1492: Indigenous People Discover Columbus

I can't take credit for the title; it was noted as such for Sunday, October 12 on my articulate kitchen calendar of wisdom. The same calendar also notes today as "Indigenous People's Day" as opposed to "Columbus Day," a federal holiday in which we celebrate Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer who "discovered" America, a land mass that was already here and inhabited by indigenous people who were living relatively peacefully off the land and in their respective communities.

So what is this "Indigenous People's Day"? It's a holiday not recognized federally, or even locally in most places, in which most people have no idea of its existence. But according to a sisterfriend of mine teaching English to the young people in San Francisco; they many of the folks there (especially the young people) don't even know it as Columbus Day. Apparently, the city of Berkeley officially has been celebrating this since 1992. It arose out of a group called the Resistance 500, made up of local indigenous leaders and advocates, who wanted a more accurate commemoration of the quincentennial anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the Americas. This group had to convince the community about the atrocities committed by Columbus, and thus later colonizers, specifically towards the indigenous people. The Resistance 500 amassed extensive community support leading the Berkeley City Council to officially declare October 12 "Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People."

It's my wish that people who are "celebrating" Columbus Day think about what really happened on this day. Yes, it has led to the society we now have that we all are a part of and privy to, but it highlights a violent and greedy beginning to this country. Hundreds of thousands of people were annihilated; and even more suffered. And looking at the state of our Native American and indigenous communities here and abroad now only reflects the ongoing history of mistreatment to these people. As we've seen in Berkeley, the most important vehicle for change is education.

*steps down from soapbox*

Here's a case in point of why it's important to know our history...it keeps repeating itself.

Advocates Fail To Win Passage of American Indian Health Care Improvement Reauthorization Bill
[Oct 06, 2008]

A host of American Indian health care advocates, tribal leaders and other supporters have "admitted the defeat" of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act reauthorization bill (HR 1328) after several attempts to bring the legislation to a vote failed late last month, according to a statement posted on the National Indian Health Board Web site, Indian Country Today reports (Reynolds, Indian Country Today, 10/3). The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee approved the legislation last year to extend the act through fiscal year 2017. The bill was intended to improve health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives (Kaiser Health Disparities Report, 11/8/2007).

Last month the NIHB attempted to attach the bill to a continuing resolution (HR 2638), but the effort failed. NIHB also tried to move forward smaller parts of the larger bill -- including amendments that would have improved American Indian/Alaska Native access to Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP -- as a stand-alone bill, but that effort also failed (Indian Country Today, 10/3).

NIHB said on its Web site that it "worked tirelessly" to get the bill approved, but after "several legislative strategies, ... our efforts were shut down because Congress could not find funding to pay for the bill." NIHB added that it "will continue to pursue legislative strategies during the remainder of the 110th Congress."

The Congressional Budget Office has said the House version would have cost $9 million for the first year, $53 million over five years, and $129 million over 10 years, according to NIHB. The statement continued, "Unfortunately, House Leadership was not able to fund the first five years of the bill in an amount of $53 million" (NIHB statement, 9/29).

Reasons for Failure
According to Indian Country Today, the House decided not to bring the bill to a vote because of an amendment added to the Senate version by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) that would have codified restrictions on the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. American Indian lobbyist Tom Rodgers of Carlyle Consulting said abortion-related issues surrounding the amendment "dominated and clouded the whole debate."

Rodgers added, "Indian country needs to have more allies on the (House) Energy and Commerce Committee. It is basically an urban committee which does not reflect historical ties to Indian country." Rodgers said supporters and lawmakers will develop new strategies to get the bill passed during the next Congress (Indian Country Today, 10/3).

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