Native American Day 2015: Facts And History For North America's First Residents, Before Christopher

[Judi Lynn]

Source: International Business Times

Native American Day 2015: Facts And History For North America's First Residents, Before Christopher Columbus

By Jess McHugh @McHughJess [email protected] on October 11 2015 5:05 PM EDT


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Native American advocacy groups have pushed to change Columbus Day to Native American Day or Indigenous People's Day. Pictured: Lakota
spiritual leader Chief Arvol Looking Horse attended a demonstration against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline in January 2015. AFP/Getty Images
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As people around the United States celebrate Columbus Day Monday, with government offices and most schools closed, many others will be hosting festivities for an alternative celebration: Native American Day. The relatively new holiday, celebrated in cities and towns across the country, was started as a way to honor the indigenous people who were living in North and South America long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492.

At least nine cities in the U.S. will be officially celebrating "Indigenous Peoples Day" this year, including Albuquerque, New Mexico; Portland, Oregon; St. Paul, Minnesota, and Olympia, Washington, the Associated Press reported. Many of the festivities on this day involve celebrating traditions specific to the tribes of the region as well as educating other people about the culture and history of Native Americans.

The Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain, landing in what is now the Bahamas in 1492. Columbus since has been credited with discovering the New World. Indigenous people from tribes across North and South America have protested his title as discoverer, pointing out that they had lived in the Americas long before 1492. Some scientists estimate the indigenous people in the Americas arrived at least 12,000 years ago.

Columbus' journey led to thousands of Europeans from across the continent leaving to come to the Americas to make their fortunes. As more and more settlers arrived, the Europeans often used force to push Native Americans off their land. Europeans also brought with them many diseases to which the native population never had been exposed and to which they had no immunity, such as smallpox and measles. As many as 20 million Native Americans died in the centuries following the arrival of European settlers.

Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/native-american-day-2015-facts-history-north-americas-first-residents-christopher-2136416

[merrily]

1. Thank you Judi Lynn. Just a horrific story.

Closer to my area:

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/06/30/christopher-columbus-statue-at-boston-park-vandalized-with-black-lives-matter/

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/06/13/police_recover_head_of_columbus_statue/


"First Nations" seems more accurate than "Native Americans," inasmuch as the First Nations were not "native" to this continent, but migrated here; and, they arrived long before this continent was known as "America." They were however the first nations on this continent.

Unbelievable that the rest of the country called them "Indians" for so long because Columbus made a mistake.

[merrily]

5. First Nations is plural, so your question about the first tribe to arrive here is puzzling, nor does

First Nations imply a single people. In fact, "Nations: is the opposite of a single tribe or nation, much as "plural" is the opposite of "single."

I must wonder how you know whether they considered themselves a single people when they began migrating here thousands of years ago or not.

"Native Americans" is far more inaccurate than First Nations, for the reasons stated in my prior post. I wasn't clear what your labeling it a social constuct: was supposed to convey.

First Nations, plural, distinguishes them in my mind from the other immigrants who began arriving here from other countries circa 1607.

Which name or title do you prefer then?

you are just drawing a completely arbitrary line that has no validity, and is therefore deserving of no respect.

No, there was no line drawn, other than the line between the peoples who arrived here before the Spanish, British, French, Italians, Germans, etc..

And you should take a breath before you say another DUer's idea deserves no respect.

[merrily]

8. A line between people who arrived on the continent thousands of years ago and those who began

arriving in the fifteen century C.E., and who were a different race from First Nations, is completely arbitrary? Gee, I can't even begin on that.

Yes, I said I drew a line and I said which line I drew. You need not act as though you caught me at drawing a line. I clearly said I did. You see the line as arbitrary. I don't. I don't know of anyone but you who thinks that line is arbitrary.

And again, First Nations is plural and therefore your insistence that it refers to only one tribe was puzzling the first time and even more puzzling when you repeat it as though I had never addressed it.

We ARE all immigrants, which is exactly the reason I give in my first post for not wanting to call any group of immigrants "native" No group or race is native to the Americas because, as far as we have been able to determine, what we now call the Americas were uninhabited before the First Nations arrived. However, that has nothing to do with which race or which peoples arrived here far ahead of the others. You're mixing apples and oranges. It's like saying "Either we're all immigrants or we're all Caucasians. You can't have it both ways." It makes no sense.

"Native American" is a social construct.

Yes, your first post said exactly that. I said I had no idea what your labeling "Native American" a social construct was intended to convey. Simply repeating the same six words after I posted that doesn't really clear up anything.

Since this seems to be going nowhere, I suggest another approach. State how you think we should refer to the first waves of immigrants--the waves or immigrants that, as far as we know, preceded everyone else by tens of thousands of years and make a case to support that name, as though I had never posted.

[merrily]

11. So many new posters on this thread, so little time. Enjoy your stay.

[merrily]

16. LOL! Whatever keeps you propped it, dude. Enjoy your stay.

[merrily]

13. The smell of blatant racism in the morning. Enjoy your stay.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

14. I suspect you'll be autoremoved in a minute or two, so I'll repeat my jury message here.

Your whole screed is racist, not just the last paragraph. The whole point is to delegitimize the vast majority of Native Americans and erase the appalling nature of the history of brutality and genocide perpetuated on them by European Americans.

Thanks to whoever alerted on this filthy, racist comment.

[NonMetro]

22. I've Always Thought The Same

Only, I think people should be called by the name of the tribe or nation, such as Cherokee, Apache, Ojibwa, Huron, etc. IMO, using "Native American" is like "Hispanic", "Latino", or even "Anglo." These words lump everyone together, as if they're all alike or something. Many people are offended by such terms!

[merrily]

23. There has to be some way to refer to them collectively, much as there has to be a way to

refer collectively to whites. If anyone has a better, accurate term, please post it.

Meanwhile, most people I know are proud to be known as Hispanic or Latino (or Italian American, etc.)

Anglo is not technically an English term.

[NonMetro]

24. I've met people proud of those terms, too

But also some who are not, and it can also lead to stereotyping. But as far as a universal name, people had always used "Indians" before, and even now, it's still used, and replacing it with something else is problematic. Both of us, for instance, have issues with "Native American", and that's been around quite a while.

[Comrade Grumpy]

25. "Anglo" is a Texas term. There, it means non-Hispanic white people. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

42. Thanks for your links, merrily. Very interesting!

What a breakthrough it would be if someone in government finally acknowledged we all know the culture HAS re-written history, and it has been hard as hell getting the truth to surface with so many people fighting to keep it buried!

The people who were here who watched this motley group of "people" arrive on their continent without a doubt had no idea the strangers were coming to enslave, terrorize, degrade, rape, torture, drive so many of them to suicide, then steal the ground beneath their feet, leaving them with NO where to find haven for the rest of their lives, or those of their descendants, if they survived.

How could they have known? They found out in a hurry.

As people struggle to learn the truth, it's guaranteed far more is going to emerge about who actually "discovered" "America." The people elsewhere in the world don't seem nearly as confused about it as the descendants of European immigrants.

[merrily]

45. Glad you liked them. Thank you for all your great posts.

[newfie11]

2. Here in South Dakota we've had Native American Day celebrated on Colombus Day for over 10 years

It's A start but there is much more to do.

[leftofcool]

15. Can you just stop talking?

[southmost]

19. sad to see this is still a touchy subject

especially here at DU....

[restorefreedom]

20. tansi everyone!

and happy first nations day!

[Drahthaardogs]

21. Columbus day has been about celebrating Italian american

Heritage for years. We consider it our holiday. Italians were lynched in this country for decades and only became white in the 1970 s. No one cares about Columbus the man. He was a prick.

[jeff47]

26. Then perhaps you should work on changing the day's name

instead of trying to convince everyone it really isn't about a genocidal rapist who enslaved and murdered thousands.

[Drahthaardogs]

33. Or, or maybe. You could go read and find out that in America it has always been about Italians

celebrating their heritage. That changed when someone decided we actually celebrated Columbus the man. You know, this is like someone deciding the Irish cannot celebrate St. Patrick's day because it was celebrating the final Roman conquest of the Celts, the destruction of the irish culture (The irish really have no culture that is their own. They adopted Scottish culture because theirs is lost to history), forced Catholicism on them making them give up their own religion.

[jeff47]

40. Because holding up Columbus as a symbol of "Italian" is not a good idea

At least, if you want to have a positive image of "Italian".

Campaign for it to be "Italian heritage day" or whatever name you'd like. Keeping the "Columbus" label makes it about Columbus no matter how you celebrate it.

You know, this is like someone deciding the Irish cannot celebrate St. Patrick's day because it was celebrating the final Roman conquest of the Celts, the destruction of the irish culture

Yes, naming holidays after specific individuals has problems.

[niyad]

48. try again. I read the relevant articles, and no, not ALWAYS. but, as I said, keep trying. some

might actually believe that this official federal holiday honouring that butchering bastard is actually about something else entirely.

[Drahthaardogs]

50. I cannot help your reading comprehension. Nor can I help the fact that you are wrong.

Saying you are right because you want it to be so, does not make it. The holiday has always been about Italian heritage. First celebrated in San Francisco then made a federal holiday by FDR.

Look, you can spin shit all day long. I am heavily involved in Italian american history and lobby groups. I know what the hell I am talking about.

And yes, ALWAYS in America. That is the holiday's history here. Sorry you don't like it. Maybe you can have a pumpkin latte or something while you enjoy western civilization but pretend you don't benefit from it.

Thanks for playing though.

[niyad]

51. projection much: Saying you are right because you want it to be so, does not make it so.

[niyad]

28. really? this is the first I have heard of such. and if that is truly the case, why only the

italian americans to be so honoured, and none of the other groups?

try again.

[Drahthaardogs]

29. The Google is your friend

Don't know why you don't know this. FDR made it a national holiday to win Italian vote

[rockfordfile]

31. Guess what

That was wrong to do. It's 2015 time to close.

[Drahthaardogs]

32. Why is celebrating Italian heritage and contribution to American society wrong?

Explain this to me please. Remember, in AMERICA (not the Caribbean or South American) Columbus Day ha s ALWAYS been a celebration of italian american heritage. The first celebrations were in San Francisco in 1869.

http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/10/14/232120128/how-columbus-sailed-into-u-s-history-thanks-to-italians


Just like St. Patrick's Day in America is very different (or at least was until recent history) in Ireland, so does Columbus Day in American hold a different meaning. It WAS NEVER about celebrating the man, but rather Italians.

Remember, the largest mass lynching in America were a group of Italian immigrants. At the time, Teddy Roosevelt said it was a good thing. The Saxons stole our language, our food, our culture. There is nothing wrong about it.

[elljay]

35. Was Columbus Even Italian

If there is to be a celebration of Italian-American culture (and I'm perfectly fine with that), how about picking someone who was definitively Italian? Columbus's origin has always been murky (and Columbus himself deliberately kept it that way) and there have been rumors for centuries that he was not Italian. A linguistic analysis of his writings places his origin in the Catalonia region of Spain. How about finding someone who was certifiably Italian (and as a bonus, someone who was not genocidal) or just calling it Italian-American Heritage Day?

[Drahthaardogs]

38. The Columbo name in Italy and Spain has been tested (males) for DNA

they are the same family. Are they "italian"? Hard to say. Due to the Roman empire, all people of the Mediterranean are closely related. I can live with a name change, but due to the hardships of Italians in this country, I feel it is important our holiday is preserved.

Here is some bitter bread (pane amaro)

http://www.iitaly.org/node/1348

[a la izquierda]

36. As an Italian American

I suggest picking another holiday. Celebrate St Francis. This one is offensive as hell. To be fair, I also study indigenous history.

[Drahthaardogs]

37. Then why not la sinestra?

I could live with changing the name. However, it is OUR holiday and always has been OUR holiday. We were second class citizens in this country far too long. We deserve our own holiday.

[niyad]

27. k and r.

[rockfordfile]

30. Christopher Columbus was a real scumbag

It would be good to see it go away and celebrate a person truly good.

[MisterP]

34. the story behind Columbus DAY is very interesting, too: he was seen as a progressive figure,

proving the Earth round against benighted and superstitious Papists; "progressive" at the time also meant eugenics and civilized races sweeping away "dying breeds"; in the 1840s William Prescott saw the Conquests as letting history move forward toward its true civilized future

later in the century it was a great way to appeal to Italian-Americans and integrate their story into the "national pageant" for 1892, which is what a socialist wrote the Pledge of Allegiance for and everyone fretted about the frontier being over

[mikepete]

39. the roots

the roots is amzing

[niyad]

49. welcome to du.

[Judi Lynn]

41. Columbus Day is a reminder that nothing exists until a white guy “discovers” it

Columbus Day is a reminder that nothing exists until a white guy “discovers” it



Written by
Jake Flanagin
4 hours ago

At this point, it’s pretty much common knowledge that Christopher Columbus was not, in fact, the first European to come to the New World. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of Norse settlements in Newfoundland, Canada, dating as far back as the ninth century. Meanwhile recently uncovered DNA evidence suggests Polynesians landed on South American shores almost a century before the Nina, the Pinta, or the Santa Maria.

Yet to suggest that any of these parties—Columbus or the Vikings or the Polynesians—“discovered” the Americas is not simply revisionism; it’s flat-out incorrect.

We know that Native Americans were living in the Americas for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. We know their ancestors crossed the Bering Land Bridge from northeastern Asia, and in the ensuing 10,000 to 15,000 years populated the New World with civilizations as diverse and distinct as the Mayans, the Inuit, and the Mapuche.

And yet, we still honor Christopher Columbus, an Italian in the employ of the Spanish crown, for ostensibly “discovering” the Americas. Why? Because our historiographical language maintains that, unless a white dude knows about a place, it doesn’t exist. Unless it’s documented in the Spanish royal archives, or the record books of the Dutch East India Company, or the Bible, it’s not a thing. It isn’t real.

Cities across the United States and Canada are finally starting to wake up to the damage wrought by Columbus’s expedition, acknowledging why it’s wrong to blindly worship a man for essentially jump-starting the systemic extermination of two continents worth of indigenous societies. Several of these cities have begun to institute Indigenous Peoples’ Day in its place. And that’s a step in the right direction.

More:
http://qz.com/521321/columbus-day-is-a-reminder-that-nothing-exists-until-a-white-guy-discovers-it/

Good reads:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016134202

[romanic]

43. Columbus Day or Native American day or whatever

it's just another day retailers use to sell people crap on "sale".

[Judi Lynn]

44. The Truth About Columbus Day: Why Are We Celebrating?

The Truth About Columbus Day: Why Are We Celebrating?
Monday, 13 October 2014 14:13
By The Daily Take Team, The Thom Hartmann Program

Christopher Columbus was the ISIS of his day.

He justified rape, murder and pillage with religion and funded his efforts with whatever he could steal.

Today, while millions across America are celebrating Columbus Day, the city of Seattle is celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

That’s because last week, the Seattle city council unanimously passed a resolution to honor the contributions and cultures of Native Americans on the second Monday of October.

While Seattle’s decision may seem unusual, it’s actually part of growing trend.

Many cities and states across the country have shifted away from celebrating Columbus Day, and that’s because more and more Americans are learning the real history behind Christopher Columbus and his “discovery.”

More:
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/26789-the-truth-about-columbus-day-why-are-we-celebrating

[center]~ ~ ~[/center]
Eric Kasum

Columbus Day? True Legacy: Cruelty and Slavery

Posted: 10/11/2010 1:46 am EDT Updated: 5 hours ago


Once again, it's time to celebrate Columbus Day. Yet, the stunning truth is: If Christopher Columbus were alive today, he would be put on trial for crimes against humanity. Columbus' reign of terror, as documented by noted historians, was so bloody, his legacy so unspeakably cruel, that Columbus makes a modern villain like Saddam Hussein look like a pale codfish.

Question: Why do we honor a man who, if he were alive today, would almost certainly be sitting on Death Row awaiting execution?

. . .

Columbus Day, as we know it in the United States, was invented by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization. Back in the 1930s, they were looking for a Catholic hero as a role-model their kids could look up to. In 1934, as a result of lobbying by the Knights of Columbus, Congress and President Franklin Roosevelt signed Columbus Day into law as a federal holiday to honor this courageous explorer. Or so we thought.

. . .

Second, Columbus wasn't a hero. When he set foot on that sandy beach in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492, Columbus discovered that the islands were inhabited by friendly, peaceful people called the Lucayans, Taínos and Arawaks. Writing in his diary, Columbus said they were a handsome, smart and kind people. He noted that the gentle Arawaks were remarkable for their hospitality. "They offered to share with anyone and when you ask for something, they never say no," he said. The Arawaks had no weapons; their society had neither criminals, prisons nor prisoners. They were so kind-hearted that Columbus noted in his diary that on the day the Santa Maria was shipwrecked, the Arawaks labored for hours to save his crew and cargo. The native people were so honest that not one thing was missing.

Columbus was so impressed with the hard work of these gentle islanders, that he immediately seized their land for Spain and enslaved them to work in his brutal gold mines. Within only two years, 125,000 (half of the population) of the original natives on the island were dead.

If I were a Native American, I would mark October 12, 1492, as a black day on my calendar.

Shockingly, Columbus supervised the selling of native girls into sexual slavery. Young girls of the ages 9 to 10 were the most desired by his men. In 1500, Columbus casually wrote about it in his log. He said: "A hundred castellanoes are as easily obtained for a woman as for a farm, and it is very general and there are plenty of dealers who go about looking for girls; those from nine to ten are now in demand."

He forced these peaceful natives work in his gold mines until they died of exhaustion. If an "Indian" worker did not deliver his full quota of gold dust by Columbus' deadline, soldiers would cut off the man's hands and tie them around his neck to send a message. Slavery was so intolerable for these sweet, gentle island people that at one point, 100 of them committed mass suicide. Catholic law forbade the enslavement of Christians, but Columbus solved this problem. He simply refused to baptize the native people of Hispaniola.

On his second trip to the New World, Columbus brought cannons and attack dogs. If a native resisted slavery, he would cut off a nose or an ear. If slaves tried to escape, Columbus had them burned alive. Other times, he sent attack dogs to hunt them down, and the dogs would tear off the arms and legs of the screaming natives while they were still alive. If the Spaniards ran short of meat to feed the dogs, Arawak babies were killed for dog food.

Columbus' acts of cruelty were so unspeakable and so legendary - even in his own day - that Governor Francisco De Bobadilla arrested Columbus and his two brothers, slapped them into chains, and shipped them off to Spain to answer for their crimes against the Arawaks. But the King and Queen of Spain, their treasury filling up with gold, pardoned Columbus and let him go free.

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-kasum/columbus-day-a-bad-idea_b_742708.html

[ozone_man]

47. It's time we changed this holiday

to honor Native Americans.

Thanks Judy!