Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day?

Pat Macpherson, Pfc. Sandoval, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Associated Press (ap.org, 10-11-15) 

(Crass) "Where Next Columbus?" (lyrics) from the British feminist punk album "Penis Envy"

Flyer on campus of Univ. of NM in Albuquerque calls for students to join a protest against Columbus Day. Today, Oct. 12, 2015, marks the annual holiday nationwide, but in a twist that signals a growing trend, it will also be Indigenous Peoples Day in many U.S. cities (AP).

  

More US cities recognizing Native Americans

Columbus' men tortured, raped, murdered, enslaved, casting humans to the dogs (ICTMN).

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This land was found full of Native Americans.

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - More cities are recognizing Native Americans on Columbus Day this year as they revive a movement to change the name of the holiday to celebrate the history and contributions of indigenous cultures around the country.

 

As the U.S. observes Columbus Day on Monday, it will also be Indigenous Peoples Day in at least nine cities for the first time this year, including Albuquerque; Portland, Oregon; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Olympia, Washington.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. Columbus brought a mentality that continues (AP).

Ethnic cleansing: Native Americans raped in forced reeducation schools, imprisoned...

  

Encouraged by city council votes in Minneapolis and Seattle last year, Native American activists made a push in dozens of cities in recent months to get local leaders to officially recognize the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day. Their success was mixed.

 

Imperial fantasy: Natives welcomed invasion

The campaigns say the federal 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. The indigenous holiday takes into account the history and contributions of Native Americans for a more accurate historical record, activists have argued.

 

Columbus Day supporters say the holiday celebrates centuries of cultural exchange between America and Europe, commemorates an iconic explorer and honors Italian-Americans, a group that has endured its own share of discrimination.

Christian collusion with imperial forces interested in human torture (Getty Images).

   

How do you avert invasion by marauders?

"For the Native community here, Indigenous Peoples Day means a lot. We actually have something," said Nick Estes of Albuquerque, who is coordinating a celebration Monday after the City Council recently issued a proclamation:

"We understand it's just a proclamation, but at the same time, we also understand this is the beginning of something greater."

 

Native Americans are the nation's smallest demographic, making up about 2 percent of the U.S. 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.

 

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 around the day. South Dakota 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. More
 

If not Christopher Columbus, who really discovered America? Buddhist missionaries.