ISU group celebrates ‘Indigenous Peoples Day’
Anyone who walked passed Native American Student Services at Idaho State University on Monday saw a couple of different signs. One reads, “Abolish Columbus Day” while another says “Stop Celebrating Genocide.”
The signs may look hostile, but they serve a simple purpose: to educate people about Indigenous Peoples Day.
Layha Spoonhunter, the president of the group Native Americans United at ISU, said the day lets people hear the Native American perspective.
“There’s a lot of contributions that Native American societies have made to this country that need to be recognized. (This day) is a chance for us to recognize that,” he said.
In recent years, there’s been a push to rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. Many Native Americans say the day overlooks hardships caused by Columbus’ arrival.
“People need to understand what we went through. What Native Americans went through at the hands of Columbus,” Spoonhunter said.
This year, nine cities celebrated the day, including major cities like Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland.
As the movement continues to gain traction, there’s a message Spoonhunter said the day needs to relay– the resilience of the Native Americans.
“We have overcome extermination, mass genocide, boarding schools, acculturation and relocation to be where we are today,” he said. “That’s the story that we want to share, is that we have overcome great obstacles to be where we are today.”
Some cities, like Denver and Oklahoma City, are currently working on resolutions or bills to implement Indigenous Peoples Day.
On Monday, Alaska officially renamed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. It joins South Dakota, which renamed the day to Native American Day in 1990.
