the role of Indigenous peoples in the
founding of the United States. This is information that is typically absent
in K-12 schools.
Other resources are available from organizations such as the National
Museum of the American Indian, Learning for Justice and IllumiNative.
These resources include sample lesson plans, books and videos that
reflect the diversity of Native American peoples and tribes. For example,
one lesson plan from IllumiNative provides opportunities for students to
learn about Indigenous Peoples Day and at the same time explore ways to
honor and protect the land, air and water. Such lessons are important, as
they address the ways in which conservation of natural resources is
essential to the economic self-determination and self-sufficiency of
Native nations.
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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative
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https://theconversation.com/indigenous-peoples-day-why-its-replacing-
columbus-day-in-many-places-167849.
