The University of Idaho Argonaut

Students and faculty enjoyed a special Indian taco lunch served by the Native American Students Association on Monday. Tyler Macy/Argonaut

For many Americans, Columbus Day is a celebration of the discovery of America. This is not the case for Native Americans.
For Native Americans, Columbus Day is a misrepresented holiday.
“Christopher Columbus is given credit for a lot of things,” said Steven Martin, director of the University of Idaho Native American Student Center and Muscogee Creek tribe member. “One being the discovery of America, which is untrue because we were never lost; we were always here.”

Martin said Columbus’ arrival to America can be linked to the destruction of the environment and the culture of Native Americans.
Charmaine White Face, coordinator and founder of the Defenders of the Black Hills environmental group and member of the Great Sioux Nation, spoke at UI Monday about Columbus Day and its significance to Native Americans.

“In the western hemisphere alone, in 100 years there were 100 million native people killed through disease, wars and the destruction of their economic basis,” White Face said. “But what most people never think about is what else happened.”
White Face spoke about the destruction of the environment and the eradication of the Native American culture since Columbus came to America. She said Columbus was not the first person to arrive at America by sea, and the Norse people came to America 200 years earlier.

White Face said Columbus Day should not be just one day. She said it should always be remembered because the destruction of the Native Americans and their culture still continues today.
“What I want people to do is to remember, remember what this has caused,” White Face said.

White Face said the big picture she wanted people to leave with from her speech is there have been ramifications since Columbus came to America and it is not just how many native nations were annihilated, but for Native Americans the genocide continues with the destruction of their culture, the environment and sacred places they value.

Fry bread was made for Indian tacos that the Native American Student Association served on Monday, Columbus Day. Tyler Macy/Argonaut

“I would like people to really broaden their perception, broaden their scope — what does this actually mean?” White Face said.
She said the biggest repercussion America has felt since Columbus came to America is the destruction of the environment. She talked about the destruction of the natural land, the quality of water and the destruction of sacred places on American soil.

Martin said the real story should be told properly about Columbus Day.
“Things have evolved over time since 1492,” Martin said. “New things have taken place, but it has always been the same story with us. We’ve always been on the bottom of those changes in a negative way.”

Martin said a lot of native speakers want to talk about just the destruction of native nations and a lot of times those presentations exclude the effects this has had on the environment. He said he liked what White Face talked about, because it opened up the issue to more than just America, but the world as well.

“I hope that people take other advantages to learn more about this country’s history, including Christopher Columbus,” Martin said. “People need to know how this country was formed; they need to know what Christopher Columbus brought to the table.”