On October 13, the city of Minneapolis will celebrate its first annual Indigenous People’s Day on the second Monday of the month, the same day that an observation of Christopher Columbus and the “discovery of the new world” is federally imposed. The initiative to rename the date is a clear attempt to uplift and recognize the contribution of indigenous people in this land that, as a matter of fact, has always belonged to them.
There is a strong message attached to this revolutionary change. It is changing history from its roots by honoring those who lost their lives due to the colonization.
Rewriting history is essential; we must tell the truth about the “discovery” of this beautiful land and we must tell our generations that it was actually indigenous people who discovered Columbus off the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. They nurtured him and his crew and yet he eventually took their land.
In a recent article in Seattle Weekly, it was reported that the Seattle’s city council will soon pass a similar resolution that would make “Indigenous People’s Day” a holiday and thereby replace the antiquated Columbus day.
Indigenous people continue to live the consequences of the colonization of their land. All throughout the continent, indigenous people live in extreme levels of poverty in marginalized communities, suffering discrimination and a lack global acceptance. An extensive report by the United Nations published in 2009 denounces the atrocities committed against indigenous populations across the globe and urges a call for major changes to the conditions they live in.
It is crucial that we recognize those whose land we have stolen and those whose lives we have destroyed. Indigenous populations are still suffering from the devastating consequences of historic colonization when they in fact hold the key to a better world because they know their land better than us.
