Indigenous Peoples' Day

2021.10.11

Song of the day:

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Video of the day:

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Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Per Wikipedia - Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday that celebrates and honors Native American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. On October 8, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a presidential proclamation declaring October 11 to be a national holiday. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, and is an official city and state holiday in various localities. It began as a counter-celebration held on the same day as the U.S. federal holiday of Columbus Day, which honors Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Many reject celebrating him, saying that he represents "the violent history of the colonization in the Western Hemisphere,"Why and that Columbus Day is a sanitization or covering-up of Christopher Columbus' actions such as enslaving Native Americans. Indigenous People’s Day was instituted in Berkeley, California, in 1992, to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus in the Americas on October 12, 1492. Two years later, Santa Cruz, California, instituted the holiday. Starting in 2014, many other cities and states adopted the holiday.

I saw a post online this weekend that I wanted to take action on today:

For Indigenous People’s Day, do some research and:

Name 5 tribes that have traditional territories in the state in which you live:

1. Muwekma

2. Ohlone

3. Tamien Nation

4. Ramaytush

5. Awaswas

Answer these questions:

1. What tribe’s land are you standing on?

   • Muwekma Ohlone - SJSU reads this land acknowledgement before events and various meetings (SJSU)

2. How many Native nations are in the US?

   • There are 574 federally recognized Indian Nations (variously called tribes, nations, bands, pueblos, communities and native villages) in the United States. (Google)

3. What are reservations? Why do they exist?

   • A reservation is an area of land tenure governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation under the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, rather than by the government of the state in which it is located. (Wikipedia)

   • The main goals of Indian reservations were to bring Native Americans under U.S. government control, minimize conflict between Indians and settlers and encourage Native Americans to take on the ways of the white man. But many Native Americans were forced onto reservations with catastrophic results and devastating, long-lasting effects. (History.com)

4. Name 5 Native celebrities, activists, and/or political leaders.

   • Jason Mamoa / Pawnee, Native Hawaiian / Actor

   • Jimi Hendrix / Cherokee / Musician

   • Deb Haaland / Laguna Pueblo / Politician

   • Chris Wondolowski / Kiowa / Athlete

   • Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate / Chickasaw / Composer

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Why Indigenous Peoples’ Day as opposed to Columbus Day?

Columbus Day began as a celebration of Italian immigrants who faced persecution in the U.S. But for many it’s now a symbol of the colonization and oppression of Indigenous people. Columbus Day has since come under fire as a celebration of a man whose arrival in the Americas heralded the oppression of another group of people: Native Americans. (National Geographic)

Columbus Day celebrated Italians. But for many with Indigenous ancestry, it was a slap in the face—a celebration of invasion, theft, brutality, and colonization. Columbus and his crew enabled and perpetrated the kidnapping, enslavement, forced assimilation, rape and sexual abuse of Native people, including children; the Native American population shrank by about half after European contact. For Indigenous Americans, the landing celebrated by some as a day of triumphant discovery was the beginning of an incursion onto land that had long been their home. (National Geographic)

I never thought much about Columbus Day. We got it as a holiday here and there over the years, and of course, there were the ever-important linen sales to celebrate the day. But beyond that, I didn’t know much else. I knew what was taught in school - In fourteen hundred and ninety two Columbus sailed the ocean blue - and that in theory, Columbus discovered America, but I didn’t know the rest of the story until many years later. But now that I know I believe it’s important that we honor our history and the people who inhabited our land long before we did. Learning a little about them didn’t take too long and it was interesting. I encourage you to respond to the above questions to learn about the Native American land you stand on today.