What is Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
November 12, 2021
What is Indigenous Peoples’ Day? Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a day of celebration for Native Americans; this year it fell on October 11th. We take this day to celebrate and honor Native Americans instead of Christopher Columbus.
Some might wonder, “Why wouldn’t we celebrate Columbus?” Well, that’s because the story of Columbus just simply isn’t true. For a long time America has been under the impression that Columbus showed up here and founded the country we know now. However, in this case, the history books aren’t reliable. What Columbus really did was far from heroic or revolutionary. If anything, what he did was evil, but even that one word can’t sum up his doings.
While Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a relatively new holiday, some might wonder how they can celebrate it correctly.
Some ways you can celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day include taking time to educate yourself and your family, attending meetings to educate and celebrate the Native history, or donating to Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Organizations.
Another way to celebrate this holiday is by getting involved in the Anti-Mascot movement which would force sports teams to redact their use of Native American mascots. So far this movement has led to the NFL Washington team changing their name. Formerly known as the Washington Redskins, they are now the Washington Football Team through the 2021 season and a new name and logo will be announced in 2022.
Ever since Columbus landed in this country, America has tried to erase the roots of Native Americans. This year and the next, take your time to learn whose land you’re on and educate yourself on it’s history.
Some links to visit:
https://iwgia.org/en/