BRATTLEBORO — Even if we said “no” to Columbus Day, what does that really change?
This year, I am teaching early U.S. history, and I decided to check out almost all the children's books about Christopher Columbus from Rutland, Bennington, Brooks Memorial, and other Vermont libraries.
My students analyzed the contents of these books. They asked questions like, “How many times do the Natives speak?,” “How many times does Columbus speak?,” “Are the Natives of Hispaniola (the Taínos) named in the books?,” “Do the books talk about the genocide of the Taínos?,” “Does the reader learn anything about the Taínos?”
My students learned that all the books were about the brave journey of Columbus. One book mentioned in passing about something bad Columbus and his men did to the Indians.
The reader never learns what the Taínos are called, what they are thinking, or how they feel. In fact, the reader learns absolutely nothing about the Taínos except that they give Columbus gifts, speak gibberish, and are happy to see the strangers.
I asked my students if young children should learn the full truth about Columbus. Some think the violence might be inappropriate for younger kids, but they thought younger kids should learn about the Taínos.
Considering all the violence children are exposed to early on, would Columbus's genocide shock these students? Or is the nation still teaching students lies and half truths?
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Of course, Columbus never “discovered” America. The “Americans” or colonists wanted an origin story and a hero. The new “Americans” wanted legitimacy for their new country, and Columbus fit the bill.
And this Columbus icon transformed into Lady Columbia, the female version of Columbus. She is the white, divine-looking woman holding the Bible and floating westward toward the dark savages in John Gast's painting “American Progress.”
In fact, the Columbus Day holiday was declared in 1892 by President Benjamin Harrison to honor the progress and enlightenment that Columbus brought to “Americans” and, no doubt, to celebrate taming and civilizing the Native Americans.
Columbus Day endures today just as much as Christopher Columbus's deadly ideology. My students learned about the attack dogs and savage treatment of Native American protesters in Standing Rock, N.D., and quickly saw the parallels to Columbus's relationship with the Taínos.
“It's like the Dakota Access Pipeline company is bringing progress at the cost of people's lives,” one student said.
Another student said, “Someone profits from the use of the land.”
Do we need the oil that the Dakota Access Pipeline will provide, or is it simply for some to accumulate profit? Columbus stole land and gold from the Taínos. Colonists and “pioneers” stole land and resources from many Native American tribes across the United States.
Dakota Access Pipeline is trampling on Native people's land to gain profit. Has the relationship essentially changed?
Changing the name of the holiday to Indigenous Peoples' Day and supplying libraries with children's books that tell the truth are small steps we can take to stand in solidarity with the big steps Native Americans are making in Standing Rock.