>From the Editorial Page, Denver Post, Oct 12, 1991.
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Why AIM opposes Columbus Day and Columbus Day Parades
By Glenn Morris and Russell Means
When Taino Indians saved Christopher Columbus from certain death on
the fateful morning of Oct. 12, 1492, a glorious opportunity presented
itself. The cultures Europe and the Americas could have merged, and
the beauty of both races could have flourished.
Unfortunately, what occurred was neither beautiful nor heroic.
Just as Columbus could not, and did not, "discover" a hemisphere that
was already inhabited by nearly 100 million people, his arrival
cannot, and will not, be recognized as a heroic and celebratory event
by indigenous peoples.
Unlike the Western tradition, which presumes some absolute concept
of objective truth, and consequently, one "factual" depiction of
history, the indigenous view recognizes that there exist many truths
in the world and many legitimate recollections of any given historical
event, depending on one's perspective and experiences.
From an indigenous vantage point, Columbus' arrival was a disaster
from the beginning. Although his own diaries indicated that he was
greeted by the Taino Indians with the most generous hospitality he had
ever known, he immediately began the enslavement and slaughter of the
Indian peoples of the Caribbean islands. As the eminent Columbus
biographer Samuel Eliot Morison admits in his book, Admiral of the
Ocean Sea, Columbus was personally responsible for enslavement and
murder of indigenous peoples. He was personally responsible for the
design and operation of the encomienda system that tied Indians as
slaves to the lands stolen from them by the European invaders.
As detailed in the American Heritage Magazine (October,1976),
Columbus personally oversaw the genocide of the Taino Indian nation of
what is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Consequently, this
murderer, despite his historical notoriety, deserves no recognition or
accolades as a hero; he deserves no respect as a visionary; and he is
not worthy of a state or national holiday in his honor.
Defenders of Columbus and his holiday argue that indigenous peoples
unfairly judge Columbus, a 15th century actor, by the moral and legal
standards of the late 20th century. Such a defense implies that no
moral or legal constraints applied to individuals such as Columbus, or
countries, in 1492. As Roger Williams details in his book, The American
Indian in Western Legal Thought, not only were there European moral
and legal principles in 1492, but they largely favored the rights of
indigenous peoples to be free from unjustified invasion and pillage by
Europeans.
Unfortunately, the issue of Columbus and Columbus Day is not easily
resolvable with a disposition of Columbus, the man. Columbus Day as a
national, and international, phenomenon reflects a much larger dynamic
that promotes myriad myths and historical lies that have been used
through the ages to dehumanize Indians, justifying the theft of our
lands, the attempted destruction of our nations, and the genocide
against our people. Since the 15th Century, the myth of Columbus'
discovery has been used in the development of laws and policies that
reek of Orwell's doublespeak: theft equals the righteous spread of
civilization, genocide is God's deliverance of the wilderness from the
savages, and the destruction of Indian societies implies the
superiority of European values and institutions over indigenous ones.
Columbus Day is a perpetuation of racist assumptions that the
Western Hemisphere was a wasteland cluttered with savages awaiting
the blessings of Western "civilization." Throughout the hemisphere,
educational systems perpetuate these myths - suggesting that
indigenous peoples have contributed nothing to the world, and,
consequently, should be grateful for their colonization and their
microwave ovens.
As Alfred Crosby, Kirkpatrick Sale, and Jack Weatherford have
illustrated in their books, not only was the Western Hemisphere a
virtual ecological and health paradise prior to 1492, but the Indians
of the Americas have been responsible for such revolutionary global
contributions as the model for U.S. constitutional government,
agricultural advances that currently provide 60 percent of the world's
daily diet, and hundreds of medical and medicinal techniques still in
use today.
If you find it difficult to believe that Indians had developed
highly complex and sophisticated societies, then you have been
victimized by an educational and social system that has given you a
retarded, distorted view of history. The operation of this view has
also enabled every country in this hemisphere, including the U.S., to
continue its destruction of Indian peoples. From the jungles of Brazil
to the highlands of Guatemala, from the Chaco of Paraguay to the
Supreme Court of the United States, Indian people remain in a
perpetual state of danger from the systems that Christopher Columbus
began in 1492.
Throughout the Americas, Indian people remain at the bottom of
every socioeconomic indicator, we are under continuing physical
attack, and are afforded the least access to economic, political, or
legal redress. Despite these constant and unbridled assaults, we have
resisted, we have survived, and we refuse to surrender any more of our
homeland or to disappear into the romantic sunset.
To dignify Columbus and his legacy with parades, holidays and other
celebrations is intolerable to us. As the original peoples of this
land, we cannot, and will not, countenance social and political
festivities that celebrate our genocide. We are embarking on a two-
pronged campaign in the quincentenary year to confront the continuing
racism against Indian people.
First, we are advocating that the divisive Columbus Day holiday
should be replaced by a celebration that is much more inclusive and
more accurately reflective of the cultural and racial richness of the
Americas. Such a holiday will provide respect and acknowledgement to
every group and individual of the importance and value of their
heritage, and will allow a more honest and accurate portrayal of the
evolution of the hemisphere. It will also provide an opportunity for
greater understanding and respect as our societies move ahead into the
next 500 years. Opponents to this suggestion react as though this
proposal is an attack on ancient time-honored holiday, but Columbus
Day has been a national holiday only since 1971 - and in 1991,
hopefully, we can correct the errors of the past, moving forward in an
atmosphere of mutual respect and inclusiveness.
Second, and related to the first, is the advancement of an
active militant campaign to demand that federal, state, and local
authorities begin the removal of anti-Indian icons throughout the
country. Beginning with Columbus, we are insisting on the removal
of statues, street names, public parks, and any other public object
that seeks to celebrate or honor devastators of Indian peoples. We
will take an active role of opposition to public displays, parades,
and celebrations that champion Indian haters. We encourage others,
in every community in the land, to educate themselves and to take
responsibility for the removal of anti-Indian vestiges among them.
For people of goodwill, there is no better time for the
re-examination of the past, and a rectification of the historical
record for future generations, than the 500th anniversary of
Columbus' arrival. There is no better place for this re-examination
to begin than in Colorado, the birthplace of the Columbus Day
holiday.
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Russell Means and Glenn Morris wrote this position statement on
behalf of the American Indian Movement of Colorado, 1574 South
Pennsylvania St., Denver, CO
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Michele Lord * Walk in Peace with
(milo@scicom.alphacdc.com) * our Mother Earth
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