Columbus Day?

Most of us have been taught that fairy tale Columbus story and it has been stuck in our minds ever since. Of course, or at least I hope, we have all felt that shock when we realize how falsified the story actually is. Sure, it is a catchy tale but it is quite shocking to realize that we are still teaching our children this story.

As a Caucasian, it is sometimes sickening to comprehend what my ancestors have done. We tricked, killed, and manipulated purely for the sake of ignorance---and, that ignorance is still very apparent today. Thus, we owe it to our children to tell them the real story, not the one that makes Europeans look like pure-minded explorers. We were fearful and reactionary and, consequently, we lumped them into a singular group and created stereotypes. As June Sark Heinrich states: "There were no 'Indians' before the Europeans came to America". In fact, there are hardly any left today and we all know why: "We suffered the excesses of 'civilization' such as murder, pillage, rape..." (Harjo). If we, as Americans, have the gall to make Columbus Day a national holiday---for discovering something that already exists---we at least should give them the best version of the truth. That we raped and eradicated Native Americans, that we pillaged their land and animals, and that we do our best to forget all of the horrors that we committed. We teach our children about the holocaust at a young age; there is no reason to sugarcoat the atrocities our ancestors committed. Therefore, I have an alternative proposal. We should not commemorate this day for Columbus; instead, we should honor our Native Americans and celebrate their traditions and culture. Thus, our children can learn why we should have this holiday, become more cultured, and ultimately develop into better people.