October Reframe: Indigenous Peoples’ Day

We can thank the United Nations’ International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas (meeting in Switzerland in 1977) for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The first U.S. celebration took place in Berkeley, California, in 1982 to mark the 500^th anniversary of Italian Christopher Columbus’ landing in the Americas. Gradually other cities and states adopted the reframed holiday. Naming and claiming truth are first steps to any positive change.

In 2021 President Biden set Indigenous Peoples’ Day in motion as a country-wide holiday with these Proclamation words: “…a day in honor of our diverse history and the indigenous peoples of our diverse history…people who contribute to shaping this Nation.” Currently, 29 states no longer celebrate Columbus Day; 195 cities renamed the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Canada has embraced a national holiday recognizing contributions of indigenous people since 1996.

This day recognizes that Native people were treated as intruders despite their spiritual connection to their ancestral lands for generations. Biden recognized that many indigenous people are leaders in environmental causes. In 2020 he named the first Native American Secretary of the Interior to his Cabinet, Deb Haaland, a prior member of the House of Representatives and a 35^th generation member of the Pueblo of Laguna (in currently named “New Mexico”). Both of Haaland’s parents served in the U.S. military; her mother was employed in the Bureau of Indian Affairs.  

The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian has worked for over two decades to esteem the stories and achievements of Native communities while debunking tragic myths—including the false fairy tale that Christopher Columbus “discovered” America.

While there are detractors to the new national holiday, the correction of white peoples’ history lessons for our children is crucial. Perhaps the most important children to receive a corrected, factual history are Native children. Discrimination runs rampant throughout the sacred lands of these youngsters who are more likely to suffer from gender violence, substance abuse, and various health challenges as they age. Bringing attention to this holiday, while uncovering scars of old issues, may enable a change in the nation’s psyche toward First Nation people (Canada’s name for indigenous peoples).

Discrimination is rampant in other populations as well. October 7^th was Ageism Awareness Day, as named by the American Society on Aging (ASA). We need to reframe aging; it is estimated that 50% of the U.S. population has some negative bias toward any seasoned citizen, my preferred naming instead of old fart, codger, geezer, or “dirty” old man. While ageism joking may seem funny initially, no, we are not age 39 forever. Naming is salient. At the annual ASA conference, participants are encouraged to tell everyone their actual age with pride.

Now, let’s address our sports teams that use First People naming without any permission.  

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

227. What discrimination in U.S. culture can you name today?

228. How might you take some positive action to address this discrimination?