Spring Break
The Daily OrangePanel of American Indian professors examines nationwide meaning of Columbus Day
By Jessie Shoffel
Posted: 10/10/05, 11:38 PM EST Section: News
For high school students, it's a day to sleep in. For some Americans, it means a parade. But for American Indians, many of which surround the Syracuse University Hill, Columbus Day is a time to mourn their losses.
Outside Grant Auditorium Monday night, about 60 observers attending a lecture put on by the Native American Students Association and U. Encounter were greeted by festive American Indian decorations. However, pumpkins and dried corn cobs, draped fabrics in shades of yellow and maroon and American Indian jewelry and sculpture vendors prefaced a much darker lecture topic.
The symposium, titled "What Columbus Day Really Means to Indigenous People," featured three American Indian scholars, SU writing professor Scott Lyons, Buffalo State College professor Lori Quigley and Colgate University professor Michael Taylor, who spoke of the hardships that have come upon their cultures since the onset of colonialism.
"Columbus is a symbol," said Lyons, a member of the Ojibwe tribe. "He is a symbol of the possession of our land and our rights. But most of all, he symbolizes the fact that the destruction of our people didn't have to end the way it did."
Lyons discussed the inappropriateness of Columbus Day as a holiday. Many American Indians feel to celebrate the day when one culture uprooted another is disgraceful. These people believe this ostracism of American Indian culture has disenfranchised members of their race, he said.
As a result, some American Indians, such as Seneca tribe member Quigley, feel Columbus Day should be renamed 'Indigenous People Day.' In Berkeley, Calif., this is already the case and the new name serves to raise awareness about Native American culture.
Quigley also directed her ideas to education students. As vice chairwoman of the National Indian Education Association, a presidential-appointed position, she talked about the need for American Indian awareness in the classroom.
"It cannot be expected that every teacher have a complete understanding of every culture, but teachers should be taking at least one course during college on indigenous history," Quigley said.
Outside Grant Auditorium Monday night, about 60 observers attending a lecture put on by the Native American Students Association and U. Encounter were greeted by festive American Indian decorations. However, pumpkins and dried corn cobs, draped fabrics in shades of yellow and maroon and American Indian jewelry and sculpture vendors prefaced a much darker lecture topic.
The symposium, titled "What Columbus Day Really Means to Indigenous People," featured three American Indian scholars, SU writing professor Scott Lyons, Buffalo State College professor Lori Quigley and Colgate University professor Michael Taylor, who spoke of the hardships that have come upon their cultures since the onset of colonialism.
"Columbus is a symbol," said Lyons, a member of the Ojibwe tribe. "He is a symbol of the possession of our land and our rights. But most of all, he symbolizes the fact that the destruction of our people didn't have to end the way it did."
Lyons discussed the inappropriateness of Columbus Day as a holiday. Many American Indians feel to celebrate the day when one culture uprooted another is disgraceful. These people believe this ostracism of American Indian culture has disenfranchised members of their race, he said.
As a result, some American Indians, such as Seneca tribe member Quigley, feel Columbus Day should be renamed 'Indigenous People Day.' In Berkeley, Calif., this is already the case and the new name serves to raise awareness about Native American culture.
Quigley also directed her ideas to education students. As vice chairwoman of the National Indian Education Association, a presidential-appointed position, she talked about the need for American Indian awareness in the classroom.
"It cannot be expected that every teacher have a complete understanding of every culture, but teachers should be taking at least one course during college on indigenous history," Quigley said.
